THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] APRIL, 1876. [No. 52. 



FLOWER SHOWS. 

 At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 held on March 15th last, Messrs. James Veitch and 

 Sons again sent a magnificent collection of their seed- 

 ling Amaryllis, certainly finer-grown and more gor- 

 geously-coloured plants than anything ever before 

 shown in this section. Two varieties, Thalia and Clio, 

 were awarded First-class Certificates, and one of these 

 we hope to figure at an early date. Amongst the 

 grand Hyacinths also sent by the same firm, three 

 were selected by the Floral Committee for First-class 

 Certificates — viz., Sultan, The Shah, and Golden Lion 

 1 — and of one of these, by the kindness of Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sons, we shall shortly be able to publish a figure. 

 The same firm also received First-class Certificates for 

 Abutilon Darwinii tessellata, a handsome new variety 

 with mottled leaves; for Phalsenopsis Veitchii, a 

 supposed hybrid between P. Schilleriana and P. rosea, 

 the flowers of which are very distinct, larger than 

 those of P. rosea, and of a soft rosy colour, while the 

 leaves slightly resemble those of P. Schilleriana ; for 

 Odontoglossum Chestertoni, a distinct variety with 

 creamy-white flowers bearing large brown spots. 

 Messrs. Thibaut and Keteleer, Sceux, France, re- 

 ceived a First-class Certificate for Xanthoceras sorbi- 

 folia, a fine new hardy shrub with crinison-centrod 

 white flowers and elegant ash- like foliage. Henry 

 Little, Esq., Twickenham, received a First-class Certi- 

 ficate for Cyclamen persicum, Purple Gem, a very dark 

 rosy-purple flower. Mr. Richard Dean, of Ealing, 

 contributed several seedling hardy Primroses, one of 

 which, named Brilliant, was remarkable for the size of 

 its rich crimson-maroon flowers. We have before 

 adverted to the fine race of coloured primroses intro- 

 duced by Mr. Dean, and wo hope shortly to give a 

 plate of some of his best selected varieties. 



PRIMROSES AND THEIR VARIETIES. 



My name having been long associated with improve- 

 ments in the common Primrose of our hedges, is the 

 reason why I communicate a paper concerning these 

 plants. One of our English poets has said in respect 

 of our rustics and their appreciation, or rather want of 

 appreciation, of these plants that — 



" A Primrose by the river's brim 

 A yellow Primrose was to bim, 

 And it was nothing more." 



And so it is with thousands of persons who walk 

 abroad in the glowing spring-time and see in upland 

 and in valley hundreds of these pleasant spring 

 visitants, and look on them and pass by unconcerned 

 as did priest and Levite of old in that immortal narra- 

 tive wherein " a certain man went down to Jerusalem, 

 and fell among thieves." Many a time have I walked 

 in the spring woods and seen — 



" Primroses cluster round my feet, and reach 

 In lightsome groups, like lambs upon a March 

 Down, to the river's rushy side," 



and wished it were possible to vary these beautiful 

 natural pictures with other Primroses having brighten- 

 ing hues of rose and red, violet and purple, blush 

 and violet. In some spots I had noticed the presence 

 of tints of pink in the flowers, which taught me that 

 something could be done in this direction ; and later I 

 have seen in cultivation in pleasure-grounds seedlings 

 from the common Primrose, showing a tendency to break 

 into such tints of colour I so ardently desired to see 

 produced. I tried seed from some of these, but the 

 results were not so assuring as I could have desired. 

 A few years ago I came into possession of a so-called 

 species of Primrose, known as Primula altaica, having 

 all the characteristics of the common Primrose, but 

 bearing large pale mauve flowers. I have reason to 

 believe this is not a true species, but simply the old 

 common single lilac Primrose of our gardens, but 

 where it originated I could never discover. Almost at 

 the same time I found in an old garden, on the south- 

 west coast of England, a remarkable common single 

 Primrose, having rich bright maroon crimson flowers 

 of fine form, and a dark golden centre. All my efforts 

 to trace the origin of this also completely failed. I 

 brought it home to London, propagated it, and event- 

 ually distributed it under the name of Primula vulgaris 

 auriculasfiora, because the flowers represented a gor- 

 geous alpine Auricula. In this splendid variety I 

 found the very thing to yield high-coloured Primroses, 

 but while I despaired of getting anything better in its 

 own way, I thought I might perhaps get mauve, violet, 

 and purple tints which would prove very acceptable. 

 With this view, I crossed P. altaica with P. auriculas- 

 flora, and vice versa, and got several fine seedlings 

 having intermediate tints ; and especially, as I had 

 so ardently desired, in the way of purple and violet 

 hues. Some of the seedlings were of a pale colour 

 approaching lavender ; others had rosy tints ; and by 

 crossing these in various directions I at last got a 



