996 THE PLEASURE, OR [March. 



The fine auriculas should now be protected from very severe 

 frost, cold cutting winds, or excessive rains, for these would injure 

 them and prevent their blowing in good perfection; but they must 

 have plenty of air in mild weather, and not be debarred from warm 

 moderate showers of rain, which will now prove beneficial. 



When the weather proves very dry, let them be refreshed mo- 

 derately with water, just to keep the earth a little moist about their 

 roots, but too much would materially injure them. For their 

 further treatment see next month, &c. 



Solving Auricula and Polyanthus Seeds. 



If you have neglected last month to sow auricula and polyanthus 

 seeds, to raise new varieties, sow them as early as possible in this, 

 agreeably to the directions given in page 159. 



Carnations. 



Being provided with some of the finest and most valuable carna- 

 tions, for with the common sorts it will not be worth while to take 

 much pains, you should proceed to the potting of them between 

 the middle and latter end of this month. 



The proper compost for these flowers is as follows, viz: 



One half fresh, sound, loamy earth, taken from the surface of a 

 rich pasture ground, turf and all, and not more than four or five 

 inches deep. 



One third, or a little more, of old horse-dung, such as had been 

 a year previously used for hot-beds. 



One-sixth coarse sea or river sand. 



These ingredients ought, to have been mixed together in autumn, 

 laid in aheap about two feet thick, in an open exposure, and turned 

 three or four times during winter, so as that all the parts may be 

 well incorporated and have the benefit of the frosts; early in March 

 it should be gathered into a round conical heap to drain and become 

 dry, and when sufficiently so, and wanted for use, pass it through 

 a coarse screen or sieve to reduce its parts, and take out stones or 

 any other extraneous substance which it contains. 



The pots made use of for spring potting, should be ten inches 

 wide at the top, five inches at the bottom, and eight inches deep in 

 the side, with a hole in the centre of the bottom an inch in diameter. 



The pots are first to be nearly half filled with compost, previously 

 placing an oyster-shell or such like, with its hollow side down- 

 wards, over the hole in the bottom of each: the compost is to be 

 higher at the sides than at the centre of the pots, and the plants 

 intended for them, which are supposed to have been wintered in 

 small pots containing three plants each, are to be carefully turned 

 out with the earth adhering to them in a ball; and after rubbing oft" 

 half an inch of the surface of the old mould around the plants, 

 above their fibres, cleaning them and cutting off the points of their 

 decayed leaves, the ball is to be carefully placed in the centre of 



