Novtmber 12, 187-1. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTICOIiTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



417 



AURICULAS.— No. 1. 



ECENT notes upon Auriculas tempt me to 

 offer some while those are comparatively 

 fresh. Mr. Douglas has given an account 

 of the flowers he met with in the hands of 

 a representative grower in Scotland. I am 

 more conversant with the collections in Lan- 

 cashire and Yorkshire, counties which may 

 be called the equatorial regions of Auricula- 

 growing, and indeed the torrid zone of fer- 

 vour and enthusiasm about them. This, 

 for the simple reason that there are more of us together 

 here ; and not that there is less sincere attachment to the 

 flower either among the growers in the highest northern 

 latitudes across the Border or in florists of the south, who, 

 like "D., Deal," represent the antarctic cu-cle of Auricula 

 culture. 



There are yet so few truly first-rate florists' Auriculas 

 in any of the four classes, but still so good material to 

 work from in what there are, that there is much encou- 

 ragement, as well as much need, to make careful efforts 

 at improvement through seedlings. 



Green edges take rank as the highest class ; there is 

 such a bright effect in the complete contrast between aU 

 the zones of colouring in the flower, in its tube, paste, 

 ground colour, and edge ; moreover, a fine green edge is 

 bound to absolute purity of the green, and this is a very 

 difficult property to obtain. Grey anil white edges may, 

 without losing their character, be more or less grey and 

 white, but there must be freedom fi'om all specks of meal 

 upon the green edge — no Daisies on the lawn ! Faults 

 to be overcome in this class, which are at present notable 

 and common, are stan-y petals, as in Colonel Taylor and 

 Imperator ; impurity of the green through meal creeping 

 over it, as in General Niell and Prince of Wales ; and in- 

 sufficient breadth of edge, through which, in such flowers 

 as Star of Bethlehem or Duke of WeUington, the body 

 colour dashes at each side of a petal — a grave fault that 

 makes the roundest flower look heavy and angular. 



The best green edges we have — and I name only those 

 that are really pure — are Page's Champion, a noble 

 grower with me, pip round-petalled and flat, edge light 

 emerald green, and ground colour a mixture of red and 

 violet plum ; Booth's Freedom, with the edge the darkest 

 green of all and very rich, body colour intense black and 

 velvety ; Trail's Anna, a seedhng from this, like its parent 

 in colour and edge, but with a different play of feature — a 

 better trusser too. Freedom being anything but free in 

 blooming. My best plants have sometimes given me six 

 pips, but four are a fair offer for Freedom. Then comes 

 Leigh's Colonel Taylor. I know an old grower who gave 

 five guineas for his first plant of it. It is shy of increase, 

 and will always be expensive. Colonel Taylor is at times 

 caught superior to all his faults, and is then a fuU, rich, 

 green edge, with body colour almost black ; not a large 

 flower, nor yet too small if kept to a truss of five or six 

 pips. Trail's Prince of Greens is a coming king, with 

 only the weakness of a pale tube. It will carry the 

 No. 711.— Vol. XXVIL, New Saaixs. 



largest head of correct and even pips of any Auricula I 

 know. It is a plant of most stately habit, with every 

 property, perfect in paste, ground colour, and edge ; the 

 ground is a rich black, laid on in lively markings, and 

 the edge a rich deep green. To this noble fellowship we 

 may, perhaps, admit Litton's Imperator for the sake of 

 what he can be, but he is generally not that. It has 

 been known as the most perfect green edge, and as a 

 flower without one florist's point of virtue to commend 

 it. The raiser must have had either a lucky maiden 

 bloom or strange faith in this disappointing seedhng ! It 

 can come horrible wholly or in part, but when right is 

 a vivid hght grass-green, with black and dashing body 

 colour. 



The grey edges are a strong class. They take the lead 

 in roundness, breadth, and smoothness of petal, as shown 

 in the Ringleader famOy, a sub-class, to which belong 

 such as George Lightbody and Lancashire's Lancashire 

 Hero (old Robin who raised this is yet ahve, and comes 

 to see my bloom). But the grey edges have their faults 

 also. Some of them are " undecided edges," the green 

 showing distinctly through scattered meal, as in Lovely 

 Ann and Trail's Sir Charles Napier. Many in this class 

 are also sadly irregular and insufficient in depth of edge. 

 This is quite a sub-class failing with the blue-and-mavue 

 violet-ground greys, such as Maria, Sophia, Col. Champ- 

 neys, Queen of Violets, Sophia Dumaresque, and Moore's 

 Violet, the probable parent and ancestor of them all. 



Mr. Douglas came upon one of the very best grey edges 

 when he saw Kay's Mr. Meiklejohn. Nothing surpasses 

 it as I have bloomed it. It is new, and if true to its pro- 

 mises it is indeed a gem. It is most like George Light- 

 body and Conqueror of Europe combined in one grand 

 flower. There is the dash and nearly the size of Con- 

 queror without its coarseness, and the fine form and 

 substance of George Lightbody without its frequent want 

 of hfe in the body colour and of decision on the broad 

 edge. Plant takes after Conqueror— healthy but not large ; 

 foliage long, narrow, thick, much veined, and roughly 

 serrated, green, and more abundant than in Conqueror. 



Other great greys are Lancashire Hero, Headly's George 

 Lightbody, Sykes's Complete, Smith's General Bolivar, 

 Headly's Charles Brown (exceedingly like the last), Ken- 

 yon's Ringleader, Grimes' Privateer, and Walker's George 

 Levick, a rich silvery grey, full of life and brilhancy 

 throughout the flower, which will rival George Light- 

 body. These all possess the black body colour so dear in 

 the sight of the old Lancashire florists that they are colour- 

 blind to any other— despising under the one reproachful 

 term of "chaney" all the lovely shades of violet, red, and 

 chocolate that add so much to the variety and beauty of 

 a collection of Auriculas. 



Other good greys are Richard Headly, very late, and 

 Fletcher's Mary Anne, a chilly severe flower, with a, 

 small cold eye, and generally very correct. Chapman's 

 Maria is a belle, her edge almost white, and body colour 

 a liquid violet blue. Sophia, her sister, is very pretty, 

 with a red violet ground, but neither of them is a show- 

 flower with us, the body colour occupying far more than 



No. 1863,— Vol. UL, Olo Ssbiki 



