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P R I 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PRI 



with judgment, the flowers will be much stronger, and tne 

 plants will increase faster than when :ney are exposed 

 abroad. Secondly, in the beginning of February, if the wea- 

 ther be mild, take off the upper part of the earth in the pots, 

 as low as can be done without disturbing the roots, and fill 

 them up with fresh rich earth ; which will greatly strengthen 

 them for bloom. Prepare the offsets also for transplanting in 

 April, by causing them to push out new roots. Those plants 

 which have strong single heads, always produce the largest 

 cluster of flowers. On this account, therefore, the curious 

 florists pull off the offsets, as soon as it can be done with 

 safety to their growing, to encourage the mother plants to 

 flower the stronger ; they also pinch off the flowers in autumn, 

 where they are produced, and suffer them not to open, lest 

 their opening should weaken the plants. Thirdly, the pots 

 must be covered with mats in frosty weather, during the time 

 of their budding for flower, otherwise the sharp mornings 

 would blight them, and prevent their blowing. Fourthly, 

 when the flower-stems begin to advance, and the blossom- 

 buds grow turgid, protect them from hasty rains, which would 

 wash off their white mealy farina, and greatly deface the 

 beauty of their flowers ; at the same time keep them as much 

 uncovered as possible, otherwise their stems will be drawn 

 up too weak to support their flowers, which is often the case 

 when the pots are placed near walls. Let them have gentle 

 waterings to strengthen them, but suffer none of it to fall into 

 the centre of the plant among the leaves. Fifthly, when the 

 flowers begin to open, remove their pots upon a stage built 

 with rows of shelves one above another, and covered on the 

 top to preserve them from wet. This stage should be open to 

 the morning sun, but sheltered from his beams in the middle 

 of the day. In this position they will appear to much greater 

 advantage than when the pots stand upon the ground ; for, 

 their flowers being low, their beauty is hid from us; whereas, 

 when they are advanced upon shelves, we see them in a full 

 view. In this situation they may remain till the beauty of 

 their flowers is past, when they must be set abroad to receive 

 the rains and imbibe fresh air, that they may produce seeds, 

 which fail when they are kept too long under shelter. When 

 the seed is ripe, gather it as soon as perfectly dry, and expose 

 it to the sun in a window upon papers, to prevent its growing 

 mouldy, suffering it to remain in the pods until the sowing 

 season. Those who are particularly nice in raising these 

 flowers, direct the compost to be made one-half of rotten 

 cow-dung, two years old; one-sixth fresh sound earth, of an 

 open texture ; one-eighth earth of rotten leaves ; one-twelfth 

 coarse sea or river sand ; one twenty-fourth soft decayed wil- 

 low-wood : the same quantity each, of peaty or moory earth and 

 burnt vegetables, to be spread upon the surface of the other 

 ingredients. This compost is to be exposed to the sun and 

 air, turned once or twice over, and passed as often through 

 a coarse skreen or sieve ; then it should be laid in regular 

 heaps from fifteen to eighteen inches thick, and in this state 

 remain a year, turning it over two or three times, and keep- 

 ing it free from weeds. The pots, into which these plants are 

 put, ought to be hard baked : the inner diameter of the top 

 should be six inches and a half, of the bottom four inches, 

 and they should be about seven inches deep for common- 

 sized blooming plants. Smaller plants and offsets should 

 have smaller and shallower pots, while very large ones require 

 their pots to be proportionably larger. The bottom of each 

 pot ought to be slightly concave, and the hole half an inch 

 in diameter. The rims should project about half an inch, 

 '.n order to take up and remove them with greater ease and 

 safety. The pots should be buried in wet earth, or immersed 

 m water, three or four days or a week before they are wanted, 



to remove their absorbency. In the after-management of 

 Auriculas, transplant or pot these flowers annually soon after 

 their bloom, curtailing their fibres, if grown very long; and 

 cutting off the lower part of the main root, if too long or 

 decayed. The offsets at this season strike freely, and become 

 well established before winter. Examine the plant care- 

 fully, and wherever any unsoundness appears, cut it entirely 

 out with a sharp penknife ; then expose the wounded part 

 to the sun, and, when -it is quite dry, apply a cement of 

 bees-wax and pitch in equal quantities, softened in the sun 

 or before a fire. If the lower leaves be yellow or dried up, 

 strip them off in a direction downwards. Having put the 

 hollow shell of an oyster over the hole of the pot, fill three 

 parts of it with compost, highest in the middle; place the 

 plant there, with its fibres regularly distributed all round, 

 then fill the pot with the compost, adding a little clean 

 coarse sand close round the stem on the surface, and strike 

 the bottom of the pots against the ground or table to settle 

 the earth. The true depth to plant an Auricula, is within 

 half an inch of the lowest leaves, because the most valuable 

 fibres proceed from that part ; and the offsets will be thereby 

 encouraged to strike root sooner. When these have formed 

 one or more fibres, of an inch or two in length, they may, 

 by means of a piece of hard wood, or by the fingers, be 

 separated with safety, and planted round the sides of a small 

 pot filled with the same compost, till they are sufficiently 

 grown to occupy each a separate pot: if a small hand-glass 

 be placed over each pot, it will cause the fibres to grow more 

 rapidly; but if it be long continued, it will draw up and 

 weaken the plants. In the beginning of May, as soon as 

 the operation of potting is finished, place them in an airy 

 and shaded situation, but not under the drip of trees. Let 

 them remain here till September or October, when they should 

 be removed into shelter. In the first favourable weather in 

 the next February, remove all the decayed leaves, and in 

 the middle of that month earth them up, that is, take away 

 the superficial mould of the pots about an inch deep, and 

 put in fresh compost, with the addition of a little loam, to give 

 it more tenacity. This will contribute greatly to the strength 

 of the plants, and the vigour of their bloom; at the same 

 time it will afford a favourable opportunity to separate such 

 offsets as appear to have sufficient fibre to be taken off 

 at this early season. The pots with these offsets should be 

 placed in a frame, in a sheltered situation, till their roots are 

 established. Though frost, unless it be very rigorous, will 

 not destroy the plants, yet it will injure them, and perhaps 

 spoil the bloom, especially early in the spring; they should 

 therefore be covered with mats in a severe season. When any 

 plant has more than one or two principal stems, it is advis- 

 able to pinch off the smallest and weakest, in order to render 

 the blossoms of that which remains larger and more vigorous. 

 When the flowers, technically called pips, become turgid, 

 and begin to expand, select the plants from the rest; remove 

 them to a calm shady corner, and suspend small hand-glasses 

 over them. The stage for the pots to stand on, whilst in 

 bloom, should have a northern aspect, and should consist of 

 four or five rows of shelves, rising one above another. The 

 roof ought to be altogether glass-frames. The tallest-blowing 

 plants should be placed behind, and the shortest in front. 

 They must be regularly watered two or three times every 

 week during the bloom. In raising the Auricula from seed, 

 if the boxes in which the seed is sown be placed on the sur- 

 face of a hot-bed, in a Cucumber or Melon frame, the seeds 

 will begin to vegetate in three weeks. The earth must be 

 kept moderately moist, by sprinkling it with a hard clothes- 

 brush, dipped in water that has been softened and warmed 



