February 10, 1912 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



109 



CHINESE PRIMULAS. 



There are many species of primulas that 

 have come from China, and the hardy kiude 

 form a most intereistin^ grou]), but when a 

 gardener speaks of Chinese primulas he al- 

 most always refers to the varieties of P. 

 sinensis, incse form a ^roup of plants vary, 

 iuo- in colour from white to deepest crimson 

 and purple ; in habit from the dwarf, densely- 

 flowered heads of the older florist's forms, to 

 the tall, elegant, and free-branching Star 

 primulas; and in form from the small stellate 

 flowens up to the doubles and the giant- 

 flowered varieties with exquisitely-frilled 

 blooms. Not only have the seedsmen im- 

 proved the size, form, and colouring of the 

 primula, and varied their habit, but they have 



primulas, and every effort is made each year 

 to enhance that position. Besides the big 

 blocks of catalogued varieties there are scores 

 of selections and ci-oss-breds, all occupying 

 valuable space, but all showing evidence oi a 

 forward policy. 



It is by means of these selections that new, 

 vigorous and improved stocks of certain 

 varietieti are produced in a few years, and 

 this improvement may be in substance, form, 

 colour, or habit. ^Vith rare exceptions, tho 

 Reading primulas are practically re-made 

 every few years. The firm knows quite w'ell 

 how to re-create each variety, and so, as the 

 ye a r s p roceed and the p a re n t s of a given 

 variety show^ improvement, that variety is 

 re-produced in l^etter form than ])reviously. 

 For instance, suppo^iing such a thing were 

 possible that the famous Duchess primula;^ 



times other honours have fallen to the Read- 

 ing primulas, but outstanding novelties, like 

 the jJuchess, new forms, like the Star series, 

 or distinct colours, are far more difficult to 

 obtain now than they were thirty years ago. 



The popularity of Chinese primulas shows 

 no decline, and though perhaps fewer plants 

 are grown now than formerly for early win- 

 ter flowering — due possibly to improvements 

 in the varieties and culture of clirye^nthe- 

 mums, easy methods of forcing, ete. — larger 

 numlx^rs are cultivated for flowering early in 

 the new year, when tlieir brilliant colouring 

 and handsome heads of bloom render them 

 particularly suitable for conservatory or 

 room decoration, either alone or in associa- 

 tion with early forced bulbs, ferns, and 

 palms. In 1874 the Mesrirs. Sutton and Sons 

 saved five ounces of primula seed in their 



SINGLE CHINESE PRIMULA CORAL PINK- 



A distinct and beautiful variety raised by Messrs. Sutton and Sons with flowers of a cliarming shade of pink. 



that^ varieties which are identical, save 

 othL ''''' ^^""^ '^^^"^ ''^i^^l ^^avee, and the 

 toliaL^^f fi^''^'*'^- ' has plain 



tw""^^*^ ^i^*'?" than palmate leaves, 

 a these crisped along; the margin in such a 



]f.r..l' vaiKition— a variatio 



for 1 '^^^^^'V^^y t'l^te^ ... 



'anceoHnT'f T.- ^^"^ ^^ought about by 

 til- miri^^. short tj^^ has only to %'isit 



Readi^.^rtK ^f^-^^^^- Sutton and Sons, at 



'^"d fll H.. J ^^'^ ^^'^ y««r to under- 



nd r.r^:.,-l . .""»"te improvements 



a variation so con- 

 are now 



-ition as r^\S.t ^'^^^ occupied a foremost 



3. raisers and growers of Chinese 



were entirely lost, se^ds and plants de- 

 stroyed ; it "could be raised over again by 

 effecting a certain cross, and in two or three 

 years wT»uld be offered for .^alc ao^ain. The 

 records of the various cio^-v^ iiwi h\ and the 

 results accruing therefrom are .-^ystcnuxtically 

 and nio.t carefullv k-jit, and when these 

 records ^tro not in actual use they recline in 

 a satv, away from possible harm. 



It was in 1873 that Messrs. Sutton and 

 Sons took u]) the work of improving primulas, 

 and they had but trw varieties to work upon. 

 Ni'Vt^rtlieless the work was carried on with 

 skill and judgment, and in 1879 the firm re- 

 ceived a certificate from the Eoyal HortuMil- 

 tural Sacictv for a variety named Ruby Kiu'^, 

 and within ten years had .secured no fewe* 

 than 8even similar awards. In more recent 



own nursery, and this was regarded as a large 

 amount in tho^e days, and the ex]]erimLMit 

 b?gan ill was ( njisidero^l to lie a»u))Iy 



jui^titied. \\'e may a-^ume that ]»rimu]as are 

 twenty-six tim.'s m(;re p;)])ular uow than in 

 1873 l>ecau.-^e wiu-rcas five ouji(-e> oi' swd wa;s 

 tlien a lar^e amount, tlie firm now annually 

 savi's about 131) ounce-, this amount varying 

 a little accordijig to tho w^uither experienced 

 during January. February, and March, 

 bri^ht^ weatlier always ensuiing the l>est 

 ''si'l" and the finest i rop of eeeds. 



Regarding varieties not much need l>e 

 written, e^l'leeially as the M<^-sr>. Sutton have 

 reproduce 1 six popular sorts in colour in 

 their new catalogue, and tlie latter is s^ent 

 on application to prospective customers. The 

 Reading primulas fall into four groups, i.e.. 



