THE FLOEAL WOKLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 11 



Editor came out boldly in defence of economy, taste, and simplicity 

 in gardening, and found a genial response from many who began to 

 feel the fiishion of the day an incubus from which it was desirable 

 to be delivered. 



I am to speak of the ihiricnla, and I shall hope to amuse those 

 who know all about it, and instruct those who do not. But to 

 instruct merely is not my object. I might succeed in proving (as 

 somebody did the other day) that the letters in Dr. Cumming's 

 name, rendered in Greek, give the number of the beast 666 ; but 

 people would probably strive to forget what I had taught them, at 

 least, I expect that sensible people would. I want to make con- 

 verts. I want to create a taste for auriculas where there is none 

 already, and I want to exalt and improve the taste where it has 

 already dawned and needs encouraging and feeding. I want to con- 

 vince our thousands of amateurs that the auricula is one of the most 

 glorious plants that they can make a pet of; that its beauties 

 transcend all their ordinary ideas of floral loveliness, and that it will 

 cost them but little of either money or pains to secure good collec- 

 tions of these jewels of indescribable lustre. " Beauty !" you 

 exclaim ; " say prettiness, I grant they are pretty." Yes, no doubt 

 you do, and if you had ever seen them as they ought to be seen, 

 you would say that there are few flowers worth looking at on the 

 same day that you have seen auriculas. Have you ever seen a 

 first-rate collection in the perfection of flowering ? Have you ever 

 seen a thoroughly good exhibition of them ? ISTow I have posed 

 you ; there is but one course for you to pursue, and that is to set 

 aside all questioning of what I say, on the ground that you are not 

 sufficiently acquainted with the subject to form a conclusive j udg- 

 ment on it. Look out, then, for opportunities to see auriculas in 

 their most refined forms and resplendent paintings, and confiding in 

 my persuasions, get together a little lot, and begin to grow them, 

 and in due time you shall rejoice in having discovered a new plea- 

 sure, which is equivalent to having discovered a new world, and 

 having new hours added to the round of life. 



First, I shall endeavour to prove that there is nothing difficult 

 or costly in the cultivation of the auricula. It is one of the hardiest 

 plants in our English gardens. It is a native of the Alps ; it loves 

 fresh air, and does not flinch from frost and snow. The reason we 

 put them in frames in winter is to shelter them from the heavy rains 

 and driving winds, because we do not want to have their leaves torn, 

 and cannot aftbrd that a single truss of flowers should perish in the 

 bud through excess of moisture. But as to hardiness, I have had 

 them frozen root and leaf for weeks together, the whole contents of 

 the pots like flints, and they never appeared the worse for it. 

 Indeed, observation has taught me that some amount of frost is good 

 for thein, and the first rule for cultivation I shall offer the amateur 

 is, dooiH coddle them. Bear in mind from first to last that this is a 

 mountain flower, a brilliant of purest water, which has sparkled on 

 the exposed icy peak, and been washed with snow water on lolty 

 alpine lieights. 



jSTow we come to the principal points in the routine of cultiva- 



