PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



215 



P. Auricula. I do not see any other way out of the history. 

 Seeing that the Auricula was started early, though it has 

 progressed since that time, it is extremely unlikely, though 

 it is possible, that other Primulas were subsequently added to 

 the plant ; but we have a possible origin, a source of complicated 

 blood in P. pubescens and in P. Auricula. I do not know whether 

 Mr. Baker will consider this as a union of his theory with 

 Kerner's. I find a difficulty in accepting Mr. Baker's theory, 

 because I cannot recognize any known tendency in P. Auricula 

 itself to sport ; therefore I imagine that in all the Auriculas there 

 is some foreign blood, and from what we know of its history, 

 and from what we know of the blood itself, that foreign blood 

 seems to me derived from P. pubescens. 



Mr. Lynch : I would suggest that some experimentalist 

 should take up the subject and study it synthetically. By 

 hybridizing those forms mentioned by previous speakers it is quite 

 possible that a plant which may be considered to represent the 

 Auricula could be obtained. I should myself expect to get 

 at the origin of the Auricula within narrow limits, because when 

 the Auricula became established there was nothing known about 

 artificial hybridization. Possibly some characteristic plants were 

 gathered in a garden, seeds were raised and a selection 

 made, and thus the Auricula became established. 1 think 

 very highly of Mr. Hibberd's view, that a great deal of what we 

 see now in the Auricula has been evolved artificially. So 

 much has been evolved that we cannot now see what the 

 original was. I do not know that a comparison of the seeds 

 has been made, but I know that in some allied kinds they vary 

 very considerably, especially the Indian kinds, and possibly 

 some light may be thrown by a comparison of seeds, but it 

 is one that I have not been able to make. 



Professor Foster : With regard to the seedling which 

 Mr. Hibberd showed — am I to understand that that is a seedling 

 from the wild Auricula ? 



Mr. Douglas : No, Mr. Hibberd made a mistake in that ; it 

 was not a seedling from the wild Auricula. I consider it to be 

 a reversion. 



Mr. Bolton : As a florist I may express the opinion that 1 have 

 formed with reference to the origin of the Auricula. What I 

 first read about the Auricula was that it was originally 



