420 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 12, 1885. 
a species in the “ British Flora,” I am inclined to consider no 
more than a variety of P. farinosa (of geographical significance). 
It is a dwarfer plant than the type, deep blue purple flowers, and 
other minor differences. It flowers June and September, being 
confined in its distribution in this country to the north of Scotland. 
Syme states that P. scotica is not dimorphic, single plants seeding 
freely, also that it has three flowering seasons. 
P. farinosa var. Warex, Stein. —I place this here to save con¬ 
fusion, though stated by Stein to be a cross between farinosa and 
scotica, which is fully borne out on seeing the plant in flower. Stein 
states that he received this plant in 1876 from Mr. T. S. Ware of Tot¬ 
tenham as P. scotica. He considers it the best and easiest of the three 
to grow, every seed germinating. In the Breslau Botanical Society’s 
herbarium there are two plants from Holland unlabelled, which he 
thinks to be Warei, and in Haage & Schmidt’s catalogue for 1882 it 
is mentioned as P. muroana or norvegica, which he supposes to be a 
mutilation of Warei. I am inclined, however, to believe that 
Munroana is ’ intended, as the plants we received under muroana 
turned out P. involucrata. The leaves of Warei are not unlike 
farinosa, unless in the absence of meal, the flower stalk short like 
scotica, as also is the shape of the flower, the colour being be¬ 
tween them. It flowered with us in July of the present year. 
Stricta, Horn., is another variety differing little from P. farinosa. 
The following are synonyms or slight forms : P. oratensis, Gusmus; 
speciosa, Gus.; stricta, Gus.; denudata, Gus; frondosa, Janlca; 
Hornemanniana, Lehm., &c. 
P. Fedtsciiexkoi, Regd. —A new Turkestanian species lately 
introduced by Dr. Regel of St. Petersburg, somewhat resembling 
some of the forms of P. cortusoides, and equal in beauty to his 
handsome P. Kaufmanniana, also lately introduced under the name 
of Kaufmannia Sewerzowii. It-seems to thrive best in a peaty .soil 
in a shady not over-moist situation. We have not seen fresh 
flowers yet; but in the “ G-artenflora ” it is said to be equal in beauty 
to any from the European Alps, and likely to become one of our 
favourite garden plants. The flowers are of a deep violet-purple 
colour arranged in whorls one above the other, as in P. japonica. 
It grows about 6 inches or more high ; leaves oblong obovate, 
almost sessile, and hardly crenated. It is figured in the first volume 
of the “ Flora of Turkestan.” 
P. Flcerkeana, Sdirad. —This is figured in Lehm. “ Monograph 
Prim.,” 8, tab. 81, and also in Reichen- 
bach’s “ Flora G-ermanica ” (from which 
the drawing, fig. 64, has been prepared), 
where it is described by Schott. It is 
an extremely interesting hybrid between 
P. superglutinosa X minima, Kern , but 
is described as having the foliage of 
minima and the flowers of glutinosa, and 
evidently varies a little under cultiva¬ 
tion, as our plant has much larger leaves 
than minima that in all but the serratures 
resemble those of the other. It is an 
er sy plant to grow, indeed one of the 
easiest of this class, bearing much sun¬ 
shine, and flourishing well even in ex¬ 
posed places, which, by the way, should 
always be cbosen for this plant. The 
soil should be composed of rough granite, 
sand, or small pieces of stone, with equal 
parts of peat and finely sifted leaf soil. 
The leaves are cuneate, tongue-shaped, 
dentate or sharply serrated, and about 
an inch in length. Scape a couple of 
inches high, bearing several deep lilac or almost violet flowers, 
surrounded by a foliaceous involucre. It grows with its parents on 
the Swiss and Tyrolean granite Alps at about 7000 feet. Syn.', 
P* minima var. hybrida, Rcli. ; P. hybrida, Gusmus ; P. intermedia* 
Tratt. It is easily raised from seed. 
P-_ floribunda, Wall. —A comparatively new species, having 
been introduced to cultivation only two years from the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, the home for Indian alpines. It is a 
near ally of the Arabian P. verticillata, ForsJc, and included along 
with it in the section Sphondylia by Duby in De Candolle’s “Pro- 
dromus.” Although of recent introduction it is now by no means 
rare, as it ripens seed with the greatest freedom, which germinate 
readily either when gathered or in the spring ; and by this means, 
saving and sowing from the plants that have been subjected to the 
hardiest treatment, it may yet be possible to get Primula floribunda 
sufficiently hardy to withstand our severest winters. From what 
we have already seen of it the varying propensity seems to be great 
— almost double, semi-double, and different-sized and coloured 
flowers, all the result of a single sowing. My experience is not, 
however, sufficient to warrant their constancy. The seed, sown as 
Fig. 64.—Primula Flcerkeana 
(Ueicbenbach’s Flora Germanica) 
soon as ripe in the autumn, quickly germinates, and the plants 
undisturbed may be kept in a cool frame during winter, when they 
will be found ready for planting out in spring. Treated in this 
way and planted in the rockery they flower all through the summer, 
and in pots make fine plants for greenhouse decoration, enhanced 
by their almost incessant flowering. If planted on a dry well- 
sheltered spot on the rockery they may survive a mild winter, but 
a severe one will serve them as it does P. verticillata and P. Bove- 
ana. It grows from 4 to 8 inches high, bearing from two to six or 
more whorls of about a dozen flowers, golden yellow, over half an 
inch in diameter, and very ornamental. The flowers are on short 
stalks surrounded by short ovate leafy bracts. The leaves when 
fully grown are about 6 inches long, oval-shaped, pointed, coarsely 
toothed, and having reticulated veins. They are covered with a 
thick glandular pubescence. Native of the Himalayas, from 2500 
to 6500 feet, from Kumaon to Kashmir ; also in Simla, where it 
grows at 2700 feet on rocks and near springs of water. Syn., 
P. obovata, Wall ; Androsace obovata, Wall, MSS. —D. 
(To be continued.) 
FRUIT AND PLANT HOUSES. 
(Continued from page 334.) 
Asbect is also important in relation to light and heat in the con¬ 
struction of houses for the cultivation of fruit or plants. If the house 
be a lean-to it will have the most light and heat when the sun is in a 
direct line with it at noonday, or when the aspect is due south, and 
this holds good whatever be the angle of elevation. If the angle be 
45°, then the sun will be vertical and the house derive the most benefit 
from the solar rays when the fruit of, ft)r instance, Vines, Peaches, 
Figs, &c., subjected to early forcing is advanced for ripening. This 
accounts for houses with a sharp pitch, and lean-to's against a south 
wall being most eligible for the early forcing of those fruits, a matter, 
I think, too often disregarded in the erection of structures of this 
kind at the present time. There is nothing, however, without its dis¬ 
advantages, for if we gain a certain benefit in early summer we have 
to contend against the solar influence when the plants need rest. 
The vertical sun (I mean vertical, or at right angles to the glass) 
causes what all cultivators are careful to avoid—viz., over-ripening of 
the wood and buds, as this is almost certain to result in premature de¬ 
velopment of growth and prove fatal to next year's prospects. This 
is guarded against by having houses employed for early forcing with 
moveable roof lights, and to which I shall have occasion to refer 
again presently. 
The advantage of the lean-to with a sharp pitch against a wall 
with a south aspect is considerable, the chief of which is a maximum 
of light. Another is that the north side, being of brick or other 
material, does not rapidly conduct heat from the interior, and an 
elevated and steady temperature is maintained most economically. It 
follows that if a lean-to with a sharp pitch, or say 45°, is good for 
early forcing it will also be most suitable for houses in which fruit is 
to be ripened in late summer, as we get in September precisely the 
same conditions as we do in April. For this reason I consider houses 
with a sharp pitch most suitable for late or unheated fruit houses. 
But we have to contend against the sun in the spring bringing on the 
trees or blossoms too quickly, and I only know one means of pre¬ 
venting this—viz., by moveable roofs, so as to prevent a too early 
development of the blossoms. 
Then if we want our fruit crops ripe in summer, the aspect being 
the same or south, we are content with an angle of 30°, which I 
think the lowest elevation that ought to be used as a safeguard 
against drip and to carry off rain, as we then have plenty of light and 
heat, the difficulty being rather to guard against its scorching rays 
when the foliage is tender, and in autumn from taking the colour out 
of the Grapes to be kept, whilst our crops ripen. It does not matter 
much if we have the roof with an angle of 35° when we wish the 
fruit ripened from June to the middle of September, but I do not 
think, the angle for general crops ought to exceed that elevation, as 
our present system of little wood and large panes of glass modifies 
our ideas of angles considerably. 
An east aspect is bad, and a west one little better for a lean-to 
house, as the rays of light are for the most part reflected, and we not 
only have less light, but as less light is less heat we have the de¬ 
ficiency of the latter to make up artificially, consequently houses on 
those aspects are not so economical as those with south aspects. If 
the temperature of a house with a south aspect is influenced by the 
angle of the glass so also is that of a house with an east, west, and north 
aspect ; if flat, the east and west, also north, are hottest at mid¬ 
summer— i.e., less rays are reflected ; therefore, if we construct 
houses for coolness the angle should be such that most rays are 
reflected when the sun is most powerful. North houses ought, 
therefore, to have a rather sharp pitch, alike to throw off wet and 
prevent drip as to throw off the sun’s rays, and so answer as retarding 
