332 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 22, 1905. 
the finest, and of easy cultivation. The flowers, of a lovely 
rose and white colour, are produced on stems of from IS in. 
to 3 ft. in height. This species is also admirably suited for- 
planting on the edges of streams and small ponds. C. macran- 
thum is a species introduced from Siberia, and considered some¬ 
what rare; the flowers are large, of a rosy-purple colour. 
There are many others equally beautiful and deserving of 
"reater consideration than what is usually bestowed upon them. 
Paphio. 
Calanthes. 
For a good show of bloom in the dull months of the year 
with little trouble, there is nothing to beat a good batch of 
Caianthes. 
As it is now time to pot these, a few' hints on their cultiva-- 
tio-n w'ill perhaps not be out of place. A good compost is one 
of three parts fibrous loam, one part good Oakleaf mould (not 
too rotten), w-ith a good sprinkling of small crocks, charcoal, 
and silver sand to- keep the whole porous. You will notice I 
have not added peat, cow-dung or sphagnum in my compost for 
Calanthes; I have found them do better without these, not, 
being troubled with that dreaded disease—black spot—since 
using the above compost. The bulbs should be shaken out of 
the old soil, cutting away the old roots to within 2 in. of the 
old bulb, leaving these to hold the bulb in place. 
The pots should be clean and filled a third with crocks. They 
should be potted to just cover the base of the young growth. 
Place them on a shelf near the glass, keep dry until growth 
and roots are well started. Then w-ater carefully until the 
pots are full of roots, when they will do with good copious 
waterings, using soft water. I do not recommend much feed- 
ing for Calanthes. You get better flowers nearer together on 
the stem, which also last longer, than you would with feeding. 
Do not syringe overhead, shade from bright sunshine. As soon 
as the foliage begins to die down and the spikes to show, the 
water supply should be reduced, drying the plants off 
gradually. At this stage give all light possible; it deepens 
the colour of the flowers, and ripens off the bulbs. 
When in flower, mixed w-ith Adiantums, they make a pleas¬ 
ing show and are veiy much admired by all garden lovers. 
A few' good varieties are : C. Veitchii, C. Regnieri, C. vestita, 
C rubro-oculata, and C. Wrn. Murray. T. B. Byram. 
The Primrose. 
" The lovesick Violet and the Primrose pale, 
Bow their sw-eet heads and whisper to the gale.” 
Surely if there is any one plant at this season that will 
appeal to the lovers of rural enjoyments, it is the modest Prim¬ 
rose. 
Our Primrose well deserves its name (prima rosa) since it is 
one of our earliest plants to flower. Even in February a few 
strong flowers may be seen in favoured spots. Burns associates 
the Snowdrop with the Primrose thus : — 
“ The Snowdrop and Primrose our woodlands adorn.” 
The Primrose being one of the early harbingers of spring lias 
claimed the attention of poets in almost every age. Apart 
from* its interest as a poet’s flower there lies a still deeper 
study in the structure of its pretty flowers. In a recent 
ramble in the woods I looked into many flowers to note on 
w-hicli form of plant the flowers were borne. For, a.s most 
gardeners are aware, there are two forms of flow-ers to be seen 
in the Primrose, the “pin-eyed,” and the “thrum-eyed,” or 
the long and short-styled respectively. 
So mingled were the forms that met my eye, here a “pin¬ 
eyed,” and there a “thrum-eyed,” that neither form seemed 
greatly to predominate. 
The great naturalist Darwin was veiy much interested in 
this peculiarity of the Primrose, and after careful experiments 
he came to the conclusion that the flowers were so rendered 
to ensure cross fertilisation, and that the complete fertility 
of the flowers is only obtained when pollen is taken from long 
stamen to long style, and from short stamen to short style; 
this, of course, involves cross-fertilisation. 
The Primrose and Darwinism has been a much discussed 
subject of late, but I have good reason to believe that Darwin’s 
views are correct-. The dimorphic character of the Primrose 
is of great horticultural importance, for this phenomenon is 
also to be found in other species and varieties of the genus 
Primula. Thus the new hybrid P. kewensis has been spoken 
of as a mule, but since a “ thrum-eyed ” form has sprung from 
the original “ pin-eyed ” form, fertile seed has been obtained 
by cross-fertilisation. Many lessons such as this may be 
learnt from our native flora, and although some contend" that 
by close investigation or scientific research we are apt to lose 
sight of the true- love of -our natural surroundings, such should 
not be the case, for no man can search too far or be too well 
studied in things pertaining to nature. Genuine interest will 
promote time love, and thus the well-worn axiom, “ Greater 
knowledge demands greater love,” should ever be before those 
who study nature. Herbert Cowley. 
A Fine Group of Plants. 
A veiy pleasing combination of hardy subjects was made at 
the meeting of the R.H.S. on the 11th inst. by Messrs. William 
Cutbush and Son, Highgate, London, N. Most, if not all, of 
these plants consisted of hardy subjects which flower at 
different seasons, but had been brought together by virtue of 
forcing and retarding in addition to those which bloom 
naturally at that period. Amongst the subjects which had 
been forced were tall plants of Rambler Roses and Laburnums 
in pots. Mixed with these were some well-bloomed varieties 
of Azalea mollis, tree Paeonies, Magnolias, Conifers, Bamboo^ 
and similar subjects. All of the taller ones were arranged 
along the back of the group, while the intermediate ones held 
corresponding positions. Along the front was a great variety 
of herbaceous and alpine subjects planted out on artificial rock- 
work. The dwarf subjects included various species of Primula, 
Adonis, Sa-xifragas and Arabis. The plant which above all 
took the eye of hardy plant growers was a fine batch of 
Cypripedium spectabile, now getting a scarce plant even in 
its- native country, but this is probably accentuated by the fact 
that some of the habitats of the plant are now on private 
property and therefore protected. The plant had, of course, 
been brought on under glass and flowered earlier than it would 
out of doors. The Tiger Lilies shown in this group we pre¬ 
sume had been brought along from retarded bulbs. The 
group, as a whole, was veiy effective, and constituted the 
finest exhibit placed before the Floral Committee, and was 
accorded a Gold Medal. 
The Changeable Grape Hyacinth. 
(Muscari commutatum .) 
The flow-ers of this Grape Hyacinth are unusually small even 
for a member of this genus, shortly cylindrical, drooping, and 
of a bright viole-t-blue with a white rim at the mouth. These 
are produced in dense conical spikes about 1 in. to 1| in. long. 
1 he flower-stalks vaiy from 3 in. to 6 in. in height according 
t> the conditions under which they are grown, and the leaves 
are about- the same length at the time of flowering. This 
beautiful species comes from Armenia, and reminds us of M. 
armeniacum, though the spikes and flowers are smaller than 
that. Both of these we have mentioned might very well find a 
place in collections of herbaceous plants, but particularly 
■where space lias been prepared for bulbs either in a border or 
on the rockery, where a good friable soil should be given them 
free from stagnant moisture. The ease with which this Grape 
Hyacinth can be cultivated makes it surprising that so few of 
them find their w-ay into gardens considering their cheerful 
appearance and bright colours, mostly in some shade of blue 
or violet, sometimes white in the case of varieties. A fine 
patch of M. commutatum was shown at the meeting of the 
R.H.S. on the 11th inst. by Mr. G. Reuthe, Fox Hill Hardy 
Plant Nursery, Keston, Kent. 
