JUNE. 113 



THE AURICULA. 



It fell to our good fortune to be the first to make public one 

 of the very best Auriculas raised in modern times ; we refer 

 to it with satisfaction, telling as it does to the discrimination 

 of those who so kindly render us their valuable services, and 

 without which we should be " poor indeed." By reference 

 to our volume for 1850, our readers can behold Lancashire 

 Hero in all its truthfulness, together with a brief account of 

 its early history. At page 161, facing the illustration (1850), 

 will be found these words: " If there is one point to which 

 we have given more attention than another in conducting the 

 Florist {Fruitisi) and Garden Miscellany , it has been the at- 

 tempting to insure fidelity in our illustrations ;" and in a note 

 at the foot of the article relative to the plate, it is stated that 

 '■' its fidelity may be relied upon." The seasons 1851 and 

 1852 have fully confirmed the accuracy of our artist's deli- 

 neation in every particular, and tend to strengthen the value 

 we assigned to the subject; for not only was it one of six that 

 received the first prize at the Royal South- London exhibition 

 in April this year (see report, p. 97), but we are told (see 

 Gardener s Chronicle, p. 279) that it (Lancashire Hero) 

 " proved and was acknowledged to be one of the best Auri- 

 culas present, being one in the best collection of four, first in 

 class-showing, and best for the greatest number of pips :" this 

 was at the Rochdale and Middleton exhibitions, — localities 

 that can boast of a larger number of growers than perhaps 

 any others in England. 



All that has been stated as to the truthfulness of our illus- 

 trations on past occasions may be reiterated on the present, 

 and we most cordially thank the raiser of so valuable a sub- 

 ject as that now under consideration for the opportunity of 

 thus placing in the hands of our patrons a portrait of the 

 highest order, both artistical and truthful, the valuable qua- 

 lities of the original being distinctly brought out in our re- 

 presentation. Sir John Moore was raised by Mr. Lightbody 

 of Falkirk, N.B., than whom perhaps we cannot boast of a 

 more extensive or first-rate grower, to which must be added 

 that of a successful raiser. Our statistical friends will doubt- 

 less be interested in learning that Sir J. Moore was raised 

 from seed ripened in 1839, the result of using the pollen of 

 Star of Bethlehem (Lightbody) to flowers of Colonel Taylor 

 (Leigh), the object being to have a robust and hardy parent 

 on the one side, with vivid green colour on both ; from this 

 seed about sixty plants were obtained, most of them possessing 

 good properties ; but none were retained in cultivation ex- 



NEW SERIES. VOL. II. NO. XVIII. L 



