THE FLORIST. 97 



Prattii. — Beautiful light rose, with the petals regularly striped 

 with white, fine imbricated form, large, and very handsome. 



Palmer's Perfection. — Deep red, perfect imbricated form, good 

 size, and one of the best grown. 



Parmentieri. — Deep rose, imbricated form ; very fine. 



Queen of England (Fielder's). — Delicate rose, with a clear white 

 stripe down each petal, imbricated form, and very handsome. 



Queen Victoria (Pressley's). — A very fine variety, colour a 

 rich rosy carmine, with a white stripe down the petals, rather un- 

 certain in its marking, imbricated form. 



Reevesii major. — Colour a deep red, large semi-double formed 

 flower, particularly handsome. 



Sw'eetiana. — Light rose, spotted and striped with pinky carmine, 

 pceony-formed, large and showy. 



Tricolor. — Rosy white spotted and striped with bright rosy 

 pink, semi-double. 



Traversii plenissima. — Rosy carmine, each petal regularly 

 striped with- white down the centre, imbricated form ; a very fine 

 variety. 



Triumphans de Gand. — A very large pceony-formed flower, 

 colour a handsome bright rose ; very showy. 



Variegata. — Deep carmine red, mottled occasionally with white, 

 irregular form. 



Verschaffeltiana. — Colour a beautiful rose, regularly striped 

 with white down the centre of each petal, imbricated form ; a very 

 fine variety. 



Zeffiro. — A beautiful carmine colour; not quite imbricated form, 

 but handsome. 



Hull, March 1849. H. S. Norman. 



ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE AURICULA. 



Much advantage may be derived from assisting to fertilise this 

 beautiful flower; a greater quantity of seed will be obtained, and 

 many plants that would not otherwise produce seed will be rendered 

 fruitful. There can be little doubt that rapid strides towards im- 

 provement will be the result, if the practice of assisting the fertilisa- 

 tion of these plants be persevered in, and a little care observed in 

 selecting those varieties that, from their general character, offer the 

 best prospect of success, and crossing them with each other as fancy 

 or study may dictate. A good Auricula at the present day, whether 

 it be a green-edge, grey-edge, white-edge, or self-colour, has its share 

 of admirers ; and such is the sportive character of this flower, that 

 it is certain the seed from either class named will produce the four 

 varieties. The field of improvement is a wide one ; and by well- 

 directed assistance rendered to nature, perfection may be arrived at 

 earlier than by leaving her to her own course. The mode by which 



