THE FLO BIST. 315 



ON THE BEAR'S EAR, OR AURICULA. 



COPY 01 A MANUSCRIPT DATED 1732. 



[Continued from p. 140.] 



The Auricula requires a soil sufficiently rich for it to feed on (for 

 'tis an avoracious vegetable), and that will retain coolness at the same 

 time, for which reason I use the following composition. 



I take either the earth that the moles have turned up in the 

 fields, or some soil that hath been brought together by the overflow- 

 ing of some river, or some other from the bottom of ditches ; all 

 which I use with great success, but not till they have lain by for two 

 winters at least. If I fail in getting any of these sorts, I procure 

 some fresh soil, such as is fit to sow wheat in ; and there is no 

 country, I think, where one may not find some or other of these 

 kinds of soil. With six measures of one of these kinds of soil I mix 

 one of very old rotten horse or cow-dung ; and, that it may grow 

 lighter, I throw it by in a heap into some corner, frequently turning 

 it over, and after having well screened it, I use it as I have occasion. 



I find this very good for my plants ; they are healthy in it, they 

 shoot well, and produce flowers so fine and strong, that those that 

 have seen them conclude I have some other artful composition that 

 I have a mind to keep secret from them, that their plants may not 

 thrive so well as mine. But they were mistaken, I always told them 

 very sincerely and frankly ; for being always pleased with seeing my 

 neighbours' flowers fine, the finer they appeared the greater was my 

 satisfaction. The pots proper for Auriculas, especially for the large 

 plants, should be about five inches diameter within at the top or 

 mouth, three only at the bottom, and six deep ; they should be taper, 

 that the plants may occasionally slip out the easier with all the earth. 



There should be a hole in the middle of the bottom of the size 

 of a crown-piece, to carry off the wet when they have too much, 

 either from rain or waterings. A double bottom, about an inch 

 high, is very convenient, if not absolutely necessary. 



These pots may be painted on the outside with green (or any 

 colour), laid in oil; they are both handsomer and better; they make 

 a very pretty appearance on the stage, and keep the earth in the 

 pots cooler, the pores of the pots so painted not being so open, or 

 apt to receive the heat, as the ordinary ones, in which the soil dries 

 so soon as to make it necessary to water very frequently, by which 

 means the plants are oftentimes much damaged. 



The pots proper for the offsets or young plants should be ex- 

 actly of the same form, but one-third part less. New pots taken 

 from the fire wherein they are burnt have a certain heat, which they 

 retain a long time, and should never therefore be used till they have 

 lain twenty-four hours in cold water, to prevent the earth from dry- 

 ing up and loosening from the plant, which would perish if that heat 

 should not be extinguished before the roots reach the sides ; for the 

 earth of which the pots are made, though less quick and lively, yet is 

 of the nature of lime. This is clearly proved from the bubbling of 



