14G 
THE FLOBIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ OCIUBEE, 
and unhealthy plants might be entirely dis¬ 
pensed with, if the practice of rubbing out the 
supernumerary or ill-placed eyes (disbudding) 
■was more freely resorted to, in the earliest 
stages of the new growth.” 
MAEKET PLANTS.—XIV. 
The Double-white Pkijidla. 
F all the new varieties of double-white 
forms of Primula sinensis fimbriata 
that have been produced during the 
past twelve or fifteen years, and several have 
appeared of remarkably fine quality, not one 
has so far, or is likely to do so, taken the place 
of the useful old Double-white, which has alwaj-s 
been a great favourite for cutting from during 
winter and in early spring. All who grow 
cut flowers for winter make a point of cultivat¬ 
ing this Primula, but some make a great 
speciality of it, and grow it to a large extent, 
and it proves a very remunerative subject. 
One of the largest growers of the Double¬ 
white Primula is Mr. John Beeves, of Acton, 
and during the months of November and 
December it is possible to see as many as three 
thousand plants at one time, the large majority 
growing in 48-sized pots, and all plants of a 
year old or so ; the remainder in 32-sized pots. 
In December, the plants begin to come into 
bloom, and being good branching specimens, 
they throw up a number of flower-stems, which, 
yielding a valuable harvest of flowers, are in¬ 
valuable at the Christmas and New Year 
seasons, when white flowers are in large demand. 
Now the Double-white Primula has been re¬ 
garded as a “ miffy ” subject, and one difficult 
to propagate. But Mr. Beeves and many others 
find no difficulty in propagating it. Mr. Beeves 
is putting in cuttings almost all the year round, 
but the greater portion of the stock is propa¬ 
gated in the months of May and June. The 
cuttings are taken from the two-year old plants, 
and placed singly in thumb-pots in, a strong 
bottom-heat. The soil used for the purpose is 
a compost made up of good strong maiden- 
loam, leaf-mould, rotten manure, quite destitute 
of insect life likely to be harmful to the plants, 
and silver sand. As soon as the cuttings are 
rooted, they are potted off into 48-sized pots, 
the size in which they are flowered, a similar 
compost being employed, and the plants are 
well-drained, i.e., a good layer of broken crocks 
is placed at the bottom. It is the presence of 
stagnant moisture at the roots that kills many 
Double-white Primulas, and it should be avoided 
by all who wish to have their plants healthy 
and carrying good heads of bloom. IMr. Beeves 
states that he has very few failures with his 
cuttings, and at no stage are the plants 
“ coddled.” 
V hen sufficiently hardened off, after being 
permitted to establish themselves in heat after 
repotting, the plants are taken to a low span- 
roofed plant-house, with a stage on either 
side, where ■ they remain till they flower. 
During the interval, the well-being of 
the plants is simply a cjuestion of careful 
management, and the simple principles of this 
good management are,—a dry stage to stand 
on, plenty of air, and careful watering. The 
last point is a matter of great importance, 
especially as affecting autumn and winter 
management. Water is given only to such 
plants as reqrrire it: there is no such thing as 
indiscriminate, careless watering, by which 
many good plants are sacrificed. Another im¬ 
portant point is not to wet the foliage at the 
time of watering, and especially during the dull 
autumn and winter months. At this time of 
the year air is given on the lee side, even if 
rain be falling, and there is just sufficient fire- 
heat maintained to keep up a comfortable tem¬ 
perature, but nothing like a close, warm one. 
The old Double-purple Primula is a little 
grown, but it is the old Double-white that is 
most cared for, and which pays the best return 
to the cultivator.—B. Dean, Ealing^ TF. 
GLEICIIENIAS. 
BOM their first introduction, these most 
distinct and elegant Ferns have been 
general favourites. For a long time, 
their scarcity and consequent high price pre¬ 
cluded their being generally grown, neither are 
they yet or likely to be so plentiful as the gene¬ 
rality of other species, for the reason that they 
are not easily raised from spores in the way that 
most Ferns can so readily be increased. Not but 
that Gleichenias can be raised in this way, for 
many years since I recollect seeing with Mr. 
Armstrong, who was for a long time gardener 
to B. Hadwen, Esq., of Liverpool, a quantity of 
seedlings of, if I recollect rightly, G. dicarpa. 
The ordinary method of propagation is by 
layers, made by rooting their long, creeping 
rhizomes, which, when the plants get strong, 
and are in a vigorous, healthy condition, they 
produce freel}', pushing them bej^ond the rim 
of the pot or tub in which the plants are grown. 
The usual mode of procedure is to hang, held 
up by wire, a row of o-in. or 4-in. pots round 
the pot in wdiich the plant to be operated upon 
is grow’ing, first, draining and filling the pots 
with sandjf peat, and on these pegging the 
creeping stems, and allowing them to remain 
in this position until the young growths 
are fairly rooted, after which the rhizomes 
