prevent the soil above from being washed down, by which the spaces between would soon be choked up, and superfluous water hindered from running through. WATERING.-Great attention is needed in this particular in the treatment of this plant, for, to use the language of the florist, it is very liable to "damp off," and this fatal result will follow rash or careless management in the supply of water. The best mode of preventing this is, when the plants are well established, to put feeders of water under the pots, and when the plants are on the point of blooming, the quantity of water should be increased, and liberally given when in full flower, as the demand for moisture will then be considerably greater. The plants should never be watered over the tops of the pots, as they will not bear that treatment. SPENT PLANTS.-When plants have done blooming, it is not unusual to throw them away. Instead of disposing of them in this way, pinch off the flowerstems neatly, and remove some of the lowest leaves, and transfer the plants into six-inch pots. Plant them somewhat deeper in the soil than they were before, by which means they will be forced to strike out new roots. They should then be set in a moderately shady place, where they will grow and make strong plants by the autumn, and bloom sooner than those which have been raised from seed in the spring. They should be looked over now and then as summer advances, and any flower-buds which appear must be removed, so as to strengthen the plants; in this manner, also, the blooming is delayed, so that they will display their beauty in the autumn and the winter, when flowers are scarce, and consequently to be desired. SOIL OR COMPOST FOR THE CHINESE PRIMROSE.— The pots having been supplied with ample drainage, they must be filled with a compost, formed by the thorough mixture of equal parts of loam, sandy peat, well-rotted manure, or, in place of the last, vegetable mould, or, which is probably quite as good, sandy peat, vegetable mould, and turfy loam, in the following proportions: one barrowful of sandy peat, one of vegetable mould, and two of turfy loam, taking care to mix them well together. Another compost is also highly recommended, formed chiefly of leaf-mould in a thoroughly decomposed state, with the addition of a small portion of each, of yellow loam, peaty soil, wood ashes, and a little charcoal in pieces about the size of a pea, with a sprinkling of sharp sand. HOUSE AND OUT-DOOR TREATMENT COMBINED.— This treatment appears to be attended with less trouble than when the plants are wholly confined to the greenhouse. Seedlings raised in March, and duly shifted into three-inch pots, and set in a shady part of the house, will be ready for planting out by the latter end of May. The best situation is under a north wall, where a frame should be got ready for their reception, having a bed of compost made of leaf-mould and turfy loam, in the proportion of three to one. There they should be planted out at the time above stated, with a space of six or eight inches between each, and having been kept close for a few days, until they have recovered the shock of their removal, they may then be fully exposed to the dews and rains of heaven. They will then require nothing more than a free supply of water, and occasionally a little liquid manure, until September, when they must be again. shifted into pots of such sizes as may be necessary. After potting, they should be returned to the frame, and kept close, their leaves being daily wetted three or four times, to prevent them from flagging. In a fortnight they may be transferred to the greenhouse, where they should be sparingly watered. PRIMULA SINENSIS, var., Magnum Bonum.-The variety thus named is figured in our frontispiece, being drawn by Mr. Andrews, from the living plant, which is the property of Messrs. Henderson, of the Wellington Nursery, St. John's Wood. It was raised from P. sinensis rubra fimbriata, by a grower who yearly cultivates many thousands for the London market. The flowers are just twice the size of those in the plate, it being impossible to represent them of the full dimensions in the allotted space. The owners say that "one predominating feature in this Primula is, that the general character of the plant is very distinct, and that every seed which can be saved ' comes true' and exactly like its parent." This beautiful flower was first imported from China in 1820, and has been treated as a greenhouse biennial. |