PRIMULA CONFERENCE. 



221) 



are termed " gold-laced,'' but they are a far remove ' from the 

 florist flower with its cultured properties. The resemblance in 

 most of them looks nearest when seen at the greatest distance. 

 The decision, purity, and refinement of our Polyanthus are not 

 in them, 



Mr. Barlow's success in raising both black and red ground 

 flowers of very high character, perhaps in red more especially, is 

 a proof that though the flower may not be more ready than its 

 radiant sister, the Auricula, to give the properties we would 

 have, still it will repay all good care bestowed in judicious 

 crossing. 



I do not think that any foreign blood of strains outside the 

 florist pale, however proudly spoken of, should be introduced 

 under the plea of giving vigour, which the standard old sorts 

 have, alas ! too often lived to lack. From such extraneous source 

 of robustness will come much unruliness. A more safe return to 

 soundness of constitution will be naturally obtained through 

 seedlings, because seedlings naturally possess it, and happily 

 young blue blood is no exception to the rule. 



For suggestions of improvement in the Polyanthus, I can but 

 briefly state the properties that require to be exemplified in as 

 many living representations of their beauty as we can obtain. 

 The two brilliant extremes of class colour will be a black ground, 

 or a scarlet ground within the lacing of bright yellow. Whatever 

 the body colour be, it must consist of one rich uniform shade ; 

 and the yellow, which is best when a clear lemon-gold, must be 

 free at the eye or centre from any other shade of yellow. The 

 gold of the lacing must exactly match that of the eye, and the 

 lacing itself must be of exquisitely smooth edge and even width. 

 It must both completely edge the petal and strike down through 

 the centre of it to meet the golden eye. The central line of lacing 

 is frequently broader down the middle of the petal than round the 

 edge, but the nearer it is of the same width the better. 



It is characteristic of the Polyanthus petal to be deeply notched 

 in the centre, so that the circular edge of the Auricula petal is 

 not looked for here. 



The centre or eye of the Polyanthus should occupy a wide 

 circular space upon the flower. It can hardly be too wide, and 

 is often not wide and circular enough. 



The mouth of the tube should be extremely well denned, and 



