February 19, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
393 
tbe day is all that is required to produce the desired 
result, for there is generally plenty of pollen. 
THE OLD DOUBLE-WHITE CHINESE 
PRIMROSE. 
As I said in my few notes upon this decorative plant 
early in January, it is a matter of surprise that in so 
few private establishments is to be found ; and yet, 
what is more acceptable during the winter months 
than this exceptionally free-flowering Primula ? By 
some, it is considered rather a delicate plant to 
handle, or difficult of management, especially its 
propagation. To those hitherto unsuccessful culti¬ 
vators I commend the undermentioned details which, 
if strictly adhered to, will reward the grower with 
satisfactory results, I feel sure. 
Assuming then that he has a few stock plants, 
these should be moulded up at the end of February 
or early'in March with decomposed leaf-soil and 
silver sand, cocoanut fibre and powdered charcoal, 
or chopped sphagnum and sand, with a good per¬ 
centage of the latter, whichever ingredient may be 
used. This encourages new roots to be made against 
the time they are pulled to pieces, which with me is 
generally done towards the end of April, when great 
care is taken to preserve as many fibrous roots with 
the healthiest young growths as possible. The soil 
used for potting consists of finely sifted loam, leaf- 
soil, and sand, using rather more leaf-soil than loam. 
Have some small and large 6o sized pots crocked 
carefully. These should have been previously 
washed clean and dried before using. The plants 
should be potted firmly, having a surface of sand 
over the top, watered with a fine rose can, and 
placed in a propagating pit or case in an inter¬ 
mediate house having a temperature of about sixty. 
Another good place is on a half-spent hot-bed ; the 
little pots should be pluDged in both instances, 
though care must be taken that the little plants do 
not damp off. I have also been most successful with 
them placed in a cold frame facing south, kept close, 
shaded from the sun, and lightly bedewed overhead 
with the syringe each bright morning. Last season 
they were placed in a cold pit, due north, where 
ninety per ceDt. succeeded. Naturally, in these cold 
structures, relying solely upon sun heat, they take 
rather longer to fill their pots with roots; but in 
whichever position they may be placed, most of them 
should be making roots and taking hold of the new 
soil in five or six weeks, consequently a little air 
should be given them to prevent them becoming 
drawn. 
The plants must be carefully watched in order 
that no damping of the foliage may occur, or the 
plant may succumb. All decaying foliage must be 
promptly removed and a little powdered charcoal 
and lime applied where the union is broken if at all 
likely to damp. At the end of June or early in July 
they should be moved into the pots in which they 
will flower, the strongest going into 5J in. or 6 in.pots, 
while the smaller ones should be put in 4! in. pots, 
The soil for this, the final potting, should be fairly 
rich, but light material, similar to that given before, 
with the addition o*f a little fine peat, soot, and bone- 
meal. After repotting place them back in a cold 
frame facing south, and give them close attention in 
the matters of airing and watering ; the last named 
must never be done unless the plants really want it. 
They will require a light shading of tiffany or 
hexagon netting from the month of March up to the 
end of September, during the brightest part of the 
day, say from 9 a m. to 3.30 p.m. The frames should 
be closed at nights, and if the weather is cold cover 
with mats. 
The plants should, while growing, stand clear of 
each other, or the foliage will become unduly 
elongated, and more liab'e to damp off. Towards 
the end of September the plants should be taken into 
the greenhouse, and placed on a shelf or a light 
position as near the glass as possible, without being 
in direct touch with it. Speaking generally, an 
average temperature of 50° suits the plants admir- 
bly during the winter months, though the house 
where mine are flowering often falls to 45 0 on cold 
nights. The plants enjoy an abundance of air when 
once established, but quickly resent anything like a 
draught. 
I find a little weak soot-water, given them once 
a week when their pots are filled with roots, acts as 
a good stimulant, and assists them greatly. 
Towards the middle of November the successful 
grower will be well repaid for the little extra care 
and attention bestowed upon them by seeing good 
specimen plants full of flower, which they will con¬ 
tinue to produce well into March. I should add that 
great care should be exercised when watering the 
plants, especially during the winter months. See 
that it is not poured into the centre, but near the 
rim of the pot, similarly as when watering Cycla¬ 
men. The accompanying photograph, which was 
taken at the end of January this year, shows twelve 
plants placed at a convenient corner in the same 
house for the purpose.— J. Mayne, Bicton. 
--j-- 
CHINESE PRIMULAS AT READING. 
The unusually mild winter has practically resolved 
itself into spring not only out of doors, but in the 
indoor department as well, where work is proceeding 
experienced workers. The warehouses beneath are 
piled from floor to roof with bags of other seeds 
amongst which the garden Peas would seem almost 
sufficient to sow down the gardens of the world. 
Other departments are filled with seed Potatos. All 
these things are being made up in packets, bags, 
boxes, and packages of all sizes to suit the require¬ 
ments of different establishments. 
Being some weeks behind our usual time for in¬ 
specting the Chinese Primulas we fully expected to 
find them over for a season and laden with seed pods. 
Fertilisation has been going on for some weeks past 
and the earliest are practically over, but the mid¬ 
season and late varieties still furnish a marvellous 
display of tbe size and colour of the flowers into 
which the old Chinese Primula has been transformed 
by the art of the cultivator, entirely unaided by 
hybridisation with any other species. The range of 
colour extends from the purest white to the darkest 
F. N Parsons, 
Primula sinensis alba plena. 
Budleigh Saltbrton. 
at a rapid pace. We had abundant evidence of this 
the other day as we passed through the extensive 
seed rooms of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, 
while on our way to see the Chinese Primulas at the 
Portland Road Nurseries. In the vegetable seed de¬ 
partment the premises have been enlarged and other¬ 
wise altered to accommodate the ever increasing 
business in this particular line. Both here and in 
the admirably constructed flower seed department 
order and arrangement are everywhere manifest. In 
each department the seeds are classified alphabetic- 
ally, the varieties placed under the species, and 
all prominently distinguished by printed labels- 
This facilitates the rapid make-up and despatch of 
the orders without hindrance or delay. In other 
departments women were busy sorting the seeds so 
that all may be spick and span and perfectly reliable. 
The rapidity with which this operation is accomplish¬ 
ed stamps the hall mark of the proficiency of long 
maroon-crimson yet seen in the species. Being 
intended entirely for the production of seed they are 
grown in 48-size pots without that stimulating feed¬ 
ing which is conducive to gross growth, but inimical 
to an abundant seed harvest. Under these condi¬ 
tions prolonged flowering is not expected nor indeed 
desirable, the whole energy of the plant being de¬ 
voted to the development of good seed after the 
requisite number.of pods have been set. 
Sutton’s Giant single straia of Primulas is the 
most highly evolved race of the species ; and when¬ 
ever they reach this stage of perfection Chinese 
Primulas seem incapable of going further, and the 
cultivator gives himself a vast deal of trouble to get 
the required quantity of seed from any given number 
plants. Big flowers give few seeds ; but the cultiva¬ 
tor who grows for decorative purposes will have 
these fine things, and we can hardly blame him, fora 
bad variety takes as much time, space and trouble to 
