124 CULTIVATION. 



assisting in the right treatment of the plants 

 under his care. 



The auricula is propagated by seeds to pro- 

 cure new varieties, and by slips, to multiply and 

 continue the old favourite ones. 



In raising them from seed, the most import- 

 ant part of the business is procuring in the first 

 place the offspring of estimable kinds. The 

 usual precautions are removing the breeders away 

 from amongst the common and mixed sorts; 

 placing them in the company of such only as 

 possess valuable properties (a transfer of which 

 would be desirable), and encouraging them by 

 every practicable expedient to perfect their seeds. 

 This is the simplest and easiest plan ; but no 

 doubt new and much improved varieties might 

 be obtained with much more certainty, and very 

 little more trouble, by the ordinary means of 

 cross impregnation. The manner of doing this 

 has already been described ; and nothing more 

 need be added in this place, save the advice to 

 choose varieties of the finest forms and deepest 

 colours for the experiment : divest them of their 



