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Note on raising Primulas from Seed. By Joseph Sidebotham, Esq. 



I WAS glad to see in the last month's ' Phy tologist ' an account 

 of Mr. Watson's further experiments on the specific identity of the 

 primrose and cowslip, as I think the records of such experiments 

 tend more to the true knowledge of the relation of plants to each 

 other than whole volumes of speculative discussion. For my own 

 part, I do not relish the idea of the cowslip and primrose being con- 

 sidered forms of the same species, it appears to strike at the very 

 root of our notions of specific identity, and to give a good handle to 

 the supporters of the progressive-development theory ; but if the idea 

 turns out to be a correct one, it would be absurd to attempt to prove 

 it an impossibility. With regard to the first of Mr. Watson's experi- 

 ments, I consider it only to prove that the seed of a hybrid is fertile, 

 and think that the differences in the seedlings are accounted for by 

 my late friend E. S. Wilson (Phytol. ii. 378). The second experi- 

 ment certainly shows that seeds of the cowslip produced varieties ap- 

 proaching the primrose, but still that is not satisfactory. Perhaps 

 Mr. W. will favour us with particulars of the remaining seedlings 

 when they flower. 



For several seasons I have tried experiments, but from some cause 

 or other the results were not very satisfactory. In 1845 the seeds 

 of Primulae ripened very imperfectly, and I was unable to collect suf- 

 ficient from the plants which were marked. Last year I secured 

 seeds of the cowslip and primrose : the young plants of the former 

 were almost all killed during the winter, and the few of the latter 

 which have flowered produced common primroses. I also sowed 

 some seeds of the Bardfield oxlip, which produced their like. 



This season appears peculiarly favourable to the ripening of seeds : 

 I have fine plants of the cowslip and var. intermedia, transplanted 

 from the fields last summer, from which I hope to procure a plentiful 

 supply. 



I wish all your readers who feel interested in the inquiry would try 

 the experiment, that next year we may be able to have this knotty 

 question, which has been so long contested, finally settled. 



Joseph Sidebotham. 



Manchester, June 14th, 1847. 



[We have lately had an opportunity of observing seedlings pro- 

 duced in the second and third generation from Primula Jacquinii 

 {Newm.), or Jacquin's Primula, and find that they are in all respects 



