r ■
Blftasframes, over tho auriculas, in such am a im e ra s effectually
to prevetit ra in d rip p in g th ro u g h in .th ty qu a rte r. A row of
line polyanthuses, in jiots, ntaylikewise bo introduced in fro n t
o f tho h y iiclnthi, as they likewise blow a t th e same tim e ; it
•will ad d to tho variety, an d form alto g eth er am o re olcgantas-
scmblage of be au tifu l frag rau t flowers th a n an y o th e r season ot
th e v e ar can afford. The ta llest blowing auriculas should stand
on th e la st o r most d istan t slielf, an d tho sh ortest in f ro n t;
those stems which a re weak an d bend should be supported witli
small wires, flxed in tho e a rth bcliiiid th em , so as n o t to be
easily discerned, I f any o f tho stems an d blossoms of those in
tlio back row in cline forward too mucli towards tho lig h t, they
may be easily recovered co an e re ct position, by tu rn in g the
pots for a few h o u is in tlio mo rn in g ; b u t .......... th e „ glr ...... - --oof -
will
ren d e r very littlo o f th is trouble - ..............
iry : th e pots m u st bo
reg u la rly ivatered, two tlirc e •'
times every week, d u rin g the
bloom. ■ No person can depend on a complete stage o f a u riculas,
who is not provided in a u tum n o r e arly in tho sjinng
with tw ice as man y blowing p lants aa h is stage will contain,
hccausc somo will eventually prove dcl'ectivo, an d fail in one
respect or o th e r : an d a succession of p ro p er filaiits in bloom
will be req u ired to replace such as, b e iug e arlie r th a n tlie re s t
o r of sliorter d u ration, nro no longer eligible to rem a in on the
stage, an d oug h t, in consequence, to be taken away, a n d m ore
suitable ones b ro u g h t on in th e ir stead.
5280. W?ien the bloom has declined, th e p lants are to be re moved
iu to th c ir summer repository, where tliey will soon
recover th c ir form er streiigtll an d vigour, wliicli, n o twithstandin
g the u tmost care an d precaution, n ill have been, in some
degree, im p a ired b y standing two or th re e weeks upon tho
'* ^ 2 ^ 1 . Hogg keeps th e lig h ts over liis auriculas, in April,
n ig h t an d day, to preserve th c ir beauty unimpaired. A ir lie
admits by rais in g tho sashes h e liiiid ; lie covers u p close a t
n ig h t, “ tliis being tho very criuis of time th a t requires yo u r
most p a rticu la r caro.” Ho th in s ou t tb e pips o r blossoms, leavin
g n o t m ore th a n tliirtcon, n o r fewer th a n seven on a tru ss or
umbel. In tUiiining, “ th ey should ho taken o u t two o r th ree
a t a tim e, an d i t requires some taste, nicety, nnd a rt, to p e rfo
rm th is operation well, th a t tho blossoms whicli nro left on
mny grow in a reg u la r eq uidistant form, so th a t an y common
spectator mig lit suppose tlia t no such th in n in g o f th e pips had
hvkeii place, b u t th a t tlioy had grown exactly in th a t form, an d
with th a t n umber, from tho first.” Towards th e en d of the
mo n th th e flowers a rc removed to th e stage fro n tin g the east.
6282. The Lancashire growers, “ In b lo om in g tim c .s e tth e ir
largo sliow p lants u n d e r iiaiid-glasses. In an cast aspect, to
receive th e m o rn in g sun only. Th e p lants are, perhaps, n q tre
e arly In bloom as those wintered In frames, Im t tlien tlie ir
stems a re n o t drawn, a n d th ey a rc able to su p p o rt tlie trusses
firm ly : th e mildew a n d ro t do u o t tak e th em so readily
when iu closer situations.”
5283 Justice blows h is flowors in th e b unkers, o r sheds, ex posed
to the fu ll n o r th : h e gives th em all tlic a ir h e ctui, bi '
excludes th e sun, shelters th em from winds, and waters thci
well twice a week. {B r il. Gard. Direct., art. Au ricu la .)
5284. Henderson, o f Delvine, blows h is flowors in a frame
{An. 902.1, which, h c say s, “ answcrsallth ein irp o so so ffram e ,
haiid-glass, an d stage, used by tho En g lish flo rists; a t le ast I
mak e it do so. I liavc only to erect a screen of m a ttin g or poles
in frout, d u rin g th e flowering season. Tlie plan of it (¡0 a
lo n g hexagon, which has a span ro o f (S) an d a low stage
sloping ■di on a ll sides (c). In the elevation a rc e iglit ventilators e iglit liiuged sashes (c), a n d as man y iron rods on staples
for ho ld in g tliem u p ( / ) . ” Th e wliole seems a
. simple, 8
ecoiiomioal, an d a sufflcioiitly n e at structure.
h ± ± ± : = ¿ = 3
5285. Cornfield, of Nortliamptoii, covers h is au ricu la stage
with frames mad e o f lig h t th in deal, in th e m a n n e r of cu cumber
lights. These have some fine cambric, o r calico, strained
tig h t, an d n ailed ou th e frames, wlucli are odod witli clear
linseed oil, once over. These frames adm it ne arly as mucli
lig h t as glass, will repel th e wet, au d completely prev en t th e
sun’s rays from in ju rin g tlie blooms or plants. Mr. Conifleld
considers th is tiic most ooonomicnl k in d of covering ever in vented.
{Gard. Mug., vol. vl. p. 426.)
S u b s e c t . 7. P rim u la , or P rim ro s e F a m ily .— P rim u la L.; Pentand. Monog . L. and
PriviulucecE B . P .
528G. The p r im ro s e fa m i ly , grown as florists’ fiowers, consists of the polyanthus, primrose, cowslip,
and oxlip.
richness o f colouring, a n d symmetry of p a rts , n o t to b e found
u n ite d in an y o th e r flower.’' (JfnddocJ:.) ^
6290. I ’ropayation. By dividing th e root, o r b y slips, for
o rd in ary pu rp o ses; an d b y seed, for obta in in g new varieties.
5291. B y seed. Tho p lants from wlucli seed is to be saved
a rc to be separated from th e stems, an d trea ted in tlie sanm
m a n n e r as seed-hearing auriculas. When ripe, i t should be
c u t off wltli p a rt of th e stem, an d so preserved till tlie sowing
season,w hich,as well as th e m ode of procedure, a rc , according
■ ■ ‘ ■ same as for tho auricula. Emme rton s
5287. The polyanthus is th e Prim td a vulghrts var, Poty&i^
thus L P rim u la , Fren ch , German, an d Italian . I n its wild
' - - 1C produces its Uowers on numerous
an iiiiioei oi iiuiueio u » — , -----
Linnæus asserts, tlia t tho peduncles m tlie common w ild p rimroses
spring from a scape, wliich b e ing so sh o rt as to be concealed
among the leaves, has n o t been observed. Curtis, how-
„„»F fA„r,rl ft ill a few p lan tr *»">’ "--.mFA.Ps
in troduc ed i I Dr. Buxton s g arden, a t Maize liill, n e ar
Greenwich, produced flowers b o th with a n d with o u t a swpc,
an d became, colour excepted, p e rfect polyantliuses. Somo
botanists consider th a t th e polyanthus, primrose, ¿w s lip , ¿ d
o xlip a re one species ; an d th e la te Hev. W H erb ert tliought ho
h a d proved it, a n d had done the same as to P rim u la Auricula,
hclvi-tica, nivàlis, anil viscósa^ {Hort. Trans., wo\. iv. p. 19.)
I t is sufficient for o u r purpose to observe, th a t th e polyanthus
is a verv p e rm an en t variety, which does n o t read ily re tu rn to
th e primrose, a n d th a t i t ia in h ig h rep u te as a seRct and
b o rd er flower, appearing in March an d April, when th e re are
few o thers to decorare th e flower-garden. • f
5288. Varieties. These arc as n umerous as th e varieties ot
th e a u ric u la ; and, as in th a t p lan t, single flowers a re m ost
5289. Characteristics o f a fin e polyanthus. “ Its properties
a rc in most respects, sim ila r to those o f a line a u ric u la ; viz.
th e stem, peduncles, o r footstalks, an d fo rm ation of tho bunch
o rtru s s ; therefore adescription or deflnltion of its p ips.orpctals,
o n lv rem a in a necessary to he considered in tills place. T h e
tu b e o f th e corolla above tho calyx should b e sh o r^ w ell fllled
w ith th e antliors o r summits o f th e stamens, a n d te rm in ate
fluted, ra th e r above th e eye. Th e eye sliould bo round, o f a
b r ig h t clear yellow, an d d istin ct from tho gi-ound colour : the
proportion as in th e au ricu la th ro u g h o u t th e flower. The
c ro u n d colour is most admired when shaded witli a h g h ta n d
E S r ie » c rim .o n , e e.embllng '.olvet » I tl. one m .A on .tri„ e
in th o cen tre of each division o f th e limb, bold an d distinct,
from th o edging down to th e eye, wliere i t should term in ate m
segmenti. Th e edging should rcsenihlo a b rig h t gold lace,
hold, c lear, a n d distinct, a n d so ne arly of th e same colour as
th e eye an d stripes as scarcely to be d ¿ tin g u ls h e d ;m sliort,
th e p o lyanthus should possess a graceful elegance ot lorm, a
>asun, wmcii, o» «
3 Maddock, th e si n says,
cipIb. » Alexander an d Nicholson’s Tan tarara'as excellent flowers
breed from. K night’s mode of fecundation m ay be adopted.
5292. J ustice ■s ays ho “ has rth--a--d- ,ig_rne aHt es ugcactehsesr eidn thraei ssienegd polyanthuses and primroses from
gen erally ab o u t th e 25th of J u n c , ------------------ --
wards in boxes, placed in tho open air, u n d e r a w all o r liodgo
witli a n o rth aspect. Iii Ju ly , h e directs to iwopare a n u r-
sery-bcd of th e same earth in w hich th e y were sown, an d p lan t
th em c arefully out, ta k in g uup, . .a.s. m u c h O-T... th a b o u t th e ir roots
as you can, so as n o t to d isturb th e ir y o u n g flhres, p lan tin g
tiicm 12 in. a sunder, an d sh ading thorn from all sun u n til they
have stru ck new ro o ts ; keep tliem c lea r from weeds, an d give
th em gentle waterings, an d le t tliis nursery -b ed be made m
such a situation as to have tlie m o rn in g su n only, borne oi
th em will show tlie ir flowers th e same au tum n , an d m any of
th em in th e spring following. Select tho best, a n d p lan t them
in a bed by themselves in a shady moist situation. In Novembe
r, toii-dress th e plants, which will g reatly strengthen them
for th e succeeding spring. Tliey re.iu ire to b e tran sp lan ted
everv two years.” f J ln i . Gard. Direct., p. 218.)
5293. Soil. Maddock an d Emmerton recommend tha same
compost as for auriculas, b u t w ith more loam. Ju stice used
th e foUowing: — “ To one load o f well ro tted cow-dung, or
leaves of trees, tak e h a lf a load o f fine white sand, an d two
loads o f fine hazelly loam, tak en from a pa stu re some months
before, an d which h a s h a d th e sward ro tted amongst th e e a rth :
m ix a ll w ell together before using.”
5294. Hogg says, “ tho primrose an d p o lyanthus req u ire a
mu ch grea ter p ortion of sandy loam th a n th e au ricu la , a very
small q u a n tity o f rotten d u n g , an d a little leaf-mould o r heat li
o r p e at cartli, mixed with th em : in th is th ey a re found to
crow c x tremc lv well.”
5295. Manner o f growing. M-addock says, th e y m ay bo
grown in tho same sized pots as th e au ricu la , au d be treated a i
th e samemaiinor j b u t as they a; succiiaiine, attord it more suitable nourishment th an a t
ot rer season. Such p lants as ap pear infested should bo
•lemately selected ft-om llio rest, taken o u t of tlie eartli, and
>cr dt rtno.rl ntwo oF oonrl otlnirroe.ol .h..o ou rrt—s i-u1. a--.s;tir_o_n_g_ —in_f_u_s-i on__ o. .f. tobacco.
imn.wiit
soaked fo. »«v u. u „ e o nours n i a Strong intusioii of tobacco,
water, and be replanted in a fresh soil or compost, an d removed
to an otlier situation remote from tlie former. I f the wliole
bed or border of polyanthuses is overrun with this insect, it is
best to take up a ll the plants, servo tlicm in th e same niaiiiicr,
an d p la n t th em elsewhere. Th e bod or b o rd er whence the
p lants iiavo been taken, should be immediately d u e un or
trenched, an d sufl'ored to rem a in fallow till tlio followiiic
season, or be occupied with some crop not Uahlo to the same
c alamity.” {Florist's Directory, p, 228.)
•c imp a tien t o f h e at an d
listuro, tliey may, wltli
.. d shady beds or borders.
't almost a ll th e growers of this
. . .i<u2i«rc. T h e p o lyanthus is very hard y , and
seldom perishes in tho coldest an d wettest seasons ; but, d u rin e
th e heats o f summer, it is freq u en tly destroyed by snails
an d slugs, an d by a small red spider. “ Th isin s cc t,” Maddock
observes, “ seldom a ttacks such plants as a rc in a stato of
vigour, or wheu th e weather is cold an d wet ; i t generally commences
its depredations in tlie early jia rt of summer, an d continues
tliem as tlie h eat an d dryness o f the wcatlicr favour its
existence : th e ju ic es a lso o f the p lants being th en m ore viscous
SimsECT. 8. C a rn a tio n— D ia n th u s C aryop hyllus L. (B o t. M a g . 39.); Decdnd. T r i-
g ym a L. and Canjophyllece J. L ’ceilkt des F ieuristes, Rr. ; Gartennelhe, Ger. ; A ii-
gSdphaner. ov Dutch; K 903.).
a rn o ffe l,G a ro fa n o ortctae, I t a l ; and F n o a rn a c io n , o r Claoet, (fig .w r i l f ' te I."” '™ re England on rocks .and
i iu ro le for A ■ ' •r to the ancieuts ------- cultivated m its cultivated sta te ; but sta has te ; been but has a favourite been ;i fuvrmrit,.-flower in
(Iowpf in
r Italy, in
f m Y t • ré • generally supposed to havebeen introduced from Germany
bm ,r ^ ‘ (Sf ,n th /T Y f Y ra®"'® linghmd; Gerard, in 1597, received it from PoÍY
.'i Q 4 Tk ^ aclorn th e garden,” Ilogg observes, whether they charm th e eye by
th / fi« t of smelling by their fragrance, the carnation may be justly said to hold
i l /« nf it« Y/rV nd ® Y gl'owth, the brilliancy and diversity of its colours, and the sweet-
/ f t lm / i r ,? n n h n . i f / admiration. The tulip, though styled the queen
th^^^^^ they may with propriety be considered the two másterbOtw/
p/i th im ’v / f it i s lY H *^® sovereignty of the garden equally
S a /Y o iV r Hfi rk ? ! H Y it onn/S. Y ? ’ ■ i f independent of its fragrance, has this adt
/d p rn r /tn tl d it Continues longer in bloom ; and tbat, when planted in pots, it can be removed
In f s i f S n i ^‘‘® ‘‘'‘‘'wingroom.” Thec amatiok and picotee, he adds,
the S tfeYuin Yf flower-gardens oi our nobility and gentry, for this reason, that, after
UHif t h / lidfoffid thY lias ceased, and they have retired to the country in the beginning of
5298. Professional gardeners, Mr. Hogg alleges,
good cijHivators of-carnationa. “ I t is n o t every g a rdener th a t
knows how to grow a carnation, however lig h tly he
it, a n d however confident ho may feel of doing it. I f he neglects
to prep a re proper composts, his p lants will not th r iv e ;
if h e docs n o t pay requisite a ttention to them before, nnd d u rin
g , th e ir flowering, tlie bloom w ill n o t bo worth looking a t ;
a n d if he does n o t un derstand liow to propagate tliem, tliey will
nil very soon perish. Gardeners unaccustomed to flowers are,
in general, Iiad propagators. Few o f them have an y rig h t
notion o f p ip in g ; an d tliough n o th in g is more simple, they
never set ab out it, as if th ey wislied to succeed. They are,
likewise, g rea t bun gle rs in la y in g : th e re is n o t one in ten
wiiose assistance I would claim iijion the most pressing occasion,
an d leave tho operation to them, uncontrolled an d un-
looked a f te r ; whereas, I could tru s t im plicitly to an y amateu r
cobbler, ta ilo r, weaver, or b a rb e r who had h ail the least practice
w ith th e ir own flowers, to do th is lay in g in tho m ost satisfactory
m anner. Th is I know from experience, th a t very few
of them, unless fond of tlio flower itself, seem to tak e an y care
o f them, o r tre a t th em rig lit, or bloom them well. {Supple-
mcnt, <^c., p. 130.) The London Horticu ltu ra l Society, in the
tim e when Mr. Sabine was secretary (and v irtu a lly d irec tor).
- , pains an d ejcijciise to form a collection of carnii-'
fions an d picotees, b o th Englisli an d foreign ; b u t tliey had
n o t a man in tho g a rden who knew liow to tre a t them, and
th ey a ll perished in a v-oar or two, {Supplement, p. 131.)
.5299. Variefics. Pa rkinson (lu 1C20) has forty-nine sorts,
which h e divides in to c arnations, o r " tbe greatest sorts in loaf
an d flower,” an d gillyflowers, or such as are sma lle r in botli
respects. One Tiiggy, in Westminster, was th e most rem a rk able
man a t th a t time for th e c u ltu re o f those flower,«. Rca (in
1 7 0 ^ has 360 good sorts o f carnation ; a num b e r scarcely exceeded
by tho catalogues o f modern Britisli florists. The
varieties of this flower aro now arranged in threo classes : flakes,
bizarres, an d picotees. iVai-cshavetwocoloiirsoiily, an d th e ir
stripes large, going q u ite th rough tlio p e tals : Bizarres {Fr.
orb , in -cgular) are variegated in irreg u la r spots an d stripes, ami
Milli uot less th an three colours : J’icolets {Fr. ¿¡iqucUée, pricked
or spotted) havo a w hite ground, spotted or pounced w ith scarlet,
red, ¿ r p l e , or o th e r colours. Of eacli class tliere aro
n umoroiu varieties, a rranged u nder tlie fartlier subdivisions of
«carlet, flake, p in k flake, pu rp le flake, yellow flake, &c., scarlet
o...................... picotée, yellow p ilg
u o .^ •
- ,-rt-sonag
, ---------------— ....... pu b -________
nation, in 1820. Only double varieties are in esteem. As an
oW ity m ay be m entioned the double dwarf carnation of Liège,
witli sessile flowers. T h ere is also a variety called tlio tree
carnation, with suffruticose stems, whicli may ho trained
against a wall, trellis, or stakes, to tlie he ig h t of 5 ft. or 6 ft.,
an d will live as man y years, tlowcring every year. {See Budge
in Gard. Mag., vol. rift. p. 428.) » ° •i
5300. Characteristics o f a fine double carnation {fig. 903. c
and d ). “ T lic stem sliould h e strong, ta ll, and stra ig h t ; not
leas tiian 30 in. o r more th an 45 in. liigh ; tlic footstalks,
su p p o rtin g th e fiowers, should bo strong, clastic, an d of a pro-
jinrtionato length. Tlic flower, or corolla, sliould be a t least
o ill. in diameter, consisting of a g rea t n umber o f large wclU
formed petals ; b u t ncitlier so many as to give i t too fu ll and
crowded an appearance, n o r so few as to make it appear too
th in an d empty. Tho petals should he long, broaii. and
substantial, p a rticu la rly those of the lower o r outer cirele,
commonly called th e guard-leaves ; these should rise p e rpend
icu larly , ah o u t lia lf an inch above the calyx, an d th eu tu rn
offgracefuUy, in a h orizontal direction, suiiporting th e in te rio r
petals, an d altogether forming a convex, an d ne arly hcmi-
spliericai corolla. Tlie in te rio r petals should ra th e r decrease
in size, as tliey apiiroach tho centre of th e flower, wliich sliould
be well filled with them. Th e petals should be reg u la rly disposed
a like on every side, iin b ricathig each o th e r in such a
man n er as th a t both th c ir respective an d united beauties may
captivate the eye a t th e same in stan t : they should ho nearly
flat, however a small degree of concavity, or inflection, a t tho
allowable ; b u t th e ir edges should be
perfectly entire, th a t is to say, free from notch, fringe, or in .
d enture. Tlie calyx (903. q ,5 ; 904. rf) should bo a '
iiiiiiatiiig with broad points, suiricieiitly strong ti
3 x 4
■ f i
Ú ,1'!’
i
: '(■
‘i ' r