100 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAIE  GARDENER, 
February  4,  1904. 
The  Perils  of  Primulas. 
We  are  now  in  the  season  of  these  flower's,  and  one  feels 
desirous  of  knowing  whether  there  is  any  reason  to  regard  them 
with  suspicion.  So  far  I  have  not  suffered  anytliing,  nor  liave 
my  friends.  But  it  has  been  stated  tliat  soiiie  varieties  liave 
hairs  ■which  irritate  tlic  skin  ;  still,  I  presume  the  plants  do  not 
throw  off  these,  as  is  the  habit  of  certain  urticating  caterpillars. 
Again,  it  has  been  said  that  the  juice  of  Primulas  is  acrid  and 
hurtful  if  it  should  happen  to  enter  a  cut  or  any  sore  place  on  the 
.skin.  Probably  this  might  be  said  of  a  large  number  of  plants  of 
various  Orders,  because  they  contain  saline  particles,  and  gar¬ 
deners  may  be  in  no  special  peril  from  Primulas. — C. 
Chinese  Primroses  at  Chrysanthemum  Shows. 
How  rarely  these  are  shown  in  their  best  character  at  C'hrj's- 
anthemum  exhibitions;  and  yet  when  well  “done”  they  are  a 
bright  aird  effective  feature.  There  are  some  autumn  exhibi- 
tioiis  in  which  the  Chinese  Primroses  deserve  a  place  on  the 
exhibition  ;  I  liave  rarely  seen  finer  .specimens  than  those  it  was 
the  custom  to  show  at  Birmingham.  Gardeners  appear  to  trust 
too  much  to  old  plants  instead  of  young  ones ;  some  of  the  best 
I  ever  saw  were  at  Devizes,  and  very  fine  they  were.  The 
method  adopted  was  to  sow  the  seeds  in  the  first  week  in 
December  in  a  temperature  of  G.5deg  day  lieat ;  as  soon  as  the 
plants  are  large  enough  to  handle  they  are  potted  singly  into 
small  pots,  using  a  compost  of  two-thirds  of  loam  and  one-third 
of  leaf  mould,  to  which  is  added  enough  sand  to  keep  it  open, 
and  a  little  charcoal  in  the  interest  of  sweetness.  The  young 
plants  are  kept  growing  on  in  the  .same  temperature,  shifting 
them  into  larger  poCs  as  necessary  till  they  are  in  their  blooming 
pots,  cho.sen  according  to  the  size  of  the  plants — overpotting 
being  avoided — and  in  these  pots  they  should  be  well  estab¬ 
lished  by  the  end  of  May.  Then  they  go  into  a  cold  frame  until 
the  end  of  Jidy  for  a  kind  of  rest;  then  they  ai'e  excited  into 
growth,  and  bloom  by  being  placed  in  a  gentle  warmth  and 
as.sisted  with  a  little  weak  manure  water  twice  a  week.  If  this 
method  of  culture  were  adopted  better  results  would  be  seen 
at  our  Chrysanthemum  .shows. — R.  Dean. 
Potato,  White  Beauty. 
I  shake  hands  with  E.  Molyneux  respecting  White  Beauty,  as 
to  quality.  Neverthele.ss,  the  fact  of  its  falling  off  plainly 
indicates  that  its  days  as  a  paying  Potato  are  over,  and  for 
market  rvork  the  crop  must  be  good,  even  if  the  quality  is  only 
ff.ir.  Respecting  Up-to-Date,  that  variety,  although  holding  the 
markets,  as  it  has  done,  has  never  been  an  ideal  flavoured  Potato, 
and  the  same  must  be  said  of  many  Scots  varieties.  The  Bruce, 
British  Queen,  Royal  Kidney,  Evergood',  Goodfellow,  ancl 
Northern  Star  all  have  something  lacking  in  flavour,  although 
Up-to-Date  is  better  than  Northern  Star.  It  is  a  curious  fact 
that  the  old  Beauty,  like  other  American  varieties  raised  bj'  that 
great  veteran,  E.'L.  Cory,  are  all  of  high-class  quality,  and  the 
Vermont  Gold  Coin  Ls,  I  think,  the  very  finest  of  all,  and  abso¬ 
lutely  second  to  none  ever  raised  on  this  side  of  the  water.  We 
still  can  think  of  these  American  varieties  as  good  eaters,  although 
in  most  instance, s  the  eyes  are  too  profuse  and  prominent  to  make 
what  is  erroimou.sly  termed  a  good  Potato,  and  they  are  al.so 
affected  by  disease.  It  would,  indeed,  be  very  interesting  to 
know  how  inany  varieties  there  are  in  our  markets  that  have 
American  in  them.  Certain  it  is  that  the  Scots  varieties  above 
(|Uoted  know  it  not,  for,  in  breeding  un  from  the  old  Don  and 
A  ictoria,  the  raiser’s  aim  has  been  chiefly  great  crops  and  disease 
re.si.stance. 
As  to  other  good  keeping  and  eating  varieties,  I  fear  the  li.st 
is  small.  Ihe  CTofter  is  very  fine,  but  how  long  it  will  keep  I 
cannot  say.  A  variety  that  gives  promise  is  the  Snowflowei',  now 
being  sent  out  at  a  respectable  price:  2s.  6d.  a  stone.  I  have 
recently  cooked  a  .sample  (I,  by  the  way,  cook  all  my  sample.s  in 
order  to  know  the  true  facts,  for  some  cooks  are  deplorable),  and 
I  found  Snowflower  a  remarkably  white-fleshed  and  mealy  variety. 
The  starch  grains  appeared  to  stand  out  separately,  like  numerous 
grains  of  sparkling  sugar.  The  sample  tried  was  grown  in  Lincoln¬ 
shire,  and  naturally  softer  in  texture  to  our  .southern-grown  stuff  ; 
therefore,  if  it  does  well  on  my  heavy  Kent  soil.  I  am  quite  pre¬ 
pared  to  find  it.  even  more  mealy.  I  may  add  that  I  am  this 
season  testing  nearly  100  varieties,  including  nearly  ever,y  new 
1904  variety,  and  the  thirty  odd  grown  this  past  season  (Eldorado 
and  Sim  Gray  barred),  and  at  some  future  date  may  be  able  to  tell 
Journal  readers  what  to  lay  a  little  money  on. — ^Growek. 
Trade  v.  Private  Growers. 
One  would  think  the  exhibition  tents  are  monopolised  during 
the  autumn  shovs  with  trade  exhibitoi's  from  the  fear  in  which 
thi.s  bodv  is  held!  I  knoAV  of  but  one  trade  grower  rvho  is  an 
exhibitor  of  cut  blooms ;  surely  we  camiot  legislate  for  one 
person.  I  doubt  very  much  if  even  he  grorvs  half  a  thousand 
plants,  let  alone  the  thousands  pictured  by  “  Fairness,”  page  34. 
1  could  mention  at  least  a  dozen  private  grorvers  rvho  cultivate 
more  plants,  have  better  convenience  for  housing  them,  and 
spend  more  money  in,  the  purchase  of  new  varieties  than  does 
any  one  trade  exhibitor.  Does  “  Fairne.ss  ”  pit  the  exhibits 
usually  seen  at  shows  “  not  for  competition  ”  against  those  in 
coinpetition  either  by  this  one  trade  grower  or  the  leading 
private  growers  as  disseminating  the  same  amount  of  knorvledge 
for  the  benefit  of  the  younger  generation?  In  answering  the 
question  a.sked  by  “Fairness”  if  I  think  it  “an  absolute  neces¬ 
sity  for  nurserymen  to  compete  rvith  private  gardeners?”  I 
will  ask  him  one:  Should  we  see  the  same  quality  of  Japanese 
blooms  if  this  one  exhibitor  did  not  compete  ?  Is  it  not  an 
advantage  to  the  general  public  to  have  such  flowers  as  object 
lessons  of  what  can  be  produced  by  knorvledge,  and  a  desire  as 
Avell  as  opportunity  to  display  that  knowledge  ?  Can  “  Fair¬ 
ness  ”  name  two  trade  groAvers  Avho  are  qualified  to  compete  in 
the  best  company  ?  I  ,say  let  us  see  the  best  produce,  no  matter 
from  Avhom  it  conies.  Object-lessons  are  desirable,  and  instead  of 
grumbling  because  one  person  is  your  superior  do  as  I  used  to 
— go  in  and  beat  these  traders! — E.  M. 
A  Birthday  Episode. 
I  have  been  Avritten  to  by  many  friends  as  to  my  intentions 
about  joining,  or  Avhat  I  think  of,  the  National  Potato  Society. 
My  last  correspondent  AA'as  yourself  Mr.  Editor,  and  you  ask, 
“  Have  I  aught  to  say?  ”  As  it  has  been  my  custom  to  send  you 
information  chiefly  about  my  progress  regarding  Potato  crossing, 
for  a  birthday  reminder  that  I  am  still  active  and  interested 
amongst  you  I  Avill  take  the  opportunity  to  ansAver  the  inquiries 
of  my  friends,  and  say  I  haA^e  been  a  society  Avithin  myself  too 
long  to  care  to  “  hark  aAvay.”  I  do  not  doubt  for  a  moment  that 
the  National  Potato  Society  is  in  very  interested  and  com¬ 
petent  hands,  quite  capable  of  doing  good  in  different  Avays.  I 
propose  to  keep  to  the’ way  that  I  know',  quietly  and  Avith  con¬ 
fidence  pursuing  the  pioneering  AAork  that  I  originated  in  regard 
to  the  Potato  species  some  forty-five  years  ago  by  artificial 
hybridisation.  For  the  final  results  from  the  Aiild  species  last 
sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Pringle  from  Ncav  and  Old  Mexico  I  have  yet 
to  Avait,  but  feel  confident  that  I  shall  succeed  in  perpetuating 
varieties  from  them  Avorthy  to  compete  Avith  the  present  much- 
boomed  kind.S' — having  an  advantage  over  them,  in  fact,  by  being 
endowed  with  fresh  blood,  so  to  speak,  from  neAV  and  northern 
latitudes  in  their  composition.  This  is  a  material  necessity. 
To  further  shoAv  your  readers  that  I  have  not  been  “  resting 
on  my  oars,”  I  Avill  .say  that  I  have  a  host  of  neAv  hybrid  seedlings 
going  through  their  probationary  courses — one  of  them  a  cross 
betAveen  the  wild  species,  Fendleri,  and  my  thoroughbred  old 
English  seedling,  the  Rector  of  Woodstock.  As  I  am  an  East 
Anglian  I  am  looking  forAvard  to  introduce  it  into  commerce  as 
“  Fenn’s  Eastern  Star  ”  ! 
Dear  old  Dame  Nature !  she  Avill  take  her  time.  If  a  pinion 
of  a  Avheel  of  my  Avatch  Avas  to  break  I  could  sit  down  and  adju.st 
a  ncAv  pinion,  or  Avhat  not,  at  once.  Dame  Nature  AA'oukl  insist 
upon  seven  years  at  least.  And  if  you  search  through  yoAir 
columns  you  will  find  that  she  has  kept  me  tAventy-nine  years 
already  probing  and  Avatching  for  the  “  Eastern  Star  ”  Avith  a 
daily  sacrifice.  Think  of  this,  young  men  who  intend  to  go 
a-Avooing  “  the  Cinderella  of  Nature.” 
It  seems  a  far-aAvay  period  to  hark  back  to,  but  it  may  be  as 
Avell  to  inform  our  young  experts  Avho  do  not  know  “  Joseph  ” 
that  I  began  my  familiarity  Avith  the  “  Cinderella  of  Nature  ”  by 
picking  up  Early  Betty  in  my  uncle’s  garden  at  the  time  Stephen¬ 
son  Avas  running  his  initial  .steam  engine  on  the  Stockton  and 
Darlington  Railw'ay  on  September  27,  1825.  My  love  for  the 
esculent  has  never  ceased.  I  began  in  real  earnest  to  study  her 
Avays  and  character  in  1837,  Avhen  she  Avas  becoming  so  stricken 
and  Aveakened  by  the  disease,  and  pessimi.sts  Avere  prophesying 
her  breakdoAvn  for  cultivation  and  disappearance  from  off  the  face 
of  the  earth.  I  began  my  literary  work  by  ansAvering  questions, 
by  essays,  by  notes,  for  the  preservation  of  our  most  valuable 
helpmeet,  in  the  infant  pages  of  the  “  Cottage  Gardener,”  in 
1850.  I  have  folloAA'ed  up  to  nowq  through  its  agency,  as  the 
years  rolled  by,  my  experiences  to  my  felloAv  man  all  that  I  knoAv 
or  could  find  out  anent  the  perpetuation  of  our  chief  esculent 
