pri'mula. 



227 



pri'mula. 



Primrose. This genus includes three 

 of the most popular and beautiful of 

 florists'' flowers, viz. , the Auricula, the 

 Polyanthus, and the Primrose. Of 

 each of these there are numerous va- 

 rieties, and much has been written 

 on their culture and management. 

 We shall here endeavour to give a 

 short outline of the treatment of each. 



The Auricula {Primula Auricula) 

 is a native of the Alps of Switzerland, 

 where its flowers are commonly yel- 

 low and very fragrant ; it may be 

 gathered in abundance on the road- 

 side on the highest part of the pass of 

 the Simplon, growing with the differ- 

 ent Saxifrages, and not far from 

 Rhododendron hirsutum. When 

 it was transplanted into gardens is un- 

 certain, but it has been cultivated in 

 Britain since the days of Gerard, in 

 1596 ; and in a state of cultivation 

 its flowers are yellow, red, blue, 

 purple, white, and green, and single 

 and double, though the only double 

 variety has the flowers yellow. Many 

 elaborate directions have been given 

 for preparing the soil for the Auri- 

 cula ; and while some writers, as 

 Justice, recommend rotten willow- 

 wood and old cowdung, others, as 

 Emmerson, recommend bullock's 

 blood, sugar-baker's scum, and con- 

 centrated night-soil. The plants, 

 however, will grow and thrive on any 

 rich loamy soil, for example, in a 

 mixture of leaf-mould or thoroughly 

 rotten cowdung and loam. They 

 will even grow very well in heath 

 soil mixed with loam ; and this is the 

 soil in which they are commonly 

 grown in the neighbourhood of Paris. 

 Whatever kind of manure is used for 

 the Auricula, it should be so tho- 

 roughly decomposed as to have be- 

 come a fine mould, and, in this state, 

 it may be mixed with the common 

 soil of gardens in equal parts, with 

 the addition of a fifth or a sixth part 

 of coarse sand if the plants are to be 



grown in pots. All the choice varie- 

 ties of Auricula are grown in pots, 

 and kept under cover in glass frames 

 shaded ; or placed in a northern ex- 

 posure during winter and spring, and 

 in the open air in a situation open to 

 the east or the west during summer 

 after the flowering season is over. 

 During the time they are in flower, 

 they are commonly kept in frames 

 close under the glass, or under hand- 

 glasses to protect the flowers from the 

 rain ; the flowers in all the varie- 

 ties, and the leaves in some, being 

 more or less covered with a pow- 

 dery bloom, the preservation of 

 which is a desideratum among choice 

 cultivators. The Auricula is propa- 

 gated by division of the root, or by 

 cutting off slips which have gene- 

 rally some roots attached, and are 

 put at once into small pots. The 

 season for performing the operation 

 is shortly after the flowers have gone 

 off, or, if they are left on, imme- 

 diately after the seed has ripened. 

 There are common kinds of Auri- 

 cula whicli are planted in borders 

 or in beds in the open ground ; but, 

 as before observed, all the choicer 

 sorts are grown in pots and kept in 

 pits or frames. The culture requires 

 so much care and nicety, that who- 

 ever would excel in it, and possess a 

 good collection, should procure a book 

 specially devoted to the culture of 

 this and other florists' flowers ; for 

 example, to Hogg's Treatise on the 

 Auricula, or Maddox's Florist's 

 Directory. Auriculas when grown 

 as florists' flowers have almost innu- 

 merable names ; but they may be all 

 divided into three classes, viz., those 

 with green edges, those with grey 

 edges, and those of only one colour, 

 which are called selfs. No Auricula 

 is valued that is what is called pin- 

 eyed, that is, if the style and stigma 

 appear above the anthers. 



The Polyanthus {Primula vul- 

 Q 2 



