THE FLORIST. 
269 
October till May, and even later. The produce of the first sowing 
must be prevented from flowering till the end of September, by 
nipping off the flower-buds as they appear. They should then 
(September) be well established in their pots, and they will require 
no care beyond ordinary attention, and keeping them from frost, 
to flower them well. The second sowing, the produce of which 
is intended to keep up gaiety in spring, should receive the final shift 
in September, and every blossom, as it appears, should be picked off 
till the beginning of January. 
I have said nothing about watering and shifting, but these opera¬ 
tions must, of course, be attended to. The plants should be placed 
a little deeper in the pots at every shift; and care must be taken 
to keep them from damping off in winter. As a preventive of this, 
feeders under the pots are recommended to be used, for the plants 
are very impatient of water administered to the soil. These feeders 
should be liberally supplied with water when the plants are in bloom. 
The Chinese Primrose, like its congenors, delights in soil composed 
of leaf-mould, loam, peat, sand, and a little charcoal. 
The above is a mode by which these may be grown successfully 
in pots; but they may be cultivated with equal facility, and better 
chances of success, planted out in summer in pits. As in the former 
mode of culture, sow at the same time, and forward the plants in 
pots in the greenhouse till the end of May, w T hen they should be 
turned out of their pots, and planted in prepared compost in a frame 
under a north wall. Keep them close for a few days after planting, 
then remove all covering, and leave them freely exposed to the 
weather, night and day, till the time comes about for lifting them 
and potting them, which should be about the middle of September. 
After they are potted, replace them in the same frame, and shade 
them for a day or two, to keep them from flagging. In about a 
fortnight, remove them to the greenhouse, where they will bloom 
well throughout autumn. Seeds for specimens for spring-work 
should be sown about the middle of April, and treated as the autumn 
flowers, taking care to keep them free from frost and from damping 
off* in winter. After they have done blooming, they may be planted 
out as before, and will flower well next autumn. 
I have seen plants not excited by fire-heat, or allowed to flower 
in the previous winter and spring, blossom well in the flower-garden 
during summer; and, not over-luxuriant, but strong old plants, put 
out in a west aspect in September, on an elevated dry border, under 
the shade of neighbouring Laurel-boughs, have been known to survive 
the winter near London, and to put forth flowers with the Crocus, 
Polyanthus, and other fair harbingers of summer. They did not 
suffer so much from frost or snow as from the cold winds of March, 
“ while winter still lingers on the verge of spring.” 
Oswestry , September 13. James Wilson. 
