NAT. ORDER. PRIMULACE/E. 
31 
the calyx is one-third of the length of the tube of the corolla, bell- 
shaped, toothed, mealy, also the scape ; the tube of the corolla 
gradually widening upwards, not contracted at the neck; the border 
concave ; the segments emarginate, but not deeply, being cut only 
partly to the neck ; the most common colors are yellow and red, but 
it is sometimes found purple variegated, with a white eye powdered 
with meal ; capsule spherical or nearly so, a little flat at the top, and 
sprinkled with meal. It is a native of the mountains of Switzerland 
and Austria, and flowers in April and May. 
Propagation and Culture. These beautiful plants are raised 
without much difficulty, by proper care and management with respect 
to the parting of the roots, and the planting them out in their due 
season ; they succeed best in a strong soil, and some of them, as the 
Primrose kinds, in a shady situation. 
Cultivation in the Polyanthus kinds. These are all capable of 
being increased by seed, and the parting of the roots, the former 
being the only method for obtaining new varieties, or a large supply 
of plants. The seeds should be collected from such flowers as have 
large upright stems, and which produce a large number of flowers 
upon the stalk, being large, beautifully striped, open, flat, and not 
pin-eyed, as from such seed a great variety of desirable sorts may 
be expected ; care should be taken, however, that no bad or common 
flowers stand near them, as they will be apt to debase them, by the 
admixture of their farina. 
The seeds should be sown in boxes or large pots filled with 
light rich mould. The proper season for this business is in the 
autumn or the early part of spring ; but the former is the better, as 
by sowing then the plants come up well the same year, and are 
strong and fit to plant out the following spring, and are also fine 
plants for flowering the second sea.son. In the first season the sow- 
ing should be performed as soon as possible after the seed becomes 
well ripened, though some advise December as a good time ; but 
when in the later, or the spring season, it may be done in February, 
