FOURTH WEEK IN DECEMBER 



do not even belong to the same order as the ericas, although 

 their blossoms and growth are very similar, and they can 

 be cultivated on the same lines, needing a compost of peat 

 and loam, an ample supply of water whilst in growth, 

 enough to prevent them from drooping at all times, and 

 plenty of fresh air with but a slight amount of fire heat. 

 Then there is the Chinese primrose (Primula sinensis), with 

 its delicate fragrance like that of our own favourite flower 

 the yellow primrose, and a most desirable habit of throwing 

 up many sprays of blossom, which continue to open their 

 buds throughout the winter. 



For a sunny window the varieties with crimson or rich 

 pink flowers may be chosen (always avoiding the blue-pink 

 shade, which tends towards magenta as the bloom expands), 

 but where there is not much direct light the white primula 

 will be more satisfactory, as the red varieties are apt to look 

 faded in this case. Single or semi-double, frilled or with 

 flat petals, with fern-leaved foliage or the more ordinary 

 round leaves, each and all are lovely in their own ways, and 

 it is difficult to decide amongst them as to which is the best. 

 They are, of course, at home in a warm conservatory, but 

 they do not like the chilling damp of a cool greenhouse, for 

 they are specially liable to the attack of mildew, which often, 

 in a low temperature containing much moisture, seizes upon 

 the collar of the plant (i.e., the point at which roots and 

 stem meet), and before long the whole plant collapses, 

 having become rotten just below the soil. For this reason 

 it is necessary to use discretion in watering a primula, 

 always giving it tepid water, and never allowing the plant 

 to droop, nor yet supplying water while the surface soil is 

 decidedly wet, so that the only safe rule is to examine this 

 daily in the morning, and to withhold more water until it is 

 really necessary, then giving a sufficient quantity to moisten 

 the whole thoroughly. 



457 



