Febuary li, 1898. 
t;he gardening world. 
873 
PRIMULAS AT FOREST 
HILL. 
As the dull and sunless days of midwinter gradually 
give place to the brighter days of spring, so will the 
collections of Chinese Primulas come into bloom in 
greater numbers. The collection of Messrs. J. 
Carter & Co., at their Forest Hill Nursery is some¬ 
what earlier than last year owing to the greater 
amount of fire heat which the cold of last month 
necessitated. There are 6,000 plants altogether and 
5,000 of these are flowering in one long house, pro¬ 
ducing a very fine effect on the visitor who haply 
has been contemplating the flowerless condition of 
plant life out of doors. There are early and late 
varieties both among the single and semi-double 
types, so that a succession can be maintained from a 
All are grown 
single sowing of the different kinds 
in 48-size pots, and being intended 
for the production of seed, the flowers 
of the first vigorous truss are 
aded artificially by means of the 
camel-hair brush to set their fruits. 
The operators were busy at the 
work on the occasion of our visit, 
and being favoured with a fine day 
and sunshine, the pollen was very 
plentiful, so that the men could 
proceed apace. The process, as is 
now well known, is prohibitive of 
a continuous display of bloom ; in 
the course of a day or tw'o the 
blooms on flowers that have set their 
fruit drop, and the energies of the 
plant are then concentrated on the 
development and maturation of 
seed. 
Single Palm-leaved Varieties. 
The old Holborn Blue is still grown 
in considerable quantity, a fact that 
is good evidence that the colour, 
by whatever name it may be called, 
is still appreciated by the growers 
of Primulas. It is one of the 
early-flowering kinds and has red 
petioles. The name palm leaved 
is applied here to the ordinary 
heart shaped and lobed type in 
contradistinction to the fern-leaved 
sorts. Another blue variety at Forest 
Hill is named Porcelain. The flowers 
are lighter in colour with a dark 
edge, but they are larger, measur¬ 
ing sometimes 2J in. across, wavy, 
and very effective. It is somewhat 
later than the old blue variety,but we, 
nevertheless, like it very much. The 
leaves are also larger, with stronger 
petioles, and the segments of the 
flower so overlapping that they 
appear to form a double row. It 
was obtained by crossing the old 
variety with the fern-leaved Elaine. 
The flowers of Magenta are of a 
deep magenta-purple, pale in the 
early stages, but getting more 
intensely coloured as they get older, 
and the trusses are borne well above 
the foliage. Vermillion is equally floriferous and 
early, bearing a profusion of intensely red flowers 
well above the foliage. The flowers of Venus are 
white, sometimes tinted with blush, and generally 
mottled and striped with purple. They are of 
medium size and early. The palm-leaved Elaine 
has large, pure white, fimbriated flowers, developed 
early, and pale red petioles to the leaves. Another 
early variety is Carmine, having large, rosy-carmine 
flowers with much undulated segments, and the 
tresses well carried above the leaves, which have red 
petioles. 
For size and general attractiveness Blush pos¬ 
sesses a high standard of merit. It may be compared 
with Porcelain, which was one of its parents, but the 
wavy flowers are of a soft blush pink, with a five- 
lobed, greenish-orange eye. The petioles of the 
leaves are green. It is a new variety, and was 
obtained from the fern-leaved Holborn Queen 
crossed with Porcelain, and has the same type of 
foliage as the latter. The variety named Rose was 
obtained from Elaine crossed with Porcelain, and 
possesses the general characters of the latter in 
having very large flowers, but they are of a beautiful 
deep rose, with a white line round the greenish- 
orange eye. It shows affinity likewise with Porcelain, 
from the fact that two plants out of the batch have 
given blue flowers like the latter. The latest of all 
the single varieties is that named Salmon, the flowers 
of which are rosy-salmon, with a five-lobed, greenish- 
yellow eye and a white line round it. The colour is 
distinct, rich, and desirable. The above does not 
include all of the varieties that were sent out last 
year, but several of them are being weeded out, 
because although they find admirers on account of 
some distinct feature, they are not appreciated by 
the many. The worthless sorts obtained by crossing 
for some purpose in view are kept in a house by 
themselves and will also be destroyed. 
Fern-leaved Sorts. 
The foliage of this type is so distinct and beautiful 
that its admirers have always been, and will likely 
Blue Rosette has flowers of the same colour as 
Holborn Blue, and was originally obtained by cross¬ 
ing the latter with the semi-double Salmon. Except 
its being semi-double, it agrees in all other respects 
with the seed-parent. Snowflake bears a profusion 
of white flowers, more or less tinted with blush, like 
Holborn Queen, and perhaps originated from it, is 
the light green leaves with their petioles also cor¬ 
respond to those of that variety. Princess of Wales, 
on the other hand, is mottled and striped with purple 
on a white ground, as in the case of Venus. Some¬ 
times the flowers are pure white, or have a large 
purple splash on some of the segments, and occa¬ 
sionally half of a flower is purple. An early-flower¬ 
ing variety is Lilac Queen, which is very vigorous, 
floriferous, and throws the trusses well above the 
foliage. When the flowers expand they are lilac, 
but soon deepen to a rich lilac-purple as they get 
fully developed. Carmine Empress 
is an effective and richly-coloured 
variety, of brilliant carmine 
whether in sun or shade. The 
flowers are well carried above the 
foliage, and the petioles of the 
leaves are red. It is an early 
variety, and the Prince of Wales, 
if anything, is even earlier. The 
flowers of the latter are of a deep 
salmon, changing to a still darker 
rosy salmon as they get older. They 
are freely produced on trusses well 
displayed above the foliage. 
It may be said that the colours 
of these varieties are but a repeti¬ 
tion of what occurs amongst the 
single sorts, but the doubling of 
the flowers gives quite a different 
effect even when the two types are 
placed in juxtaposition. The colours 
of the fern-leaved varieties also 
run more or less parallel with 
the other, but are rendered distinct 
by the character of the foliage. 
A characteristic of the flowers of 
the modern varieties of Chinese 
Primulas is that they are all pin¬ 
eyed. It is difficult to get at the 
stigma of the thrum-eyed form 
with the camel-hair brush, so 
that they produce seeds only 
sparingly. What would the Auricula 
fancier say to this heresy ? 
Mr. James Whitton, 
"Superintendent of the Glasgow Parks. 
be, numerous. The fern-leaved Elaine is the best of 
all the white varieties on account of the flowers 
being very large, pure white, overlapping, and wavy. 
The long, fern-like leaves have deep red petioles. 
Holborn Queen may be compared with it, but differs 
in having blush-tinted flowers, and, contrary to what 
we should expect, has the leaves and petioles wholly 
of a light green. The flowers of the fern-leaved 
Rose are large, wavy, rosy pink, deepening to rose 
with age, and moderately early produced. The 
leaves have pale red petioles. Another choice 
variety is Ruby, the flowers of which are large, 
undulated, and pale red, deepening to a rich colour 
with age, and having a greenish-yellow eye sur¬ 
rounded by a white line. A peculiar feature of this 
variety is a small white spot at the base and junction 
of every two segments. 
Semi-double Varieties. 
All the varieties of this type have the ordinary and 
old form of leaf. Besides being useful for ordinary 
decorative purposes, they possess the qualities of 
greater durability, and are therefore highly service¬ 
able for cut flo-.ver purposes. All of the semi-double 
sorts are, of course, raised annually from seeds. 
CORNISH MARKET 
GARDENING. 
There is a very apt remark anent 
the stead starving whilst the grass 
is growing, and it applies very well 
to the present condition of the 
market gardeners of Cornwall, and 
the rates demanded by the Great 
Western for transit of goods. It is 
said that these rates are being 
revised,but meanwhile thegardeners 
are paying heavily for the privilege 
of waiting the normal condition 
of things. Last week we intimated 
that the carriage for Brocoli, Potatos, and the rest 
of market produce would be such as to leave the 
very slenderest of profit. The truth of this case can 
now be ascertained from the following interesting 
figures The old rate for vegetables from Cornwall 
to Bath was 32s. 6d. ; new 35s. iod., and yd. per 
cwt. for returned empties. There is not much 
difference to Bristol. To Birmingham, old rate, 
35s. ; new, 38s. 4d., and a rise of nd. per cwt. on 
empties. From London, 2s. 4d. per cwt. for re¬ 
turned empties, against no charge before. This 
means something like a rise of 30s.per acre. Menthyr, 
35s., old rate, 46s. 6d. new, a rise of ns. 6d. per 
ton ! also a rise of 8d. per cwt. on returned empties. 
Glasgow, returned empties 2s. 2d. old rate, 3s. 5d. 
new. Cardiff, 32s. 6d. old ; 36s. Sd. new. Liverpool, 
38s. 4d. old ; 41s. 8d. new, including delivery as 
formerly. 
Garden manures, formerly costing 6s. 8d. per ton, 
have risen 15 per cent. This rise in rates is 
perhaps heavier than in any other part of the coun¬ 
try, and it is not surprising that the market gardeners 
have resolved to send their produce by water instead 
of rail, as far as possible, though the delay may 
occasion some inconvenience to Covent Garden. 
