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Primula, or China Primrose
FAMILIARITY does not always breed contempt, and the exceptions to the rule may supply a problem for the philosophers. Perhaps familiarity never breeds contempt, for what we attribute to "familiarity" may be really attributable to the nearer knowledge of men and things that familiarity favours. We set up idols and worship them. When we discover that they are made of wood, we dethrone them. We admire a thing because it is new, and discard it when we learn that it is worthless; but a really good thing retains our respect when the novelty has passed away, and thus it is that we never feel contempt for such familiar, cheap, and simple things as bread and butter, scarlet runners, and Chinese primroses.
This plant came to our hands in the year 1820, and for some time thereafter was but poorly grown, and had no such beauty as it has now. Our figure represents it as it usually appeared in the early days of its advance in the way of improvement. Within the past ten years the progress of improvement has been really wonderful, for we have great variety of leafage, the leaves being in many cases elegantly lobed, and constituting a race called "fernleaved primulas;" while the flowers are single and double, smooth and fringed, and of all colours, from pure white to fiery red, approaching pure scarlet. To grow these plants from seeds requires only moderate care, and one of the important points is to have really good seed to begin with. To be sparing of the cost of seed is to be committed to a sort of "wild goose chase;" and as the finest seed in the world is cheap enough for the poorest cultivator, there can be no excuse for the waste of labour upon a poor strain of plants. It may almost be said that the seed may be sown at any time, but the best time is from March to May; a sowing may be made, however, as late as July for a late bloom. To speak generally of the Chinese primula, it may be said that the same treatment as advised for the cineraria or the herbaceous calceolaria would suit it fairly well. But such an "offhand" direction is scarcely proper in the present case. Having begun with good seed therefore, the next thing is to sow it, and this is really a delicate operation. The seed-pans must be perfectly drained, or the business will fail at the first chapter. Stagnant moisture and sour soil are deadly at any time to this primula, but especially so in its earlier stages. Therefore we begin with shallow seed-pans, in which are packed some scientific potsherds. Then we fill up with first about a handful of flaky manure from an old hotbed or heap, chippy and dry. The remainder must be three parts sifted red or yellow loam (London mud not allowable), one part perfectly pure leaf-mould in a powdery state, and one part of the sharpest sand procurable. So far for chapter the second. The pans being filled to the rim, and moderately pressed down, the seed is to be thinly scattered and very lightly covered. If you cover it deeply, you may at the same time say "farewell" to it, for you will know no more about it, although it will not "fare well" in any sense of the term, but will simply perish. The seed-pans should be covered with a layer of sphagnum, to keep the seed moist, without necessitating a fresh supply of water. But sheets of paper answer fairly well, and if the soil in the pans gets a little dry, carefully dip them, but do not let a drop of water flow over the surface. It may be well here to remark for the advantage of the reader, that any and every primula seed will perish if, after being sown, it is allowed to be dry for any length of time. But with a little care the seedling plants will soon appear, and frame culture is all they require until winter is at hand. Pot them off separately in small pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and keep them somewhat cool and shady and moist, but with no stagnant water or sour soil about them, and ordinary frame protection will suffice until frost may be apprehended. Then house them in the same way as advised for the herbaceous calceolarias, the winter minimum to be 40 degree, the early flowers to be pinched out as soon as they appear, and the plants not allowed to flower until they have made leaf-growth enough to give promise of a fine display. Pots of seven to eight inches in diameter are large enough for fine specimens. The double varieties, and any single varieties possessing peculiar characters--such as variegated foliage, for example--are grown from cuttings or divisions. The way to take the cuttings is to divide the crown, reserving to each cutting a portion of the central stem. It is almost impossible to root them if they are kept cold and wet, for, to tell the truth, they are delicate and troublesome, although the expert in propagating makes quite light of the task of getting up a stock of a few hundreds or thousands, as may be required. They need a somewhat dry atmosphere, to prevent damping off; and they require a certain amount of moisture, to prevent flagging. When rooted put them into small pots, and plant them deep in the pots, using the compost recommended for seedling plants. From this point the routine prescribed above will be sufficient. Both single and double kinds should be renewed annually, for only the most expert growers can keep old plants, and they often find the keeping more plague than profit.
