94 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ APRIIi, 
altogether wanting. The habit of the plant is very well shown in the diminished 
figure, while the enlarged portion gives a very good idea of the conglomerate 
crests. When exhibited at South Kensington, it obtained a First-class Certificate. 
M. Carriere mentions the following as its principal characters :—Vigorous in 
growth, forming compact tufts ; stalks very fine, black, shining, several times 
branched, with very slender ramifications; fronds twisted about, crispate. The 
rapid growth of A. cristatum \_Luddemannianimi]^ and the facility with which it 
multiplies itself, make it very well adapted for the furnishing of baskets or vases, 
where by its singular aspect it will produce a very beautiful effect. This, he says, 
is the opinion of all the horticulturists who have seen it.—T. Moore. 
CHINESE PEIMULAS. 
@ HESE plants are as familiar as household words; they are universally 
cultivated for the decoration of houses and apartments, and may be re- . 
f garded as standard plants for that purpose, for who does not grow them ? 
They are easily cultivated, and during the dreary winter naturally fill up 
a gap in the stock of flowering-plants. Their lasting properties render them doubly 
valuable, as, with care, they will continue in good condition for three months. 
It is desirable to procure a good strain, for while bad cultivation may deteriorate 
a good strain, good cultivation will never make a bad strain perfect. For early 
blooming, sow the seed now (April), in pans well drained, using soil composed of 
fine light loam, thoroughly decayed leaf-mould, and silver-sand ; cover the seed 
lightly, give a gentle watering, and place them in a shady position, in a tem¬ 
perature of 65° or 70°, such as that of a Cucumber house, protecting them by a 
hand-light or bell-glass from drenching syringings. When the little plants are 
large enough to handle, prick them off into shallow boxes, keeping them in the 
same temperature till they have made a start, when they may be transferred to a 
cool pit. Keep them near the glass, and pot off into 3-in. or 4-in. pots when 
large enough. Give the final shift into 6-in. pots in August. A soil the Primula 
thrives in is composed of equal parts of peat and leaf-mould, half a part loam, and 
a good sprinkling of silver sand. During their growth they must be kept near 
the glass, carefully aired and shaded after potting, and never allowed to become 
too dry, as any check causes puny premature flowering. 
A second sowing may be made early in May for succession. Treat these in 
the same way, and they will continue in good condition till the end of March. 
During the winter. Primulas require fire-heat only just sufficient to keep out 
frost and counteract dampness, from which they are very liable to suffer at the collar. 
. To guard against this, keep the plants well up in the pots, supporting them by 
three or four small stakes, and watering carefully. When bright weather occurs 
in the spring, their beauty may be prolonged by slightly shading them during strong 
sunshine, but avoid cutting draughts on such days, as these would do the plants 
much injury. If the strains in Messrs. Sutton’s coloured plate come true to. the 
