117 
1886. 
•’’i'l Uio polls 
part, .“iiiuly iKMit. 
full of poi.slier(ls, to so, mi,-,, .Irain,,,,',"'I' 
is in(Ils|)onslll)l„.^ ir |,i„, ^ ' 
SOll,lo| 
. 1"h: 
plaiit 
to r„- 
illis AMERICAN GARDEN. 
" no- 1,1 lir, I 
. ., of tll,‘ 
plant boon,no so.blon, |,arti,,nia,.|y , 1 ,,, 
,. 1,0 s,'ason of rost, tin, 1 „mi 1 ,,i, of ',, 1,0 
is o'one, anil yoars ol' ,,., 1.0 ' 
siioro. its beauty, or n„ne,ly u,,, ovil ,.,„,so,, 
by a little ,-arel,-asn,'ss i,, waCerbio-. 
in a j>-ro\vin}>'.state, you ,,au l,a,-,iiy ...jy,, 
nuieli water, au.l iuu,-b n„„,| uiav IkmUm-Iv,.,! 
fi-oiu fre,iuout s|,riukliuj.-s aiarsyn,,..,,,.,,. 
this oiK'i-atiou, however, must uovi,r bo inu-- 
foriueil in suuuy weatlier. 
•One ohief care iu the iMilturo of Oauiolli-ia 
is to U,M>i>tliem perfectly „|,-au; dust u,,,',,', 
the foliage not only iu.jures the beauty of 
the plaut, butalle,-ts its liealth. 'I'h,, |,laut.s 
arc injured by too uuu-h lieat. Some hold 
that no artilfoial heat shouUl be aUbi-ded mi- 
le.ss necessary to kee|) olV the fi-o.st, but as 
wc wisli our Camellias to bloom at a season 
when there is but little else to ornament the 
groenliouse, it is a,lvisablc to force them 
moderately. 
A safe rule is never to allow the tempera¬ 
ture to fall below 4(>' at night, or rise above 
05° or 70" ,hu-iug the day. The plant M ill 
thus expand tlie (lowers more sloudy and 
naturally, and there M ill be no ,-omiilaiut of 
dropping buds, imperfw-t lloM ers, ami yel- 
loM', sickly foli.igc. One in-ime mistake in 
lloricultnrc is the little .•dti-ntion paid to uni¬ 
formity of temperature. A idant can no 
more preserve a healthy state Mdien exposed 
to an atmosphere varying from 00° to 100° in 
a fcM'hours, noM'dry and iiom- surcharged 
with moisture, tlian can an animal. The 
progress of disease may be more gradual 
but it is sure to shoM' itself, and, sooner or 
later, the death of tlie plant is tlie result. 
. The plants, M-heii in bloom, should be 
shaded, as thus the floM-ers remain in per¬ 
fection much longer. Give the plants plentj' 
of air at ail times, but iluring the 
season of groM'th jn-otect them 
from chilling draughts, M'hicli 
would cause the young leaves to 
curl and stunt the plant. During 
•summer the plants should be placed 
in a shady, airy situation, out of 
doors; allow room enough betM^ecn 
the plants for free circidation of 
nir. The practice of setting tlie 
plants in a mass, under trees, is 
most objectionable; in tlie first 
place the drip from tlie branclics 
Overhead is injurious; and again, 
the pots become fdled with cartli- 
'vorins, which are often dillicult to 
dislodge from their quarters. 
Another mistake in the culture 
of Camellias is too frequent re¬ 
potting. While the plant sliould 
not be allowed to become pot-bound, 
too much room should not be af¬ 
forded. A vigorous plant Will not 
•■cqulre re-potting oftener than 
every three years; but on this point 
tliere is a difl’erence of opinion. 
ft is a popular error that the wood 0 a 
Camellia should not be cut, while, on the 
eontrary, there is scarcely a hard-wooce 
P ant that bears the knife better, 'f bo I’ 
I® V nature symmetrical in growtli, and, by 
"nlieious pruning, perfect s])ecitnens m- 
bo obtained. Pruning sliould bo done 
ot blooming, just as growtli begins. 
OHINESE PRIMROSES. 
A mo,,, «a,;iHn„,to,y (lower for window 
■ as gi'iMmluuiHc laiKaire does not cx- 
• ' m al- 
mo , '''''on'ing season being 
• t aJmudant during winter, wlum it is 
hm.-ult to gel- Ia,„.„ 
"bidow plants, butiii suiisidue or shade tlie 
lii 
SINGLE PRIMULA SINENSIS. 
lloM'ers of this plant are produced, and that 
during the most dismal part of the year. 
'Pile great improvement of late made in 
Priim-osos, gives us lIoMcrs of large size, 
some fringed, some plain, .some double like a 
Ko.se, some only semi-double, but all beau¬ 
tiful, and varying in colors from the purest 
pleasant contrast with tlie lively green of 
tlie surface. 
Single Primroses are genor.ally raised every 
year Iroiii seed, still they can be pre.scrved 
in good condition for j'cars, blooming more 
or less all the time. Vouiig jilants, how¬ 
ever, give tlie most satisfactory results, and 
if raised during May or .June, will commenee 
llowering early in the fall and eontiniic dur¬ 
ing the winter and spring months. 
Seeds .sliould be sown in .shallow boxes, in 
soil eoinposed of leaf mould and loam in equal 
parts, with a good mixture of sand to insure 
free passage of tiio water. Cover the seeds 
but lightly; place a pane of glass or jiaper 
over the box to maintain a steady moisture. 
-As soon as the .seeds goriniiiatc and begin to 
grow, gradually raise the glass to harden the 
seedlings to the light. When the plants show 
their first characteristic leaves, either i)ot 
singly into thumb pots or, wh.Mt is better, 
prick tliem in around the edge of four or 
(ive inch pots, in M-hich they grow more 
rapidly. 'J'lic reason for this is obvious. 'J'he 
plants have the benefit of a more uniform 
degree of moisture tlian when in small pots 
M'liicli dry out quickly. AVhen tliey h.ave 
formed strong, bushy plants around the pots, 
shift singlj' into two-and-a-lialf inch pots, 
and keep .shaded until tliej^ start to groM'. 
^VlM-ays place the plants deep enough in tlie 
soil to cover any hare stems whicli .oi-e apt to 
form, Mlieii grown in a high temperature, 
and far from the glass. As the plants grow, 
shift regular!}- until a size of .six or seven 
inch pots is attained, in which they are to re¬ 
main M'hile in bloom. Pl.ace good drainage 
in all pots of six Inches and over. 
The most suitable soil for Primroses is a 
compost of M-ell-rotted leaf mould, thorough¬ 
ly decomposed manure, ruu through a quarter- 
incli sieve, so as to remove all small pieces 
of M-ood and reduce it to proper fineness. 
Use equal parts of the leaf mould, 
manure and friable loam, mix 
thoroughl}'- and add suffleient s.and 
to insure porosity. 
Considering the large demand for 
Primula seed throughout the United 
States aud Canada, I have often 
M’oudered that some of our enter¬ 
prising florists have not made .a 
specialty of raising seeds and still 
more improving tlie already beau¬ 
tiful straius. As it is, we have to 
send to Europe for our Primula 
seed, M’lien it may be just as e.asily 
groM-n at home. So many seeds 
that formerly had to he imported 
arc uoiv raised here that it is to 
be hoped the day M-ill not be far 
distant -when we shall raise our 
own Primula seed. 
Mansfield Milton. 
double primula sinensis. 
wiiite to the brightest scarlet. Iu addition 
, fijis fcije diversity aud beauty of its foliage 
1 the iilaut attractive even when out 
With leaves deeply aud gracefully serrated, 
Ji d them a feathery and pleasing appeai- 
onep-° others have the foliage be.autifully 
on the reverse side, producing a 
OUR WINDOW BOX. 
Healthy, vigorous growing 
plants can hardly be watered too 
much at this season, provided the 
pots are ivell di-ained. Such plants take up 
and evaporate water with great rapidity. 
AVhen pl.antiiig pot-plauts in the open ground 
and tlie ball of earth is matted with roots, 
the b.all should .ahvays be broken by slightly 
bruising it between the hands before plac¬ 
ing it ill the ground, to lessen the resistance. 
