30 



THE CULTURE OF THE AURICULA. 



for potting singly into 3-inch pots. Keep 

 them now into a frame, but give plenty of 

 air, and shade them from the mid-day sun. 

 As they advance in growth, shift them 

 again into 4-inch pots, with a compost of 

 one-half decayed turf, one-half leaf mould, 

 adding a small quantity of cow-dung and 

 sand, — all well mixed together, but not 

 sifted. Place them on a dry bottom, on 

 coal ashes or slates ; the latter are prefera- 

 ble, as they prevent the ingress of worms, 

 which must be strictly guarded against. 

 The frame in which they are placed should 

 stand with its sloping side northwards. 

 Many of them will flower the first season ; 

 and those that are deemed worth culti- 

 vating may be retained, and the rejected 

 ones planted in the open borders or thrown 

 away. 



The best time for sowing the seed is the 

 beginning of January, if you have any 

 suitable place to put them in, such as a 

 green-house or conservatory. By this early 

 sowing, I have found most of them to 

 flowed the same season, which is of great 

 importance to the impatient grower. 



Propagation by dividing the Roots. — 

 This ought to be done when the plants are 

 done flowering, and after their beauty is 

 past. Then no time should be lost in 

 doing it. Choose all the healthiest side 

 shoots from the old plants ; pot them in 

 3-inch pots, in a compost of equal portions 

 of turfy loam, leaf mould, and cow-dung, — 

 the latter not less than two years old. 

 Care should be taken, in separating the 

 side shoots from the old plants, not to 

 break off any young roots that may be at- 

 tached to them. Keep them rather close 

 and shaded for a week or ten days ; and 

 when they begin to grow, give them plenty 

 of air night and day. 



Propagation by offsets, without Roots. 

 — All offsets that have been taken from 



the old plants without roots, should be 

 potted in 4-inch pots, in equal parts of 

 turfy loam, peat earth, and leaf mould, and 

 about one-half part sand. No dung ought 

 to be used. Place three or four in a pot, 

 putting them in close to the side of the 

 pot, and fastening them tightly with the 

 thumb, to prevent them from being shaken 

 out of the soil. They will strike freely 

 under hand-glasses. When rooted, shift 

 them into single pots, into a compost as 

 directed in the preceding paragraph. 



Treatment of old Plants. — When the 

 old plants have done flowering, and the 

 side shoots are taken off, they should be 

 placed in a cool airy situation to ripen 

 their seeds, which must be picked as it 

 grows in the capsules, and preserved in 

 them till the sowing season. 



About the beginning of August they 

 should be all-repotted into fresh compost. 

 If deferred later, they seldom flower so 

 well. Use the compost before recommend- 

 ed, with the addition of a little pigeon- 

 dung, if procurable. The pots generally 

 used by the English growers are from four 

 to six inches deep ; and those sizes are 

 considered sufficient to grow the largest 

 plants. Many growers greatly err in over- 

 potting Auriculas, and also in shaking 

 them entirely out of the soil in which they 

 have been growing. Young plants that 

 require shifting into larger pots, should 

 have only a small portion of the soil taken 

 from their roots. Those of older growth 

 require to have more taken away — the 

 main root examined, and cut back if ne- 

 cessary. If any of the plants appear dis- 

 eased, they must be shaken entirely out 

 of the soil. In cases of canker, the knife 

 must be resorted to as the only remedy ; 

 cut the decayed part clean away, and put 

 the plant in a smaller pot. I may here ob- 

 serve that two methods of potting are re- 



