The Canadian Horticulturist. 55 



bloom. This novelty has come to stay with us. It is an evergreen plant, 

 starts to flower in August, and continuing until June, and a few flowers all 

 summer. The flowers are produced on slender stems, about 9 inches high, 

 white, with a slight tinge of purple. It succeeds best when grown from seed 

 every year. Seed sown in March, the plants will start to flower in August, 

 I had them in bloom by the first of September, but as the seed is very slow 

 to germinate it would be better to sow it when the seed crop is harvested 

 in the fall. It also can be divided in spring after flowering all winter. I do 

 not recommend this practice ; the young plants do not grow nor flower so 

 well as young plants from seed, A temperature of 50 degrees seems to suit 

 it to perfection. As a window plant it can have no equal. In cloudy 

 weather the flowers take on a purple tinge, in clear bright weather they are 

 pure white. It is a pure species from Japan, and is not hardy in our climate, 

 I think it might be improved by our florists. The flowers have a disposition 

 to vary greatly in size, some florets are i^ inches in diameter, others only 

 half that size. Last winter I tried to cross it with other Primroses, without 

 success, also the Chinese red and white Primula Calismeriaiia, P. Rosea, P. 

 Vulgare, all to no purpose. Thousands of blooms were operated upon, but 

 the Jap refused to have matrimonial relations with any other nationality. 

 However, I found that it will not seed in confinement, even when fertilized 

 with its own pollen. I understand that John Thorpe has been trying the 

 same cross, I hope he has been successful ; I will try again at another season 

 of the year. Another remarkable thing that no writer seems to have noticed, 

 about one half of the plants have the anthers longer than the pistil, the 

 other half of the anthers shorter than the pistil. The Corolla is very 

 persistent, it never falls off" ; on that account it is valuable for cutting, 

 and the long stems adds to its value in that respect. But, what may be 

 against it, perhaps — it may not become fashionable. There is fashion in 

 flowers as well as in everything else, and this tyrannical fashion boycotts 

 many a beautiful flower. It should not be so. 



PRIMULA VULGARE. 



The old Primrose of our young days is not to be despised as a window 

 plant, flowering about Christmas, lasting about two months. How my 

 heart warms to this old flower ; it is deliciously fragrant. It is the plant 

 for the palace and the cottage. It is very easily managed. By sowing the 

 seed in early spring most of the plants will bloom next winter. Plant out 

 in a shady place in summer, lift them in the fall, and they will be in flower 

 by Christmas. I rather think seed of this old Primrose is a little mixed. 

 I sent for a packet of seed to two Canadian seedsmen, and both packets 

 turned out to be Polyanthus, after growing them all winter in the greenhouse. 



PRIMULA CASHMERIANA. 

 This is a new hardy Primrose from the Himalayan Mountains. It is a 

 charming plant, foliage large, covered with a golden farina on the under 



