10 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



no matter how short a time it may have 

 taken, they can be brought to the light. 

 The Hyacinth at this stage, when grown 

 in i)ots, should have an application of 

 some plant food preparation, which will 

 greatly strengthen the lower stem and 

 jiroduce good flowers. In case of those 

 grown in glasses, the water should be 

 changed about once every ten days, in 

 order that the water may not become 

 impure, tending greatly to retard the 

 growth of the flower. Polyanthus, 

 Narcissus and Due van Thol Tulips may 



SINGLE TULIPS. 



be treated in exactly the same manner 

 as the Hyacinth, as they require about 

 the same time to develop their flowers. 

 Crocus bulbs, being of quicker growth, 

 may be brought to the light in a shorter 

 space of time, but, as regards details of 

 attention, they should have the same 

 care as the Hyacinth. 



PRIMROSES. 



We have only two native species of 

 this interesting flower, viz., The Birds' 

 Eye^ or Primula farinosa, which is pale 

 liljic with a yellow eye, and P. Mistas- 

 sinica,'whicli has a flesh-colored corolla. 

 Both these are found on the shores of 

 our upper lakes. 



In England the Cowslip, or P. veris, 

 is'quite common, and varies under cul- 

 tivation from straw color to many other 

 hue. 



The most widely known and most 

 highly esteemed of the cultivated va- 

 rieties is the Chinese Primrose (P. 

 Sinensis, of which there is a beautiful 

 colored plate in Vol. Y. of The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist, and of which we 

 now give our readers an illustration. 



CHINESE PKIMROSE. 



It bears a profusion of showy flowers, 

 varying from white to pink, and is one 

 of the most satisfactory of house plants. 



P. Cashmeriana, which is ofiered as 

 one of the premiums to be given our 

 subscribers in the spring of 1887, is 

 quite new in this country. A writer 

 living in Erfurt, Germany, says of it ; 

 " Quite hardy ; the earliest of all ; pro- 

 duces comj^act umbels of rosy lilac 

 flowers, very beautiful." Mr. Saunders 

 says of it in the Report for 1885, p. 

 137: "Late in the autumn the plant 

 dies down to a small compact head, 

 from which, as soon as spring opens, a 

 crown of vigorous leaves is pushed, 

 from the centre of which rises one or 

 flower spikes, which soon develop stout 

 stems bearing globular heads of reddish 

 pink flowers with a pale yellow centre." 



The seeds of the primrose should be 

 sown in pots of moist loam early in the 

 spring. The pot should be covered 

 with a pane of glass and set by the 

 north window of a moderately warm 

 room. Transplant them as they grow 

 large enough, and keep in a shady place 

 until fall, and then place them in the 



