Juty 1, 1902. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
o&_ CYChAMENS.22 
so universally grown as they might be, 
presumably because they are regarded 
as the care of the specialist gardener in shade 
or glass houses. This is a good reason, too, 
inasmuch as the amateur gardener can 
hardly give the time and patience to them 
that they require, although the nurserymen 
assert that they are easily grown. | On the 
other hand it must be borne in mind that 
once the Cyclamen is established very little 
further trouble is needed. In fact it is said 
that the tubers will last for twenty years. 
Being comparatively rare in ordinary gar- 
dens their presence when in full bloom is 
(Ges aarers (order Primulaceze) are not 
——— 
peat, leafy mould, or decayed manure from 
the cowyard, in which to plant them. If 
potted in autumn the spring blooms will 
make a lovely show after the corms have 
been growing about two years. If this is 
too long to wait and watch, the next best, 
and may be the first best, plan is to buy the 
tubers, although they run into extra expense. 
The first expense is practically the only 
one. 
The name of Sowbread given to them 
seems peculiar to such a _ graceful 
and modest specimen of one _ of 
Nature’s beauties, but it originated from 
the round, bread-like shape of the tuber, 
scope of interchanging the colours of the 
feathers and the petals. 
Papilio, the subject of our illustration, is 
introduced as a distinct race, with broad 
toothed petals. The colours range from 
pure white, red, rose, rose with red base, 
and white with red base. The foliage is 
beautifully mottled, and the habit of the 
plant is as free as the older and more 
familiar types. 
A stimulant ointment is prepared from 
the roots of the ivy-leafed Cyclamen, reputed 
to be a powerful vermifuge for children. 
PRIMULAS. 
These delightful primrose plants are 
always hailed with delight by lovers of 
‘flowers. The peculiar structures of the 
blooms is at once attractive in their rich 
setting of good foliage, while their perfume 
is delicate and sweet. 
They will grow in carefully sheltered and 
well-drained beds, but do not give the fine 
results that can be obtained from them as 
pot plants. They can beraised fromseeds, but 
require a certain amount of detail care 
known only to those who study the cultiva- 
tion. The better plan for amateur gardeners 
is to get the seedling plants from the nur- 
series, where alsoinstructions can be obtained 
about the particular kind of light turfy loan, 
CYCLAMEN PAPILIO. 
greedily eaten by the boars of Sicily,. the 
native habitat of the flower. 
Several varieties of the Persicum straw, 
both single and double, are worth cultivat- 
ing. A beautiful snow-white flower is the 
Giganteum album, and the Purple King and ~ 
Crimson King are superb blooms. The 
Salmon Queen is a lovely salmon tint. In 
specialties the Bush Hill Pioneer is a new 
feathered variety. The white flowers of 
this strain carry a distinct feathered crest of 
the same colour upon the face of each 
petal. This is regarded as the forerunner of 
an entirely new addition to culturists of the 
Cyclamen, the feather adding largely to the 
favourites everywhere as pot-plants. Mostly 
cultivated in the shadehouse or greenhouse 
they are much prized as ornamental flowers 
and foliage plants for the drawing-room 
window. Some good varieties are the 
Chinensis fimbriata and Auricula. The 
latter are a Belgian strain, and will bloom 
all the winter. Forbesii (the baby prim- 
rose) is a rosy lilac colour, excellent for 
bouquet work, and the seedlings will flower 
profusely in long succession three months 
after sowing. Caerulea is a new blue 
flowering polyanthus variety. 
(To be Continued. ) 
