253 



PRIMULA. 



borders or in beds in the open , 

 ground ; but, as before observed, j 

 all the choicer sorts are grown in I 

 pots and kept in pits or frames, j 

 The culture requires so much care | 

 and nicety, that whoever would ex- j 

 eel in it, and possess a good collec- 

 tion, should procure a book espe- i 

 cially devoted to the culture of this i 

 and other florists' flowers ; for ex- ■ 

 ample, Hogg's Treatise on the Au- 

 ricula, or Haddock's Florists' Di- 

 rectory. Auriculas, when grown as 

 florist's flowers, have almost innu- 

 merable names ; but they may be all 

 divided into thi-ee classes, viz ., those 

 with green edges, those with grey 

 edges, and those of only one colour, 

 which are called selfs. Xo Auricula 

 is valued that is what is called pin- 

 eyed, that is, if the style and stigma 

 appear above the anthers. 



The Polyanthus (Prhnula ridgd- 

 ris var. caulescens) and the Prim- 

 rose (Primula vulr/aris var. acau- 

 lis) are cultivated in the same soil 

 and in the same manner as the Au- 

 ricula; but being much hardiei', 

 and also naturally stronger, a larger 

 proportion of loam is used in the 

 soil, and only the more choice sorts 

 are grown in pots. Both Polyan- 

 thuses and Primroses form most 

 ornamental border flowers in early 

 spring, but only the Polyanthus is 

 what is properly called a florists' 

 flower. The colour of the flower of 

 the Polyanthus is always yellow 

 and broN^Ti, and the finest iiowers 

 are those that have the segments of 

 the corolla flat, and the circum- 

 ference marked with a yellow line, 

 the anthers of the stamens being 

 only visible, and not the pistil, the 

 anthers being aiTanged symmetri- 

 cally, so as to form what florists 

 call a moss eye. Sometimes the 

 anthers are not seen, but the style 

 and stigma stand up conspicuously 

 like a large pin, and when this is 



the case, the flowers are called pin- 

 eyed, and are considered worthless. 

 The double Polyanthus, and the 

 red and white Hose-in-hose Prim- 

 rose, are two varieties, having 

 double coroUas, which may be called 

 botanists' varieties, and are orna- 

 mental border flowers, but are not 

 valued by florists. Besides these, 

 however, thei-e are a great many 

 florists' varieties with names, which 

 are cultivated in pots like Auricu- 

 las. As these plants vary so much 

 it is interesting to raise them from 

 seed, which may be done in the 

 follo'ning manner : — The seeds may 

 be gathered when the capsules are 

 ready to burst in July, and sown 

 immediately in a shady border, or 

 in pots or i^ans of loamy soil kept 

 moifci and shaded. The covering 

 should be very slight, otherwise the 

 seeds wiU not come up. In fine 

 seasons seeds sown as soon as they 

 are gathered, will produce plants 

 which wUl flower in the following 

 autumn; but in general it is neces- 

 sary to wait till the next spring. 

 When the seedlings have produced 

 two or three leaves, they should be 

 ti-ansplanted into rich loamy soil 

 in a shady situation at the distance 

 of a few inches from each other ; 

 and as they come into flower, the 

 good sorts should be marked, and 

 the less admired kinds pulled up 

 and thrown away. "When the seed 

 is not sown immediately after being 

 gathered, it may be kept till the 

 following March, and treated as 

 above mentioned. Auricula seed 

 requires exactly the same treat- 

 ment ; excepting that it is generally 

 sown in pans of soil composed of a 

 mixture of leaf-mould and loam, 

 and the seedlings are transplanted 

 into larger pans, or into single small 

 pots. P. denticuldta, P. cortusoi- 

 des, and many other species, are 

 very ornamental low plants, which 



