116 MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITION PLANTS. 



no water falls into the hearts of them to induce disease. 

 The plants may be divided when shifted in August to increase 

 the stock, but excellent varieties are easily raised from seed, 

 which are often as fine in quality as named ones, and are much 

 less liable to go off suddenly with rot, so that they are preferable. 

 The properties of a show Polyanthus resemble very much 

 those of the Auricula, with the difference in the colour and 

 markings. The tube should be short and well filled with 

 anthers ; the eye should be round, of a bright clear yellow, 

 and distinct from the ground, which should be shaded light 

 to dark crimson with a stripe in the centre of each limb from 

 the edge to the eye, where it should end in a fine point. The 

 edging should be gold-lace, clear and distinct, and of the same 

 colour as the eye and strips. The pips should be large, flat, 

 and round. 



PRIMULA. 



The Chinese Primrose, P. sinensis, and P. obconica are two 

 of the most useful of spring flowering plants. The shades of 

 colour and size of flowers in the varieties now introduced are 

 exceedingly prettj', and when exhibited en masse have a charm- 

 ing effect. For flowering in spring, the seed should be sown 

 in the previous June in pans of leaf-mould and sand, covering 

 with the latter, and plunging in a temperature of 55° to 60°. 

 When the seedlings appear, set the pans near the glass and 

 shade from strong sun, and when large enough, prick them off 

 into small pots, using the same compost. When the plants 

 are a fair size and the pots full of roots, they should be finally 

 shifted into six-inch pots for flowering, using as compost one 

 half sandy loam, the remainder leaf-mould, dry sheep or cow 

 manure, and sharp sand, well mixed and used in a fine state. 

 Tie the plants to short stakes to keep them steady, and after 

 they start to grow a cool frame suits them best till September, 

 when they require to be placed in a greenhouse. Keep the 

 plants moderately dry and the flowers pinched out during 

 winter. In early spring they should be encouraged to grow 

 vigorously with weak liquid manure, increasing its strength 

 as the time for flowering approaches. The flowers should be 



