148 GEBElfHOUSE MANAaEMEKT. 



PRIMULAS. 



Although more modest in their appearance than the 

 showy calceolaria and cineraria, the primula (Fig. 56) has 

 been and still is a more general favorite. The sorts that are 

 most commonly grown are the single and double forms 

 of the Chinese primrose {Primula Sinensis). The sin- 

 gle primulas may be divided into two classes, the fimbri- 

 ated and the fern-leaved, each of which has flowers in 

 two colors, white and rose. They are grown from seed 

 from May to July, in well-drained seed pans. The soil 

 should be light and fibrous, and the covering should be 

 light and evenly distributed. If the soil is well mois- 

 tened before the seeds are sown, a glass laid over the pans 

 will hold the moisture so that but little more need be 

 applied, if they are placed in a cool, shaded frame. The 

 seedlings should be pricked out into pans or flats, which 

 should be well drained, and the transfer to pots and the 

 repotting should be the same as for cinerarias ; as a rule, 

 however, the plants can flower in five-inch pots. After 

 they get to growing, they should be well watered and 

 the foliage should be wet down occasionally on bright 

 mornings during the summer; after winter comes on, 

 the leaves should be kept rather dry. After the middle 

 of September, the plants should be grown in the house 

 at an average temperature at night of 50 degrees. As 

 with the other plants of this kind, liquid manure should 

 be applied as soon as they have filled the pots, after the 

 last shift. 



Primulas should be kept near the glass, and, 

 although they like a certain amount of sunlight, they 

 require partial shade, during the heat of the day in sum- 

 mer, from its full intensity. It is well to pinch the 

 flower buds from young plants, as it checks the growth 

 of the plants if they are allowed to develop. In potting 

 the primulas, care should bo taken not to press the soil 

 coo firmly, as it would obstruct the free passage of the 



