i88i.] NOTES FROM THE PAPERS. 263 



giving good trusses of bloom the first year. One of the best of the 

 Midland growers, grows and flowers numbers in boxes; and I have no 

 doubt that they would do perfectly well planted out under proper 

 conditions, lifting the plants, and potting in autumn if wanted for 

 flowering in pots. It is always to be remembered that Auriculas are 

 quite hardy — winters like those we have experienced of late years 

 having no effect on them whatever; that they require water just like 

 other flowers ; and that small pots give better results than those of a 

 larger size. They make fresh roots every year ; and as the plants can- 

 not be said ever to make much top-growth, it will be apparent that 

 pots above 4 or 5 inches in diameter will be too large. A correspon- 

 dent writes that a collection of Auriculas entails a greater amount of 

 work than does one of Orchids. That depends. Orchids can be 

 successfully grown with as little labour as most plants, and so can 

 Auriculas. But people who have time can expend a vast amount of 

 labour on either or both. R. P. B. 



NOTES FROM THE PAPERS. 



We have been lately reading a new work on Horticultural Buildings 

 by F. A. Fawkes, of the firm of Dennis & Co., Horticultural 

 Engineeers, &c., and published at the 'Journal of Horticulture' 

 oftice. It is a good book, containing much particular information 

 concerning the planning and construction of garden buildings of all 

 descriptions, besides much other information on subjects connected 

 with gardening, which it is exceedingly desirable gardeners should 

 learn ; and we can recommend the book to learners as the best, if not 

 the only one of the kind yet published. The worst fault of the book 

 is that there is too much of the " shop " about it. It is well got up — 

 pretentious, indeed ; but the numerous references to " the firm " is 

 certainly a blemish, because, whatever may be the excellence of any 

 vendor's goods, one is usually disposed to discount his own account 

 of the same to some extent. Mr Fawkes, too, has ideas — probably 

 born of his connection with the firm — that gardeners will not coincide 

 with. There is a suspicion, indeed, that on the subject of " art " con- 

 nected with horticultural erections he is just a trifle tainted with the 

 " Postlethwaite " school, so much and so often satirised by 'Punch' 

 of late. We should say Mr Fawkes was, if anything, a "blue teapot" 

 man. He is too practical to be quite content, like " Postlethwaite," to 

 breathe out an ecstatic existence while being permitted to embrace a 

 " blue teapot ; " but some of his " artistic " garden structures are tainted 

 by the "quite too — too" — overpowering — high art school. One of 

 Mr Fawkes's productions is an "improved summer-house" of an 

 emasculated type, which irresistibly reminds one of the man who fell 

 among savages and was robbed of his clothes, and described his 



