454 GENERAL REVIEW. 



ingly indeed ; and it is sometimes very difficult to get a stock 

 of them in consequence. It is not at all necessary that off- 

 shoots be rooted before they are removed from the parent 

 plant. So long as the set has a heel, it will soon throw out 

 roots. New varieties can only be raised from seed, and only 

 good sorts should be allowed to bear seed. Careful cross- 

 fertilisation is the surest way of obtaining novelties, but seed 

 saved indiscriminately from a frame of good varieties will yield 

 a fair percentage of good sorts. Auricula seed requires care- 

 ful treatment. It should be carefully gathered and wrapped in 

 demi-paper, the name of the parent or parents being written on 

 the packet, or a number may be placed on the packet, and the 

 names, date of gathering, and other interesting particulars, en- 

 tered on a page similarly numbered in a memorandum-book. 

 Sow the seeds in January or February, on the surface of well- 

 drained seed-pans, filled with light, rich, sandy soil, which has 

 been made quite smooth. Distribute the dust-like seeds 

 equally, and cover with just a sprinkling of fine light compost. 

 Place the pans in a frame, on a very gentle bottom-heat, and 

 keep the soil in that genial condition known as moist that is, 

 neither wet nor dry. In a month or five weeks the tender 

 young plants make their appearance, and they should then be 

 very gradually inured to more air and a drier atmosphere, in order 

 to counteract any tendency towards " damping off." Remove 

 them to a shady cool frame in April ; and if they are in danger 

 of becoming crowded, prick off the strongest seedlings and 

 treat them like established plants. The Alpine varieties grow 

 much quicker than the show kinds, and may be potted off into 

 small pots towards the latter end of July. If bottom-heat is 

 not employed, many of the young plants will not appear until 

 the second year, but by adopting the above plan, many of the 

 strongest plants will bloom in little over a year from the date 

 of sowing the seed. Numerous varieties are being raised an- 

 nually by such growers and exhibitors as Mr Charles Turner 

 of Slough, Rev. H. H. Dombrain, Mr J. Douglas of Loxford 

 Hall, Ilford, and the Scotch and Lancashire growers, for 

 nearly all Auricula-fanciers make a point of raising seedlings. 

 The Rev. F. D. Horner has obtained a very distinct strain 

 of show Auriculas by crossing a grey-edged variety named 

 " Charles Brown " with pollen from a similar variety named 

 " George Levick." Some of these seedlings are yellow selfs ; 

 others have the ground or body colour yellow, with the addi- 

 tion of a pale-green edge. They are so pretty and distinct, that 

 there is every promise of a new race of fancy Auriculas being 

 obtained from them. They were first exhibited at Manchester 



