309 



APEIL. 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE FLOWER 

 GARDEN, SHRUBBERY, AND GREENHOUSE. 



Auriculas. — This is a most im- 

 portiint month in tlie culture and 

 exhibition of the Auricula; the 

 trusses of bloom rise, jDerfect them- 

 selves, and fade. As soon as the 

 tniss begins to grow and develope 

 its pips they should be reduced in 

 number, by taking out with small 

 pincers those least likely to be per- 

 fected ; but seven being required 

 for the exhibitions round the me- 

 tropolis, and five in places where 

 tliey are least particular, you must 

 not reduce the number within one 

 or two of what you require until 

 the flowers are showing colour, and 

 you can perceive which will be the 

 most perfect. As soon as you can 

 handle the pips to direct their 

 places in the truss some very fine 

 moss should be tucked between 

 the foot-stalks, to give all the pips 

 room alike to open ; for if they 

 are left to themselves they will be 

 crumpled, and their shape will be 

 spoiled by croAvding each other : 

 the moss between the stalks can 

 be made to throw back the outer 

 pips, and thus give room to spread 

 the inner ones. As soon, however, 

 as the bloom-trusses are ready for 

 all these operations, they must be 

 protected against the hot sun. 

 This is best done with the trans- 

 parent covering for frames ; and 

 when the ilowers, from their rapid 



growth and opening, want daily 

 adjusting, it is right to find thera 

 a v.-arra corner — at least, one shel- 

 tered from the north-east winds — 

 and there place them on a table, 

 with hand-glasses (propped up 

 nearly to the edge of the pots) 

 covering them ; this is easily done 

 with inverted flower-pots of rather 

 a smaller size. An ordinary full- 

 sized hand - glass will cover nine 

 plants ; but if you have plenty of 

 room and glasses they are belter 

 not crowded. All the plants must 

 be examined daily, and the moss 

 between the pips so adjusted as to 

 make allowance for the expansion 

 of each jiip without touching any 

 other. Night and day they must 

 be covered against extremes of 

 heat and cold. In the daytime the 

 transparent calico will keep off 

 enough of the sun, and at night 

 they must be closed with heavier 

 material against cold; for a chill 

 will fix the blooms and prevent 

 their opening flat. By watching 

 the blooms, and keeping all the 

 pips in their places while they are 

 growing and opening, they requiie 

 nothing on the show-day but gently 

 withdrawing the moss from be- 

 tween the foot-stalks under the 

 blooms, so as not to injure the de- 

 licate powder which gives beauty 

 to this favourite flower, and the 



