538 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ Deoember 17, 1885. 
pans, or boxes, as the case may be, and covered to the depth of half an 
inch. They are then placed in a gentle heat, watered with a fine-rose 
pot, and covered with p : eces of glass, which keep the soil moist with but 
little watering until they are growing. 
When the plants have grown large enough they are placed into 60-size 
pots and kept growing under glass until the beginning of June. If the 
weather is favourable then they are turned out of the pots and planted in 
an open but sheltered position in the kitchen garden, where they will be 
exposed to sun and air. We plant them in rows 2 feet apart, and 
20 inches asunder in the row. A little leaf mould is mixed with the 
garden soil round each plant. They root freely in this, and can be 
lifted with fine roots in the month of September: 
The summer treatment consists of watering the plants in dry weather, 
stopping them two or three times during the season to make them branch, 
and in staking the plants as they grow to prevent their being broken by 
wind or rain. This, and sprinkling the surface of the soil with Thom¬ 
son’s Vine manure occasionally, is all the labour they will require until 
they are potted and staked in September; after which they are placed in 
cool frames and kept close for a few days till they have taken with the 
shift. When this has been accomplished the plants can be removed to a 
greenhouse, and made to flower at pleasure by placing them in a gentle 
heat as required.—A. Pettigrew, Castle Gardens, Cardiff. 
[We learn from a competent judge who has seen the plants referred 
to that they are of unusual excellence.] 
LADY BEATRICE LAMBTON PINE APPLE. 
Referring to “ D B.’s ” question regarding the successful ripening 
of this Pine Apple, I beg to say that I have found it necessary to entirely 
withhold water from its roots immediately it shows signs of ripening. 
Under this treatment I have some fine examples of it just now that have 
coloured to the crown without any sign of decay at the base. I know of 
no Pine Apple that is so full of juice, and the flesh of which is so melting 
and richly flavoured as this. In appearance and in every respect it is a 
noble Pine. It has, however, one fault—viz., it grows so tall where 
other varieties grow short and stubby, that it cannot get head room in 
our pits.—D. Thomson, Drumlanrig. 
THE PRIMULAS. 
(Continued from page 467.) 
Primula japonica, Asa Gray. — After ten years’ failure, owing 
to the plants and seeds being destroyed on the homeward voyage, 
it was at last, through the efforts of Robert Fortune, successfully 
introduced early in 1871. It was first seen by him in a florist’s 
basket near Yedo, the capital of Japan, in May, 1861, and, as he 
says, at once crowned by him the “ Queen of Primroses.” The 
following is the description given at the time. Its flowers are of a 
rich magenta colour, arranged in tiers one above another on a spike 
nearly 2 feet in height, with leaves not unlike our English Cowslip. 
On the same authority we are told that the first living seeds of this 
remarkable Primrose were carried in Robert Fortune’s vest pocket, 
who, curiously enough, had a great difficulty in disposing of them, 
not only at his own price, but almost at any price at all. The 
glowing descriptions of this plant compared with the knowledge 
hitherto possessed of this genus looked too unreal to be taken at 
first hand. The seeds eventually became the property of Mr. 
Bull of Chelsea, who says that it was one of the best plants com¬ 
mercially that had ever passed through his hands. The very first 
year it flowered it received along with a variety called Lilacina a 
first-class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society, since 
which time its popularity has only been a matter of course, and 
although now not so much cultivated in pots as it has been hitherto, it 
is yet one of the most common hardy summer decorative plants we 
have, an inmate of every garden, and deservedly so, as it has by 
now been proved to be perfectly hardy even during our most 
severe winters, and, indeed, the most brilliant coloured flowers we 
ever had the pleasure of seeing were grown from seedlings in the 
open an-, forming tall robust specimens. It may, however, be noted 
that the locality is mild, the soil rather dry than otherwise, and the 
position partly shaded from the east and south. In low-lying or 
cold situations we are not so sanguine about perfect success in the 
open air; but if a sheltered corner be chosen, and suitable rich soil 
in which to grow it, we have little doubt about it ultimately. It is 
also largely used planted out in beds in the conservatory, more 
especially in the north, where it is much appreciated for this pur¬ 
pose, and in a few cases grown in pots for the want of beds or 
borders in the house. There can be little doubt about the advantage 
of planting out, soil and light being considered, there being a con¬ 
siderable saving of labour both in watering, potting, and other little 
attentions. Liquid manure should at first be given both weak and 
sparingly, gradually increasing it until the flowers begin expanding. 
If there be a rough semi-wild portion of the rockery choose such 
for P. japonica. It should be planted in a position 2 or 3 feet 
above the walk, so that the spikes will be almost on a level with the 
eye, a background of Lady Fern, stones, or even old decayed roots, 
any of which will show it to the best advantage. 
The seed should be sown directly it is gathered from the plant. 
This saves much time and trouble, for if the seeds be kept until 
spring or until the outer covering has become hardened they in¬ 
variably take one, two, and three years to germinate, perhaps more 
before all are up, whereas by sowing at the time of gathering they 
germinate freely in little over a fortnight, and a succession of young, 
fresh, vigorous plants are annually at the disposal of the grower. 
In some cases it may be found expedient to replace the old plants, 
fill up gaps, or else plant fresh colonies. As the seedlings are 
extremely variable the process is always interesting, when we see 
some with marbled or variegated leaves, others with pale, almost 
white, flowers, and so on, the chances being generally in favour of 
something good turning up in the case of large batches. 
Much was said at the time of its introduction anent its hybridisa¬ 
tion and the probable new races of Primulas we were soon to have; 
but we have as yet seen no hybrids, which we would fain lay to the 
want of application and proper material, for until a year or so ago, 
on the introduction of its near ally P. prolifera, and a year pre¬ 
viously P. floribunda, we had few worthy of being matched with 
this gigantic species. It has been crossed with both the above, and 
we are anxiously awaiting the result, the more so as the hybrids so 
far are not typical P. japonica. A brief description of this popular 
plant may be pardoned, so as to make the series more complete. 
Leaves not unlike those of a robust Cowslip, almost sessile, from 
3 to 6 inches long, and half as broad, between obovate and oblong, 
wrinkled, and generally doubly toothed, inclined to be erect in the 
form of a basin or nest; flower stalk from 1 to 2 feet in height, 
bearing from three to nine whorls of brilliant magenta or variously 
coloured flowers, the numbers in each whorl varying, but sometimes 
very numerous, an inch or more in diameter, the little pedicels as 
long as the flowers, and the corolla tube about three times longer 
than the calyx. It flowers May and June, native of Japan. It 
was first described by Dr. Gray in “ Mem. Amer. Acad. Science, 
vol. vi., p. 400, from specimens collected in 1855 near Hakodadi, 
and afterwards collected by Maximovitz at Yokohama. Syn. 
P. pyramidalis, Sieb. 
P. Kaufmanniana, Regel. —A comparatively new species from 
Turkestan, a coloured figure being given by the author in the Flora 
of that country, recently published. It has more resemblance to a 
Cortusa than a Primrose, and certainly distinct from any we have 
hitherto had in cultivation. It is said to have a marked resemblance 
to P. septemloba, differing in having more numerous lobed leaves 
and smooth pedicels. P. Kaufmanniana grows from 6 inches to a 
foot in height. The scape slender, with two whorls of from twelve 
to eighteen flowers, glossy violet, and very handsome, almost an inch 
broad, with a tube about the same length. The calyx is sub- 
campanulate, teeth lanceolate acute ; the bracts at the first whorl 
narrow, dentate, those of the upper entire. Leaves on long stalks, 
orbicular in outline, with a deeply cordate base, and divided into 
about ten principal lobes, these being irregularly serrated, Pro¬ 
minently veined, and, as well as the flower stalks, covered with a 
soft pubescence. Like our common P. cortusoides the leaves die 
entirely off during winter, leaving a little round bud. It is per¬ 
fectly hardy and does well on the rockery in a rich light sou. ** 
was found at the foot of the Almatz mountains, the top being 
covered with snow. It flowers April. Syn. P. cortusoides, Herder. 
P. Kerneri, Gobel and Stein. —An interesting hybrid, P. sub- 
Auricula X viscosa, Stein , and easily cultivated in situations suitable 
to the Alpine Auricula. It was first collected by Mr. Kiegskom- 
missar on Eisenhut, near Turrach, in Stieirmark, in company with 
P. Gobelii underneath or near to Elm trees, and described by Stein 
in the “ Botanik Zeitschrift ” a few years ago. The leaves are fight 
sap green, broadly spatulate or obovate, their edges serrate, dentate 
from the middle to the apex, and, like others of the hybrids between 
Auricula, viscosa, and daonensis, the middle or end tooth consider¬ 
ably larger and longer than the others. The whole plant is densely 
covered with short whitish hairs, having black glandular tips, those 
on the leaf edges being longest. Flower scape stout, an inch or two 
in height, carrying several large reddish violet flowers, with a 
whitish yellow centre. Calyx campanulate, the teeth twice longer 
than broad, elliptic, or nearly ovate, and pointed. Also found m 
Styria, flowering with us April and May. 
P. longiflora, A ll. —A charming species resembling P. farinosa 
in a general way, but much larger in all its parts, and altogether a 
handsomer plant. The leaves are only slightly mealy underneath, 
much longer than those of farinosa, about the same shape with the 
exception of being a little more pointed and more irregulai y 
notched, and not so distinctly dilated at the base. The flower 
stalks are much longer, nearly 11 foot high ; bracts surroun ing 
the umbel longer and broader ; the divisions of the calyx more is- 
tinctly triangular and pointed, and the corolla tube three tapes 
longer. The flowers are over half an inch in diameter, brilhan 
violet ©r violet purple, contrasting well with the sulphury dust 
