with no flowers; one died of crown rot due to overwatering; one was 

 not kept in a window; and one was kept at 70° - 75° F night temperature. 

 None of this group had temperatures below 65° F at night. 



The soil used for Primula malacoides was a mixture of three parts 

 good compost, one part leaf mold, one-half part sharp sand. 



Window exposure 



All plants that rated good to excellent were kept in sunny windows 

 without appreciable shade of any sort. Most of the successful plants 

 were in south windows to get a maximum of sun. 



Of two plants rating fair one was partially shaded and the other was 

 kept in an east window that received little sun. Neither of these flowered 

 freely although their foliage was excellent. 



Of the six failures three received very little or no sunlight and three 

 failed because of other reasons. 



Watering 



The baby primrose requires daily attention. Of the 20 growers, 16 

 reported watering their plants daily. Several growers remarked that 

 this plants wilts quickly if neglected. Most of the plants were watered 

 by applying water to the top of the soil but it is advisable to take pre- 

 cautions against wetting the crown of the plant to excess. Crown rot, 

 which is caused by too much water, may sometimes kill a plant almost 

 overnight. One plant failed of crown rot, primarily because the plant 

 was left standing in water in a jardiniere. A good method of watering 

 this primrose is to set it in water until the ball of soil is thoroughly 

 soaked. To avoid overwatering, water should not be applied again until 

 the soil has a dry appearance or is slightly dry to the touch. 



Containers 



All plants were grown in porous pots. Some pots were set in jar- 

 dinieres. But when this is practiced care should be taken that the plant 

 does not stand in water for any length of time. 



Tempratures 



The baby primrose has little if any chance of succeeding when night 

 temperatures run 65° F or above. All plants in this experiment that 

 succeeded had temperatures of less than 65° F, while those failing were 

 kept at 65° F or above. The most desirable was 50° - 60° F. At tempera- 

 tures above 65° F there is a tendency for plants to be vegetative with no 

 bloom produced, as illustrated in Fig. 21B. 



Feeding 



Eight of the 12 best plants were fed regularly. In general, the re- 

 sponse to feeding was a much longer period of bloom. The baby prim- 

 rose, when growing properly, should flower freely once it has reached 

 the flowering stage. This heavy production of flowers is a drain on the 

 plant which can partially be offset by regular feeding. 



Insect control measures 



No insects were reported on any of the plants used in this experi- 

 ment. Aphis, or green fly, sometimes attacks the baby primrose but is 

 easily controlled by ordinary methods. 



Forty-jour 



