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REPORT ON THE 



everything that is watery-looking. If we want a black, we want 

 a velvety black, not a dirty black ; if we want blue, we want 

 a deep blue ; if we want scarlet, we want a bright scarlet. We 

 like the black of the body ground of an Auricula for the very 

 simple reason that it is the most difficult to be obtained. Take 

 a green-edged plant. It may open black, as brilliant and pure as 

 can be, but in the course of a few days, when the flower gets flat, 

 it runs to pink and changes to red, and gets china-body-grounded. 

 In reference to a few other matters in this paper, I understood 

 that the paper was on the improvement of the genus Primula ; 

 but it treats of the Auricula and Polyanthus, and it will be a 

 matter for gardeners to say how to treat other Primula forms. 



Take the fancy Polyanthuses. We look upon those as the best 

 that give us decided colours, and which have a brilliant effect in 

 the garden, and we want something that is a distinct advance 

 on anything before known. We have plenty of seedlings equal 

 to the sorts in cultivation, but we discard them, as in the 

 Auricula, if we find we have not a decided advance in reference 

 to the habit, colour or freedom in blooming. 



We cross greens together or cross two greys ; we very 

 seldom treat a grey with a green except in the case of a matter 

 of very slight grey, when we want to get a rounded-edged petal. 

 But, as a rule, all these crosses taken together in that direction 

 bring us nothing of any consequence, we do not get a single step 

 further. It is simply when we get tc treat with a plant like 

 " John Simonite " that we get a distinct advance in the white edges. 

 I cannot understand that plant coming with a white body ground. 

 I think every flower that came out of that pot of seed had a yellow 

 body ground, and " John Simonite " is generally jet black, but it 

 will change to a reddish blue. All the Auriculas are generally 

 seen in their best character here. If in some years we had a bad 

 tube and a bad paste, they would be thrown out ; in fact, they 

 would not be kept at all. 



The Chairman : There was one passage which I am sure was 

 extremely interesting in Mr. Horner's paper. I should like to 

 ask a question of Mr. Bolton with regard to it. Mr. Horner 

 says, " Withhi the last two or three years another new and 

 very beautiful break in self colours has occurred among both 

 Mr. Simonite's seedlings and my own, showing yet another 

 direction in which we may seek to nourish and improve the 



