146 ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AURICULA. 



which time I have found to be better than any other season both for 

 the old and young plants, for I have observed, when the plants begin 

 to grow in spring, that they put forth suckers at the time, which 

 weaken the mother plant, and also the flower. 



It has been a regular practice to take these suckers from the old plant 

 when in full blow, some time in May. I have found that to be very 

 hurtful to them, as the roots are disturbed more or less, which causes 

 an immediate decay of the flowers ; that being a season they require 

 frequent waterings. If a wound has been made with a knife, the plant 

 will sometimes rot and die ; and young plants taken off in the month 

 of May, having the summer months before them, I have frequently 

 seen them flower in autumn, or too early in spring ; for these reasons I 

 displace all the suckers whenever they make their appearance, unless 

 I want to increase some of my favourite kinds. After the flowering is 

 over, I let two suckers push out on the kinds wanted, and let them 

 feed by the mother plant till about the middle of August, at which 

 time I take them off; the plant has thus time to get established in 

 the pot before winter, and the old plant gains strength again. My 

 compost for Auriculas is a quarter of well decayed cow-dung, a 

 quarter Avell decayed horse-dung, a quarter of vegetable mould, one- 

 eighth of turf soil that has been heaped up for some years, and turned 

 over to the action of the weather, and one-eighth of river sand, all well 

 incorporated. I have pots of three inches diameter inside, and put 

 the offsets in these pots with the above compost. Place them in a cool 

 airy situation, having only the morning sun, give them frequent 

 waterings, and let them remain in that place till the month of Oc- 

 tober or beginning of November, by that time they will have made 

 good roots. I then remove them to a sheltered situation, where they 

 may enjoy the full sun in the winter months, and plunge the pots in 

 sawdust, which prevents the frost hurting their roots. I put two or 

 three light frames over the whole of my stock at this season, to protect 

 them from snow or heavy rains, but I expose them to the free air, day 

 and night, when the weather is mild, only drawing on the lights in 

 severe weather. Water should be used sparingly at this season, the 

 moisture rising from the ground is sufficient when they are in a dor- 

 mant state. About 1st of March the plants will begin to grow; after 

 that time they should be moderately watered once a week till they 

 show for flowering, which is generally about the middle of April : 



