OX THE AURICULA. ITS CULTURE, PROPERTIES, ETC. 103 



the rays of light. Thus it remains in a dormant state till the melting 

 of the snows in spring leaves it exposed to the action of the atmos- 

 phere, which, with the stimulus of light, soon forces it into renovated 

 activity. It then strikes deeply down into the vegetable soil in which 

 it is situated ; and, being constantly watered by the melting snows, 

 and as rapidly drained again by the steepness of its locality, its 

 growth is rapid, being constantly refreshed by the pure and salu- 

 brious breezes which sweep over its native mountains, till its flowers 

 and seeds are perfected ; and then, the warm weather of summer 

 approaching, it gradually declines, and at last sinks into what may be 

 called a complete state of annual torpidity. Its annual functions 

 having been accomplished, it thus in a manner resigns life, and soon 

 becomes again deeply buried under its snowy covering, till the 

 returning suns of spring dissolve the spell, and again stimulate it 

 into renovated activity and vigour. 



Such is the Auricula in its wild state, and on its native mountains. 

 But the Auricula of the modern florist is a totally different thing; 

 indeed, from its mode of high cultivation, it may be almost said to 

 have become a totally artificial plant, so different are the flowers 

 which are esteemed by modern florists from those that are produced 

 by it in its native situations. Instead of a yellow self, the corolla 

 must present to the critical eye of the amateur a beautifully pure 

 white eye, surrounded by a ring of deep velvety brown or purple; 

 this again surrounded by another ring of the purest green ; and, 

 lastly, a very slight bordering of pure white, running completely 

 round the whole circumference of the corolla. It must, however, be 

 understood that this last encircling border is extremely narrow, and 

 consisting, perhaps, more of the white powdery matter than of real 

 pure ground-colour. It is, perhaps, also necessary to remark that 

 those varieties, technically called " green edges," are without this 

 powdery border; and that the "white-edged" varieties, instead of 

 the green and white, consist of only one border of white circum- 

 scribing the ground-colour. 



To produce flowers answering this description, and in the greatest 

 possible clusters or trusses, is the chief desideratum of the modern 

 florist, as the larger the truss the greater will be the chance of its 

 obtaining a distinguished place on the prize tabic, provided the 

 petals be all similarly marked and equal in size. But, to procure 



