MARCH. 
43 
of that fimbriated edge so exceptionally demanded in this flower; for, as it 
was put by Mr. Thomas Moore in the pages of the Florist and Pomologist 
some three years ago, it is “ a singular fact that, whereas in almost every 
flower which has been improved by cultivation, the process of improvement 
has been mainly directed towards securing smoothness of surface and margin, in 
this Primrose the old smoother-edged sorts are at a discount, and the modern 
improved ones all have fringed edges ! It seems as if floral law, which is 
generally inflexible, has here given way before some other code.” 
The lowest form of the variations of the white flower (for to this colour 
they appear at present to be confined), appears to be that of being slightly 
suffused with rose, and in other forms there is a greater depth of colour, ap¬ 
proaching to cerise, more or less apparent. Some of these flowers—as far 
as could be perceived those of the lightest and medium shades—have the 
edges of the fringed petals heavily tipped with rosy purple when the flowers 
are just expanded, and on a further examination it would seem that this deep 
edging of colour gets withdrawn from the edge into the body of the petal, so 
to speak, as the flowers age. Others are faintly spotted with carmine, or 
pencilled with just-perceptible narrow flakes of the same colour; in others the 
flakes are broader and more frequent, and have a lilac or pale purple hue, and 
occasionally a portion of one of the petals is entirely of the last shade of colour. 
One very novel form was plainly apparent, the flower having a conspicuous 
brownish-orange centre, surrounded with a ring of white, then a broad ring of 
pale rosy pink, the edge of the flower being again white. The flowers marked 
in this manner were remarkably stout and well fringed. 
It was curious to observe in the Fern-leaved varieties that the colour of 
the leafstalks affords no clue to the probable colour of the blossoms, as in the 
case of the older kinds. This singular fact may be restricted only to those 
plants that have been crossed; but a fact it is, and that clearly apparent. 
The largest and stoutest flowers of the white and flesh-coloured varieties 
were observed in some instances to possess the germ of a second row of 
fimbriated edges to the petals. From blooms of this character, fertilised with 
the pollen of others of a like character, had been developed double flowers of 
large size and great substance, produced by plants of short, stiff, and vigorous 
habit—a wonderful improvement on the attenuated specimens of the double 
white variety, the propagation and preservation of which have given the grower 
considerable trouble, and caused him no small amount of anxiety. 
A few years ago a double variety of Primula sinensis, named atro-rosea, 
was exhibited by Mr. Turner, of Slough, at some of the London shows, and 
later, one of the floricultural sensations of the season was some double varieties 
produced by Messrs. F. & A. Smith, of Dulwich, two of which were considered 
to be so good, that they were figured in one of the illustrated gardening publi¬ 
cations. It was said that they (the double varieties) could be raised from seed; 
but it would appear this statement was premature, inasmuch as the difficulty 
has been to obtain seed. Then, again, it would appear that in proportion to the 
depth of colour in the flowers, there was a certain diminution in the strength 
of the constitution of the plants, which necessarily interfered with their pro¬ 
pagation. Such a statement as this appeared to receive verification from some 
double varieties shown by Messrs. F. & A. Smith, of Dulwich, as the deeper- 
coloured flowers looked to be of a weaker constitution than the white and flesh- 
coloured, while they were also less double. In the Fern-leaved varieties that 
are double white, there is observed, as has been stated before, a strength and 
robustness of constitution wanting in the older kinds, and when, as we are 
led to hope will be the case under skilful fertilisation, heightened colours in 
double flowers are produced, it will be interesting to note if there is any loss 
