December 27, 1890. 
THE GARDENIN G WORLD. 
265 
GLOXINIAS AND BEGONIAS AT 
READING. 
The improvements that have been wrought in this class 
of plants during^ the past few years are now well 
known ; and it is satisfactory to know that a fine 
batch of plants can be raised from a single packet of 
seed. Those who raise their plants in this way would 
do well to observe that the weaker and later germin¬ 
ating samples of Begonias at least should not be thrown 
away, as they often prove to be double varieties which 
are fragile and of slow growth in the early stages. 
The il'ustration of Gloxinias, on p. 261, shows 
how they are grown by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of 
Reading. Several low span-roofed houses run along¬ 
side cf each other, filled with these showy subjects ; part 
of two houses is shown in the illustration. We had 
the pleasure of inspecting them about midsummer, 
and of seeing batches in different stages of growth, as 
well as the various strains. Notable amongst these 
was the Netted Strain, which may justly be de¬ 
scribed as a very pleasing novelty, apparently capable 
of further improvement by careful selectiou of seed 
of the best types. The ground colour of the flowers 
was varied with violet, scarlet and crimson hues, while 
three or four of the segments were beautifully reti¬ 
culated or netted with white. The older and better 
known types were very varied, with erect and funnel- 
shaped corollas, self-coloured, spotted, banded and 
marked in a variety of ways, while some of them 
faded at the margin to a distinctly pale edge like an 
Alpine Auiicula. 
The only means we have of coming to any conclusion 
regarding the future prospects of practical gardening is 
by observing in what manner the future practical 
gardeners are preparing themselves for the arduous and 
responsible duties which they must in due time under¬ 
take. British gardening occupies a unique and exalted 
position in the horticultural world, and it remains to 
be seen if the rising generation of gardeners will main¬ 
tain and promote to a still higher platform that position 
at present so honourably held by the gardeners of 
to-day. 
There is much more to be done, in the preparatory 
school of gardening than the mere routine of daily 
duties. The man who wishes to excel in his profession 
must do a vast deal more than the daily manual work 
which it is incumbent upon him to do in return for the 
wages he receives. He must think as well as work, 
study during his leisure hours, and examine into the 
why and the wherefore of everything he does ; there is 
or should be a reason for everything, and it is of very 
material benefit for the workman to know such reason. 
Nowadays there is an endless flow of worthless and 
worse than worthless literature issuing from the 
printing press and falling into the hands of the young, 
and 1 am afraid this baneful rubbish is more eagerly 
sought after and relished by our young men than the 
more solid and instructive reading now so plentifully 
issued by the horticultural press. If more time were 
spent by our young men in reading, and not only 
reading, but in studying and discussing the many 
useful and practical articles which are continually 
HARDY PRIMROSES. 
This was the theme of a gossipy jpaper read before the 
Reading Gardeners’ Association, on Monday evening 
last, by Mr. A. Dean, of Bedfont. The reader remarked 
upon the fact that whilst at the present time Primroses 
were hardly in season, yet often had it been the case 
that an abundance of flowers could be gathered at 
Christmas, when seasons were mild and open. Garden 
Primroses were presumably derived from the native 
species, but it was also evident that for our present 
beautiful race we were to some extent indebted to the 
Dutch growers of these flowers, for from them largely 
came the numerous double varieties in commerce, and 
in the production of these, many single forms of rich 
colour must have been raised. 
Referring to the single varieties, the reader stated 
that whilst myriads were raised from seed, any tendency 
to doubleness in the production of petalised stamens 
was rare, and so far as his experience had gone, never 
a real double Primrose had been produced from the 
single strain here. 
How these double varieties originated, and by 
whom, was a problem not yet fully solved, but they 
were very old, and the wonder was that because seedless 
and so very difficult of propagation through division, 
the varieties had been so long preserved. Single 
Primroses seeded fairly well. Much depended upon 
the weather, as a cold frosty spring was detrimental to 
seed producing ; but in good seasons, seed was fairly 
plentiful. 
Naturally the garden Primrose bloomed early, so 
The tuberous Begonias are grown under very similar 
conditions, with the exception that they require a freer 
ventilation with a cooler atmosphere. It is needless to 
say that these florists’ flowers succeed best when grown 
in a house by themselves, so that tile peculiar treat¬ 
ment best suited to their respective natures may be 
given them. It is not impossible to grow them in a 
mixed collection, as those gardeners know who cannot 
afford them a whole house to themselves ; but more 
justice can be given them in separate compartments, as 
results amply testify. The plants, when we saw them 
at Reading, were dwarf and young, presenting a fresh 
and healthy appearance, as if they would flower and 
remain in a gay and presentable condition till late in 
the autumn. The colours of the flowers varied from 
pure white through pink, rose, red and scarlet to 
crimson, and from primrose through the various shades 
of yellow to orange. 
-- 
THE YOUNG MEN. 
How are these long winter evenings being spent in the 
bothy ? This is a question that may well be asked, as 
it is one of vital importance, considering that it is from 
the army of young men, who are now in bothies, that 
the leaders of the future must be drawn. Are the pros¬ 
pects of gardening in the future brighter than the past ? 
Do we look for much improvement -in theoretical and 
practical gardening from those who are by-and-by to 
fill the shoes of the present generation of horticulturists 
—with much hope of having our best wishes realised ? 
Are young gardeners making every endeavour in their 
power to benefit themselves in their profession, or are 
they frittering away their precious and valuable time 
in the pursuit of frivolous and wasteful amusements 
which yield no beneficial results ? 
Messes. Sutton & Sons’ Begonia House. 
appearing in the gardening papers, they would gain 
much benefit, and in after years find it of practical 
assistance to them in their duties, and they would have 
no vain regrets over misspent time. 
Card playing, novel reading and publichouse company 
are, however, I am afraid, more suited to the tastes of 
the majority of the young men who are to-day looking 
forward to be masters in the future. Doubtless this 
will seem to some to be a very dismal view, a very 
unpromising outlook for the future; but “facts are 
lads that winna ding,” and although I am glad to 
say there are exceptions, still, I fear, it is only too true of 
the great majority. 
Young men have a great responsibility resting on 
their shoulders, and it behoves them to be “up and 
doing,” and endeavouring to their utmost to make 
themselves masters of their profession. I do not for one 
moment wish to assume the role of the hard taskmaster, 
and advocate the continual grinding away at studies. 
I consider every one entitled to, in fact, it is absolutely 
necessary that all should have a season of relaxation 
from toil, whether mental or physical, and enjoy 
innocent amusements in some form or other. There 
are many harmless pastimes which may be indulged in, 
such as music, drawing, instructive reading, &c., which 
are both useful and entertaining. 
Theory and practice should go hand-in-hand, and 
now is the time for a young man to study the theore¬ 
tical side of the question, and observe how far in his 
daily duties the theoretical and practical agree. Let 
him keep a diary, and carefully note as he goes along 
all observations which may be of use in the future. 
Jot down accurately all failures and successes, with the 
reasons of such, so that the methods may be followed 
or avoided, as the case may be, in the future. —Father 
Christmas , 
early in fact that its chief head of bloom was often 
found in March, as it, as a rule, preceded the fancy 
Polyanthu 0 , the undoubted congener of the Primrose, 
some three or four weeks. It was not always possible 
to make every one understand the difference between 
Primroses and Polyanthuses. No doubt there was no 
very arbitrary dividing line, but still it was a fact that 
in the first place the true Primrose strain did bloom 
fully a month earlier than did a true Polyanthus strain ; 
but still further, the true Primrose was known by its 
habit of producing its flowers singly on rather limp 
stems, whilst the Polyanthus produced its bloom in 
trussed scapes on erect, stout stems. Many plants 
strove to imitate both forms, and these had been termed 
hybrid Primroses, but the term was not exact, 
because they were not hybrids at all, but simply 
forms which partly possessed the perfection of both 
strains. 
It seemed that there was a distinct dividing line 
between the two former, although they were not distinct 
species. Really these were all more or less out of 
Primula vulgaris, but had gone through such crossing 
and inter-crossing that it had been finally found possible 
to make out of them two distinct species, viz., Primroses 
and Polyanthuses. 
The beautiful gold-laced Polyanthus very probably 
did proceed from Primula elatior, or the Cowslip, 
because it failed to assimilate with the Primrose, except 
to spoil it, in the same way that the fancy or high- 
coloured forms of the Polyanthus differed from the 
common Primrose. 
The above is but a very rough outline of what proved 
to be a very interesting paper, which was listened to 
with close attention by the members present. A 
cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Dean was awarded at 
the close. 
