*U7 M, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
417 
rf .some of these healthy-looking trees were Hales’ Early, Bellegardc 
Lord Napier, Stirling Castle, and Red Magdalen Camellias w n re 
growing luxuriously on the back wall, as also was a Heliotrope. In the 
♦second Black Hamburgh house the Vines were breaking strongly ; here 
also were some fine Orange trees in pots bearing a heavy crop of large 
fruits, and Azaleas a mass of bloom. There were more Strawberries, 
and Mr. Upjohn is a most successful grower of this useful fruit, as his 
record of prizes will show. He prefers to force first Vicomtesse 
Herieart de Thury and La Grosse Sucrec for early use, with Bothwell 
Bank to follow, finishing with James Veitch and British Queen. The 
late vinery contained Alicante and Lady Downe’s in splendid colour and 
■condition. Although Mr. Upjohn does not exhibit so frequent as he used 
to, he still maintains his high reputation as a Grape grower, and it may 
perhaps interest a few of your readers to know that he was second in 
Liverpool to the now famous Gros Colman from Mr. Goodacre. The 
Vines in the intermediate vinery were just breaking freely, and there 
again we found the old favourite Black Hamburgh ; and there is also a 
Gros Maroc inarched on a Black Hamburgh stock, which I was informed 
greatly improves its flavour. Lovers of that grand white Grape, the 
l)uke of Buccleuch, will be pleased to know that it is successfully culti¬ 
vated there. The Muscat house contains Vines forty years old, and they 
do not look the worse for their age; and there again is the Duke of 
Buccleuch, as well as some healthy Camellias in pots. The last house 
of the range is a large structuie 80 feet long and 12 feet wide, which is 
used as a late house for Beaches and Nectarines. The trees are young, 
in the best health, and were thickly studded with fruit buds. Among 
»>me of the varieties grown are Stirling Castle, Royal George, Dr. Hogg, 
Sea Eagle, Elruge, and Victoria. A large part of "this house is occupied 
by bedding plants, and one of the most notable being Pelargonium 
Queen of the Whites, and Mr. Upjohn thinks that is one of the most 
useful white varieties grown. The well-stocked kitchen garden is sur¬ 
rounded by walls covered with healthy trees, and comprises about 
10 acres ; we come to a new lean-to house in two divisions, which is to 
be used for Plums and Pears respectively, the length of this house is 
200 feet. We pass through the orchard on our way back, a part of which 
stands on the Chat Moss. We now come to the span-roofed bedding 
pits ; and to give some idea of the magnitude of the bedding at Worsley, 
we may mention that about 100,000 plants are bedded out annually, of 
which of these 30,000 are Pelargoniums. There being such an enormous 
quantity, it may be interesting to know which are the chief favourites. 
Mr. Upjohn finds the following the most useful :—Vesuvius, Bijou, 
Cleopatra, Henry Jacoby, Mrs. Pollock, kc. Lobelias are also an 
important class, for we find that 30,000 of this useful bedding plant are 
grown, the bulk of which are for Blues—Pumila magnifica and Grandi- 
tlora ; for Whites—Ingrami and Purity. In Tropaeolums, Mr. Upjohn 
has a variety of his own raising named Worsley Hall, which seems 
specially adapted to the climate. Golden Treasure is the Fuchsia most 
used for bedding. In an intermediate plant house are some fine specimens 
of Adiantum cuneatum with double Primulas. Amongst the Orchids 
are healthy pieces of Dendrobium Wardianum, D. Lowi, D. nobile, 
Laalia anceps. and Cypripedium insigne. Another house is principally 
used for Orchids, among the most notable being Cattleya Mossise, C. 
Mendel i, C. Triana;, Vanda tricolor, and Odontoglossum vexillarium, with 
plants of Kentia Fosteriana and Aralia Veitchi. Houses are devoted to 
pot Vines, Cucumbers, Melons, and Potatoes, also used for forcing large 
quantities of French Beans, Williams’ Prolific and Osborne’s Early 
being the favourites. 
After seeing the old hall where the Duke of Bridgewater planned 
his great canal schemes, I concluded an interesting visit, which was 
rendered very pleasant by the courtesy of Mr. Upjohn, who requires 
a staff of thirty-five men to keep these famous gardens in order, but he 
possesses an able assistant in his foreman, Mr. Craven.— Visitok. 
PRIMULA OBCONICA. 
A MONG9T plants of recent introduction this is destined to be¬ 
come one of the most popular, for it can be had in flower the whole 
year, and individual plants can be had in full beauty for eight months 
out of twelve. Like the majority of Primulas or other plants 
raised from seed, it varies greatly in the size of its flowers and their 
ahade of colour. By care and judicious selection of the seed-bearing 
plants very great improvement may be effected and distinctly 
coloured flowers produced. Our plants this year have shown a 
marked improvement in this respect, and the habit of the plant has 
somewhat varied. Two or three have produced flowers nearly double 
the size of those we raised from seed when first offered by Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons. Some of the plants are of a more compact habit 
than others, this being especially noticeable in the height of the 
flower spikes. The dwarf forms generally have much paler flowers 
than those of taller habit—in one or two cases the flowers have been 
nearly white. On the other hand, we have observed in two or three 
of the plants this year a much deeper shade of rose round the eye 
than previously. Those that display these distinctive characters are 
certainly limited in numbers, the majority being of the ordinary 
type. This may be due to an attempt on our part to cross them 
with Alpine Auriculas and Primroses, but we do not think so. Last 
year we attempted to effect the same cross, but as far as we can 
ji’idge from the young plants, they display no distinctive features. 
There can be no doubt that this plant is capable of great improve¬ 
ment. 
For greenhouse and conservatory decoration it has certainly 
surpassed our highest anticipations of it the first season, but we 
question if it is sufficiently hardy to ever become a popular plant 
for outside borders and rockeries. Those we planted in a sheltered 
position in early autumn have succumbed to the severity of the past 
winter. The same result has taken place with others who have 
tried it in the northern counties. It would unquestionably have 
had a better chance to enable it to withstand the winter had the 
plants been placed out in spring instead of autumn, therefore our 
opinion of its hardiness should not be taken as conclusive. 
Like many other Primulas, P. obconica resents division of its 
crowns in order to raise a stock of plants. It can be grown by this 
means, but will not give general satisfaction. If the plants are 
divided before they are allowed to flower, then a certain success 
will without doubt be ensured, but if they are exhausted by 
flowering for some months before they are operated upon they will not 
give satisfaction afterwards. Disappointment arising from this 
method of treatment the first season led us to select a number of plants 
for seed bearing, w'hich is decidedly the best method of maintaining a 
stock of healthy plants for flowering at any period of the year. 
Healthy plants selected now in full bloom and placed on a shelf in 
a dry position will without further trouble produce abundance of 
seed. New seed germinates freely and quickly ; old seed is useless, 
because it will not grow. If seed is sown as soon as it is ripe from 
the plants selected now, some strong flowering plants will be pro¬ 
duced by June next year. From seed sown at the end of July or 
August, and again the following February, a succession of flowering 
plants for the whole year will result, liaising plants from seed is 
not only the quickest, but the easiest method. We have used many 
plants for rooms during the past winter and found them invaluable 
for grouping in any light position. For large houses that have to 
be furnished all through the winter with thousands of flowering 
plants, it is decidedly the best. Plants brought into flower in 
October in 6-inch pots are still in full beauty, and have never been 
removed from the structure in which they were then placed. 
The seed should be sown on the surface of fine soil, fully half of 
which is leaf mould that has passed through a fine sieve. Water 
the seed gently with a fine-rose can, cover the pan with a square of 
glass and place it in a temperature of 60° to 65°. If the seed is 
new germination will soon take place, the older the seed the longer 
it is before it germinates. Grow the seedlings on a shelf close to 
the glass until they are large enough to be pricked off singly into 
other pans. If the seed is sown now the seedlings must be shaded ; 
this is not necessary if sown earlier in the year. After growth has 
commenced they should be gradually removed to cooler quarters, 
and finally to cold frames. They enjoy a little heat in their early 
stages, say until the month of May—that is, those raised early. 
Those raised in autumn will do well in a winter temperature of 45° 
to 50°, may have greenhouse treatment from early spring, and 
can be placed in cold frames after the middle of April. The winter 
temperature given will suit well those intended to flower from 
October throughout the winter. To be brief, the soil and treatment 
that will grow Chinese varieties will suit P. obconica exactly. 
They can be grown together under the same conditions until estab¬ 
lished in their flowering pots, when P. obconica can be placed in a 
sheltered position on a bed of ashes outside. 
Like all the other members of the large Primula family of plants, 
that under notice strongly resents exposure to bright sunshine. 
Under those conditions it will not thrive, and soon becomes a prey 
to red spider. When placed outside they should have a northern 
aspect, and the surrounding atmosphere should be kept moist. With 
Chinese varieties bright sunshine soon produces a yellow sickly 
appearance of the foliage, and the same quickly takes place with 
P. obconica.—N. G. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
The time of year is at hand for the embellishment of the beds in 
the flower gardens during the summer and early autumn months. Owing 
to the lateness of the season many of the spring flowering plants, such as 
Myosotis dissitiflora, Wallflowers, and Aubrietias, which now occupy the 
beds, can hardly be said to be in full fower at this date, and Silcne 
pendula compacta and Saxifraga nmbrosa will not be in flower for 
another week or two. The majority of the spring-flowering plants 
employed in the flower garden are at their best towards the end of May, 
when it is time that the summer occupants of the beds, such as the 
different sections of Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Ageratums, and Lobelias, 
were planted. But where employers are at home at that time it is no 
easy matter to obtain permission to remove from the beds the masses of 
blue Forget-me-nots of the softest and most pleasing hue, pink Silcne 
of the brightest shade, and the yellow and blood-red Wallflowers. How¬ 
ever, the gardener who is as loth to break up such a pleasing floral 
picture is also mindful of the floral effect that that has to be produced 
