66 



iiM>ii (i.\iM)i:\i\( 



(»r Aiuil for ;ni early (li^plax . lnH fntiii a -.«>\viii^' 

 I inadf on .luiu- 4. l'.iir>. 1 scciiird some txtflU-iit 

 f.\aini>lcs ill livc-iiu-h ]><»ts. -which h(<.'an to 

 tlowt-r ahoiit Cluislmas. and arc still (Maicli IS) 

 a nmss of bloom. 



P. niahicoi(h's is a Ii;.;li1 amltlaimy |>lan1.antl 

 it is fxccllrnt for llu" ct»ol {^rcrnhousc. while it 

 will sueeeed admirably in a e«tld frauH', ])rovidin<^f 

 suOieient ventilation is ^Mven to ward oil any 

 (him])ness. I have had some pretty ]>lants in t wo 

 and a half inch ]»ots. but if larj^iT s])eeimens are in 

 (h-mand. ihey may lie liiven rei'e])taeles foui' and 

 five inches in iliameter. Anotlu-r nice little 

 s|H'cios is P. Korbcsii. its rich rosy-mauve 

 fioAvers. with a brijjht yellow eye. bein>,f at tractive 

 tiirouirlunit the winter and sprinL' monlhs. Il 

 is best raised fn)ni seeil annually. 



V. Cockburniana. — Although a liardy bieiniial, 

 1 lind a batch very acce])table on account of the 

 bright orange-scarlet flowers. It can l)e ])r<i- 

 jiagated readily fiom seed, wliicli sliould l>e s:iwn 

 directly it is riiH'. 



All the Primulas (incited are raised from .seed, 

 and witli sinensis and stellata sections, it may 

 be .sown either in ^Fay, dune or .luiy. Where 

 an early batch is needed, a small sowing must 

 be mack' in ^[ay. but for general purposes the 

 month of dune should be chosen. 



Well drained pots or pans may be used, and 

 any light potting soil will do. ])roviding th.e 

 surface is made fine and even. Oidy a slight 

 covering is needed, and each pot or pan sliould 

 be covered with a piece of glass until germina- 

 tion lias taken place. Arrange the pots in a 

 shady part of a greenhouse, protect from strong 

 sunlight, and never permit the soil to become 

 dry. 



Germination is occasionally irregular, so it is 

 not advisable to discard the .seed pan, after 

 the ajipearaiice of two or three seedlings only. 

 \\nien large enough, each young plant may be 

 removed and placed in a (JO-sized pot. and then 

 arranged on a shelf in a cool greenhouse. For 

 this potting the soil must be rather light, in- 

 corporating plenty of clean leaf-mould and a 

 portion of sand. 



Tliey Avill soon fill these small pots with roots ; 

 then they may be removed to four and five-inch 

 pots, in which the majority Avill flower. 



Provide ample drainage material, and make 

 the soil moderately firm. The rooting medium 

 consists of two parts good fibrous loam, one part 

 leaf -mould, and one part from an old spent 

 mushroom bed with a moderate sprinkling of 

 •sand to render the whole mixture porous. 



Cold frames with a northern aspect, or where 

 a little shade is afforded by a neighbouring tree 

 or building, will suit them during the hot 

 summer months. Give the plants a thorough 

 watering, and afterwards water must be afforded 

 sparingly until the roots have taken possession 



of ihi- soil. (;i\c ihcm ]ilentyof vcnl ilal ion ; 

 in fact the lights can !•<■ removed on all favour- 

 able occasic.ns. especially al night, when the 

 dew is very benelicial. i'rimulas enjcty i-oo| 

 treatment at all linu's. .md they may remain in 

 the frames until the end of Se)iteudM'r. (»r even 

 later if the season is tolerably ch-y and mild. A 

 liglit ]»osition in the greenhouse is then given, 

 and if the few <ull inal details (pioted al>ove have 

 been adhered to a glorious dis])la\ will be the 

 result befoi-c the wiiUer is over. 



Insect ])esls ire neither troulilesome nor 

 numerous, but greenll\' is occasionally ])rcsent, 

 which can be easily destroyed by ligiit fumiga- 

 tions directly any are seen. 'I'his is im])oiiant, 

 or the foliage soon lie(<imes criiiiple<l. and no 

 j)rogrcss is made. 



Summer Sprays 

 Against American Gooseberry'Mildew, 



|{\ ri;(.ii:s>..i: i'.. T. P. |{ai;ki:i;. M.A.. a m.I 

 A. II. Ij:i>. M.A.. Inivi-isitv ..f Uii-lul. 



'I'm-; writeis have summarised in the present note 

 the work on the summer treatment of American 

 gooseberry-mildew on which they have been 

 engaged during the past two years. The results 

 of this M'ork, in the coiu'se of which liver-of- 

 suli)liur Mas used Avitli varying effect, confirm 

 generally the conclusion of Messrs. Eyre and 

 Salmon Avhich was given in the last number of 

 this Journal (P>bruary. li)l(i) in an article on 

 ■' A New Fungicide for Use against American 

 Gooseberry-Mildew." In that article an account 

 is given of experiments conducted during the 

 ])ast two years on means of controlling the 

 American gooseberry-mildew. ^lessrs. h^yre and 

 Salmon conclude that " Solutions of liver-of- 

 sulplun- of the .strength generally recommended 

 for use as a fungicide arc quite inefficient against 

 the American gooseberry-mildew ; at a concen- 

 tration at which the solution becomes fungicidal, 

 such severe scorching injury is caused to the 

 gooseberry bush as to preclude its use." This 

 conclusion is of considerable importance, since, 

 as is pointed out. liver-of-suI])hur has hitherto 

 been considered by many investigators as 

 efficacious against mildews in general and 

 American gooseberry-mildew in particular. 



Trial has been made of a mixture which does 

 not appear to have been previously used — a 

 mixture of liver-of-sulphur and a soft-soap-and- 

 paraf'tin emulsion, which has given mo.st promis- 

 ing results. How far the liver-of-sulphur is the 

 active fungicidal ingredient has not yet been 

 determined. Probal)ly each of the three con- 

 stituents is required for full effect. In any case 

 the preliminary results have been so satisfactory 

 that it is desirable to test thoroughly the effect 



