AURICULA 217 



AURICULA 



Primula Auricula. Hardy perennial 



DEEP is the enthusiasm of the Auricula amateur. Said a rising 

 member of the fraternity : 'If people only knew the delight with 

 which I look forward to the flowering of my two hundred seedlings 

 next spring, I believe that Auricula growers would be numbered by 

 thousands where now there are tens.' The only complaint we ever 

 heard about the flower is, that its most devoted admirer cannot endow 

 it with perpetual youth and beauty. 



It is well to bear in mind that seed from a worthless strain 

 requires just as much attention as that saved with all a florist's care 

 from prize flowers. Some growers advocate sowing immediately the 

 seed is ripe, but this intensifies the irregular germination which 

 characterises seed of all the Primula species. Either February, 

 March, or April may be chosen, and we give preference to the end 

 of February. Use 6-inch pots, and as there must be no doubt about 

 drainage, nearly half fill the pots with crocks, to be covered with a 

 layer of coarse cocoa-nut fibre ; add rough, fibrous loam mingled 

 with broken charcoal, and on the top a mixture of loam, decaying 

 leaves, and sharp sand. Press the soil firmly down, sow thinly and 

 regularly, putting the seeds in about half an inch apart ; just cover 

 them with fine soil, and place the pots in a cool frame or greenhouse 

 with sheets of glass over to prevent evaporation. Watering in the 

 ordinary way is apt to wash out the seeds, and it is therefore advisa- 

 ble to immerse the pots for about an hour in a vessel filled with water 

 to the requisite depth. Wait patiently for the plants. When they 

 show four or six leaves, prick out into pans or boxes about two inches 

 apart, and before the seedlings touch each other transfer to small 

 pots. The surface soil in the pots may be lightly stirred occasionally 

 to keep it free from moss. The plants must never be allowed to go 

 dry, but as winter approaches water should be given more sparingly, 

 and during sharp frosts it may be wise to withhold it entirely. There 

 really is no need of artificial heat, for the Auricula is a mountaineer, 

 and can endure both frost and snow. But we prize its beauty so 

 highly that frames and greenhouses are properly employed for pro- 

 tecting it from wind, heavy rain, soot, dust, and all the unkind assaults 

 of a lowland atmosphere, to which it is unaccustomed in a natural 

 state. Still, the plants should be kept as nearly hardy as possible. 



