CULTURE OF FLORIST FLOWERS. 85 



treatment in culture, and are increased by seed, which should 

 be sown in pots or boxes, of light, fine earth, in the spring. 

 The green-house, or frame, is the best place for this business, 

 but the open ground will answer ; care should be taken to 

 keep the earth moderately moist, or the seed will not vege- 

 tate freely* The young plants should be kept in a shady 

 situation through the summer, as they will not thrive when 

 fully exposed to the sun. In the fall, the plants may be 

 potted singly into four or five inch pots, in a compost of half 

 well prepared mellow loam, and the remainder leaf mould 

 and good sharp river sand. The old plants may be divided 

 by their roots, in August or September, and potted in the 

 same kind of compost. 



When the winter begins to close, the Polyanthus and Auri- 

 cula may be protected in " Garden-frames," as directed under 

 that head ; or they may be introduced into the front stage of 

 the green-house, where they generally flower in fine perfec- 

 tion. Early in the spring, the plants should be plunged out 

 of their pots in a northern aspect, where they are not too 

 much shaded, and in the fall they may be again repotted, as 

 before directed. 



It would be useless for me to give a list of the numerous 

 varieties of the Polyanthus and Auricula, as described in the 

 English catalogues. I shall, therefore, merely point out the 

 different divisions of the family, as follows : 



Polyanthus Single and Double varieties. 



English Primrose Single: Yellow, Purple, and Lilac. 

 Double: White, Yellow, Purple, and Lilac. 



Cowslip Yellow, and Purple. 



Oxlip Yellow, and Purple. 



Auriculas Large Purple, with dark centre ; Purple, with 

 yellow centre; Fine Purple, crimson border and centre; 

 Pure Yellow. 



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