10 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 4, 1886. 
original batch, thereby making a good succession to it. 
To attain this end they should he grown on steadily, 
and planted out when of sufficient size, receive every 
encouragement in the shape of water and so forth, but 
should not be pinched back at all. They will each 
produce a fine panicle or head of flowers, and few 
plants are more effective than these during their day. 
For autumn cuttings secure the half-ripened growth, 
and dibble them in sandy loam at a sufficient 
distance apart that they may remain till spring with¬ 
out being disturbed. By this time a quantity of roots 
will have been formed, and as soon as growth com¬ 
mences they may be potted. It will be hardly neces¬ 
sary to add that young plants outstrip the old ones for 
producing large massive spikes, and that plants are 
never in better condition than the second season after 
planting, so by inserting a few cuttings annually you 
may always rely on having good healthy-flowering 
plants, especially if they receive the simple though 
very necessary attention. 
A few of the very best varieties are Queen of Whites, 
White Lady, Yirgo Maria, and Jeanne d’Arc ; these 
are all grand whites, having fine handsome trusses of 
the purest white, and all well-formed flowers. For a 
vermilion-crimson, Coccinea is almost unique ; for 
salmon-reds and similar shades, I strongly recommend 
J. K. Lord, amahilis, Liervalli, Lotliair, and Roi des 
Boses ; all these are remarkably good. Bichard 
Wallace has large, well-formed, clear, white flowers, 
with carmine eye, very effective ; Menotti has delicate, 
shining, rosy lilac flowers, very beautiful; and Gloire 
de Poiteau has rosy lilac. flowers. There are besides 
these several hundred so-called named varieties ; hut 
the object should be to aim at distinct and effective 
kinds, and not to worry oneself too much about those 
possessing some particular shade that you may have 
imagined you saw to-day, but which has departed on 
the morrow.— J. 
-->=£o- 
FLORAL STYLES. 
Water Lilies are combined with blue Cornflowers 
effectively. “ Bullrush baskets,” so flexible that they 
can he drawn into almost any shape, are filled with water 
Lilies and the ragged blue flowers ; then they are drawn 
together with a sash and a cluster of sea-weeds, with a 
few water Lily buds with long sedgy stems. This is 
the most favourite souvenir basket made up for gifts at 
summering places. 
Garlands of flowers are the most stylish arrangements 
now worn. These are placed on dresses in various 
ways, and are the perfection of grace. A garland of 
small pink Asters and Smilax was worn from the left 
shoulder, extended across the bodice and nearly to the 
edge of the skirt on the other side. The dress was pink 
crepe. A garland of Lily of the Yalley and Asparagus 
vine was worn on the side panels of a white silk mull 
gown. These garlands are made narrow and light, and 
are finished at the end with a fringing of flowers or 
foliage. 
The garlands for sun-hats are made mostly of blue 
Cornflowers or pink Pea blossoms. Brunettes wear 
garlands of single Dahlias, which are very showy on 
black dresses. Some of the prettiest garlands contain 
grain intermixed. Wheat and Bye add lovely effects ; 
clusters of this grain are placed on sunshades and on 
fans. The devices for carrying flowers when in full 
dress during the warm season are numerous. A lace 
handkerchief is pinned just below the belt on the left 
side of the skirt, and this is so folded that it will hold 
a cluster of blossoms, their stems being permitted to 
protrude from the side opposite the flowers. Small 
lace aprons have one side caught up so as to hold a 
bouquet, which is made flat and with very fringy 
foliage. These aprons are worn at lawn parties when 
it is inconvenient to carry the flower bunch in the 
hand. At a beach party given at the sea-shore there 
was a pretty arrangement made with oars, which were 
crossed and pushed in the sand. Over these was thrown 
a seine, which was used as a flower holder. There were 
nosegays of many descriptions in it, and it was an 
extremely picturesque object. The table was laid near 
it, and each lady received a miniature scoop-net made 
of fancy-coloured silk cord and containing water Lilies. 
A graceful fashion is the fastening of the veil with a 
knot of flowers. Veils of all descriptions, from the 
green and blue ones to the illusion net which is put on 
because becoming, are the accompaniment of all walk¬ 
ing costumes at fashionable resorts. The veil is crossed 
at the back of the head, drawn in front and tied 
on one side, where a few long-stemmed Roses, Corn¬ 
flowers, or Pea blossoms are pinned-in with a fancy 
lace-pin. "When white illusion is the veil, Maiden¬ 
hair Fern leaves finish the knot frequently instead of 
flowers. 
The Campanello Marguerite bell, which is now the 
talisman or amulet, made in silver and gold by the 
fashionable jewellers for engaged parties, is to be the 
leading token in flowers the coming season for engage¬ 
ment gifts, engagement-party decorations, and wedding 
decorations. The original Campanello bell, as the 
legend goes, was found in an ancient ruin in Borne, and 
as the hieroglyphics cut therein when deciphered sig¬ 
nified no end of prosperity to the possessor, it was pre¬ 
sented to the Princess Marguerite, of Italy, who 
adopted it as her talisman. With this romantic 
history the Campanello bell is all the rage in fashion¬ 
able circles, and bids fair to have a “run ” in flowers 
that will exceed even that of the horse-shoe, magnet, 
and other designs of sentiment. It is not to be made 
up at all like the regulation wedding-bell. I shall give 
a full description of it in September, as it will not be 
wise to set it ringing before the fall season opens.— 
Avierican Florist. 
-~>Z<-- 
THE CULTURE OF CHINESE 
PRIMULAS. 
So much has from time to time been written upon the 
treatment best suited to Primula sinensis, that some 
may reasonably consider it unnecessary to take up 
valuable space with a subject so well understood ; but 
although it is quite common with most gardeners to 
have a good show of Primulas during four months of 
the year, it is not so well known that they may be had 
in good condition for fully seven months, as was the 
case with us last year, and if any reader may desire to 
prolong the ordinary season of the Primula, they may 
do so with a little attention to the following points :— 
First, as to seed sowing. Many fail to get a sufficient 
number of their seeds to germinate through a mistaken 
impression that seeds require to be sown in a very fine 
soil, if not sand itself, and very often I believe seeds are 
condemned as bad, while the fault may easily be traced 
to this system of sowing. The mode of treatment I 
have found most suitable is to prepare a small quantity 
of moderately fine loam and leaf-soil in equal parts, 
with just sufficient sand added to keep the compost 
porous ; two or three 6-in. pots should then be prepared 
for the seed. Half fill the pots with crocks, and in 
these place a little rough soil or fibre ; fill the pots in 
the usual way with the prepared soil, and sow the seeds, 
lightly covering them, but not adding sand to the 
surface after sowing. This is often done, but it cannot 
be too strongly condemned, for where fine sand is used 
to cover seeds alone, there is pretty certain to be a close 
uncongenial surface for the seeds, and which in some 
degree prevents germination taking place satisfactorily. 
We sow early in March, and again at the end of April, 
and from the first sowing we get plenty of flowering 
plants in succession, from the first week in October till 
the end of January, and from the second, or last, sowing 
we have a good supply of fresh plants from December 
and January till the end of April or early in May. 
Treatment of the Seedlings. 
As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, 
they should be pricked off into 6-in. pots or pans with 
good drainage ; the latter, indeed, is a very important 
point to bear in mind in all stages of their growth. 
The Primula dislikes a close, soddened compost, and will 
never thrive in such ; therefore good drainage and 
rather rough soil (in reason) should be strictly adhered 
to. When Primulas damp off it may generally be 
traced to the stagnant nature of the soil. After the 
young seedlings have been pricked off as advised, they 
should be returned to astove temperature, and be slightly 
shaded, and very soon all will be growing again. In 
about a fortnight they will be ready for another shift, 
for if left too long in the seed pots they soon become 
drawn. 
The treatment I recommend from this stage onwards 
is somewhat different to tho ordinary course of pro¬ 
cedure, for instead of using small thumb pots we again 
prepare boxes or pans, and either are suitable. They 
are then planted in boxes 2 ins. apart both ways, and 
each box will contain from thirty to fifty plants. 
After being watered, an early Vinery is a suitable place 
for them until they are nicely started away, when they 
should be gradually hardened off to a greenhouse 
temperature. My reason for putting them in boxes 
instead of using thumb pots is, that when Primulas are 
potted in such small pots, it is difficult to keep them 
all in a healthy growing condition, and under the 
strictest attention there is generally a third of them 
dry, while the remainder are too wet, with possibly an 
unwholesome green scum over the surface of the soil. 
It is in this stage when Primulas receive a severe check 
for weeks, and some are lost ; but when planted out in 
boxes as advised, they are much easier to keep growing 
on in a healthy condition, and will make plants twice 
the size, in a given time, of those that are started in 
thumb pots. 
Potting Off. 
After the plants have filled up the space allotted to 
them in the boxes, they will require potting into large 
60’s, and three or four weeks later they are ready 
for their second and final transfer into 5 in. and 
6 in. pots. After this potting cold frames are the best 
structures for them where suitable ones are at hand. 
A light shading from very bright sun is beneficial, and 
a dewing overhead with the syringe every evening after 
bright days will suit them well, and by the end of 
August a few flower-spikes will be pushing up. These 
may be removed with advantage to the plants for three 
or four weeks until the middle of September, after 
which period it is neither necessary nor of any ad¬ 
vantage to the plants to remove the flowers. If the 
treatment above indicated is carried into practice culti¬ 
vators will by October be rewarded by a fine batch of 
sturdy flowering plants worthy of the name, and which 
will continue flowering till the end of January or 
February. 
The Second Batch. 
I must briefly notice the second batch, as it is upon 
these that we depend for a supply of fresh plants during 
February, March, and April. The plants are treated 
in every stage the same as those from the first sowing, 
until the middle or end of September, when they are 
potted a third time into pots varying in size according 
to the strength of the plants, but not less than 7 in. 
and 8 in. It is also important to bear in mind that 
this last potting should be done just at the right time, 
as any delay is sure to be the cause of disappointment 
in March. 
There is an old custom prevalent of removing early 
flower-spikes as a means of retarding the flowering 
period ; but this is a mistaken impression, for it does 
nothing of the kind. We may remove the flowers 
truly, but only to hasten on others that would come 
later had the first been spared to adorn the plants. The 
only means known to me of checking the early flower¬ 
ing of Primulas is to pot them an extra time, as advised 
above, so soon as the previous pots are nicely filled 
with roots. They will then continue growing instead 
of sending up flowers to any extent, for once they are 
allowed to become root-bound, up come the flowers in 
quantity, after which it is of no use either to pot on 
or to remove the flowers. A small quantity of soot 
added to the potting soil is beneficial.— A. JFaters, 
The Gardens, Farington House, Preston. 
-—- 
THE LATE ROBERT LORD. 
Addressing a very large congregation in the Uni¬ 
tarian Church, Todmorden, on Sunday evening, August 
22nd, the minister, the Rev. A. B. Camm, in what we 
can only describe as a noble exception to the ordinary 
run of funeral sermons, said :—“ Among the honoured 
names of those who had been born here,—of those who 
had lived, worked, taught, and died in these valleys, 
would long remain that of their dear friend, Mr. Robert 
Lord. They all knew what were his two great tastes— 
the passions and pastimes that formed the purpose of 
his life—music and horticulture, harmony and beauty, 
melody and flowers. These were lifelong passions ; 
they were, and no doubt still are, the purpose of his 
being, for they could not suppose that now he had 
ceasd to love either flowers or music. At fourteen years 
of age Mr. Lord began to save his first money, and when 
he had got ten shillings he spent it on plants. From 
that time forward he followed horticulture with a 
passionate devotion. To see his garden of Carnations 
and Picotees, as he (Mr. Camm) did while he lay un¬ 
conscious in the outer courts of death, was to enter into 
a realm of beauty—and to see the choice specimens of 
the flowers he had trained and loved, as they had been 
