THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



21 



noted, as my purpose is to direct atten- 

 tion to shrubs that will live and thrive 

 in all pai'ts of our interior prairies. 



CHINESE PRIMROSES. 



For a neat flowering plant in the 

 window, there is nothing which Avill 

 repay so well for the space occupied 

 as one or- two of the Chinese Prim- 

 roses. They are natives of China, and 

 are not adapted to out-door culture. 

 They bloom freely under glass, but 

 unlike the other classes of pi'imroses, 

 require sun, and if properly managed, 

 flower all the year round, although their 

 most flourishing season is through the 

 winter and early spring. All that is 

 necessary for their cultivation is a 

 moderately warm situation, close to 

 the glass, medium moisture, and good 

 drainage, which is secured by filling in 

 the bottom of the crocks with pieces of 

 broken crockery. It is not well to 

 sprinkle the plants with water, as the 

 leaves and flowers will be speckled 

 easily and soon decay. The leaves and 

 flower stalks seldom grow higher than 

 about six inches, and if the plant grows 

 top-heavy, it should be supported by a 

 few little sticks placed near the collar 

 of it. As the plants do not flower so 

 well after the first year, it is therefore 

 advisable to procure young plants eveiy 

 year, or to raise them from seed. This, 

 however, is not easy ; the seeds being 

 veiy fine, if carelessly watered, or 

 allowed to dry out, they will be lost. 



In sowing the seed, care must be 

 taken to cover them lightly with the 

 soil, or what is better, not to cover 

 them at all, but to press them gently 

 into the surface of the soil with a smooth 

 piece of wood. The watering sliould be 

 done by saucers placed underneath the 

 pots, or by very fine sprinklers, so as 

 not to wash the soil ; but even after 

 the young plants have developed two 

 or three leaves, they require careful 

 watering ; if the soil is permitted to get 



dry, the very tender roots may be dried 

 up in a few hours. Our way of treating 

 the seed is this : We water the lower 

 body of earth in the pot by a saucer, 

 and cover the surface from time to time 

 witli a wet cloth, so as to leave the seeds 

 undisturbed. 



Of the Chinese Primroses, we have 

 now some most beautiful varieties, 

 double and single ; the double white is 

 certainly a beautiful plant, although it 

 does not bloom so continuously as the 

 other. The fringed flowers ai'e con- 

 sidered the very best. — California Hor- 

 ticulturist. 



THE APPLE CROP OF 1884. 



Gardening Illustrated, an English 

 horticultural publication, thus speaks 

 of the apple crop: — Messrs. J. \V. 

 Draper and Son, Covent Gardens, 

 have kindly furnished us with the 

 following particulars respecting the 

 present aj)pearence of the Apple crop 

 in Europe and America : United King- 

 dom — Ci'op much below the average, 

 France — An average yield of early 

 kinds, especially in the Gironde ; late 

 and better descriptions somewhat short. 

 Germany — Short crop generally. Bel- 

 ginm — Short crop. Holland — very 

 light crop. Spaiyi and Portugal — Crop 

 short, description common. America — 

 There are indications that the crop will 

 not equal in bulk that of 1880, yet the 

 yield in some of the best pnducing 

 localities is likely to be very abundant, 

 and superior in quality to the past two 

 seasons. After mature consideration of 

 the various reports there is little doubt 

 that the croj) of Euro[)e is considerably 

 under that of many years ; thus it will 

 be fi'om America that the supply for 

 the United Kingdom will be derived. 

 The prospect of shipments being advan- 

 tageously made to England were never 

 more promising, particularly for better 

 and later descripton of Apples. 



