D<305mber 8, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



449 



lifted with the fork the soil trickles back into the hole, and the 

 fork has to be thrust in twice, and sometimes thrice, and then 

 tubers are left behind ; bnt the raiser goes to the bottom of the 

 row and lifts every one to the surface. The ground must be 

 flat-hoed ones or twice, accordingly as its weediness requires, 

 previously to earthing. When the haulm is of sufficient 

 height and strength the earther should be introduced, and 

 when this task is accomplished nothing more is necessary to 

 be done to the plants, except in cases where they have to be 

 earthed-up a second time, but this is very rare, — J. C. Lewis, 

 Gardener and Bailiff, Sudbury Rectory, Derby. 



MY AURICULAS IN 1870. 

 Although it was an unfavourable season for exhibiting iu 

 ths neighbourhood of the metropolis, but few flowers being in 

 bloom in the middle of April when the spring exhibitions of the 

 Royal Horticultural and Botanic Societies were held, and on 

 the 20;h of May at the Crystal Palace nearly all were over, yet 

 some of us about the beginning of May had an excellent bloom ; 

 and as all lovers of the flower are ever glad to get news con- 

 cerning it, a few notes on my own blooms may not be unaccept- 

 able. It is one of the oomforts — although, perhaps, also a dis- 

 advantage—connected with this flower, that wo cannot give 

 lists of the " new flowers of the last season," not one-fifth of 

 which will survive a couple of years. The flowers of day3 long 

 ago are the favourites now, and we may only seem to-be repeat- 

 ing an oft-told tale. 



GKEEN-EDGED VARIETIES. 



Ashlon's Prince of Wales. — Not by any means a large flower. 

 The green of the edge pure ; truss somewhat short. 



Campbell's Admiral Napier.— A. neat flower of good propor- 

 tions. 



Dickson's Duke of Wellington. — A flower much appreciated in 

 the neighbourhood of London, but with too much colour in it 

 to suit the particular taste of a connoisseur. In Ireland, where 

 the taste is, I think, purer, it is not much thought of, neither 

 i; it in Lancashire. 



Dickson's Earl of Errol. — A small grower. The edge very 

 green, and the colour brilliant. 



Leigh's Colonel Taylor. — I had one excellent bloom of this, 

 perhaps the most noted of all Auriculas, from the high price it 

 used to hold. The edge is a beautiful grass green, the paste is 

 thin, and tb9 plant is not a strong grower. 



Hudson's Apollo, — A very refined flower. The ground colour 

 is almost a chestnut, and the edge a light and pure green. 



Litton's Imperator. — Flower-stems too tall. The plant is 

 small, and the flower somewhat pointed ; still it is good and 

 useful. 



Oliver's Lovely Anne. — Another *ery favourite flower in the 

 neighbourhood of London, but it is very uncertain ; sometimes, 

 indeed more frequently, it is a grey edge — mine were so this 

 year. 



Dickson's Matilda. — Another of Dickson's beautifully coloured 

 flowers. It has a good constitution, but is rather short in the 

 stalk at times. It makes a good exhibition plant, and very 

 often can be shown as a grey edge. 



Traill's General Neill. — A very pretty and neat flower, at 

 times giving a capital truss, and a good exhibition plant. 



Traill's Mayflower. — Another neat and good flower, and of 

 fair constitution. 



GREY EDGES. 



. Barlow's Morning Star. — A clean and good flower, and at 

 times, as it did with me this year, forming a good truss. 



Chapman's Maria. — I had a truss of this the present year, 

 which in some points was unapproachable. The ground colour 

 is one which is met with in no other Auricula, nor, as far as I 

 remember, iu any flower — a beautiful violet black ; but the oye 

 is too pale, the edge too dubious, and the petals too pointed, to 

 rank it as a first-class flower, although for its colour it must 

 be grown. 



Chapman's Sophia. — A flower of the same style, but not so 

 good ; still, brilliant in colour and very pretty. 



Clark's Mary. — -A good flower, neat, and even in shape, and 

 it ought to be in every collection. 



Cheetham's Lancashire Hero. — A very beautifully shaped 

 flower, apparently a seedling from General Bolivar. At one 

 time is might have held the premier placa in grey edges, but it 

 is now surpassed, I think, by 



Headly's George Lightbody. — A splendid flower, associated 

 with the names of two of our very best florists. It is beauti- 



fully shaped ; a clear and distinct grey ; ground colour dark ; 

 eye orange, and apparently a good-constitutioned plant. Alto- 

 gether perhaps the best Auricula iu growth. 



Fletcher's Mary Ann. — A good flower, with, however, the 

 defect of having too small an eye. A smail-habit6d plant, but 

 not an unhealthy one. 



Fletcher's Nc Plus Ultra. — A very large flower, probably the 

 largest of any Auricula grown, but the constitution of the plant 

 does not seem equally vigorous ; still, it is not a bad grower, 

 and it is always a desirable flower owing to its great size. 



Lightbody's Richard Headly. — A very pleasing flower, of good 

 habit and refined in character. It generally blooms late — too 

 late for the early shows held in April. 



McLean's Unique. — A very fine flower when caught at its 

 best, but the colour is apt to become foxy after it has been a 

 little time in bloom. 



Sykes's Complete. — A very beautiful flower and very constant. 

 It shows a very large truss, and hence it is necessary to thin 

 the pips in time, otherwise they are too small. 



Waterhouse's Conqueror of Europe.— One of the most useful 

 flowers we have. Very constant, pips large, edge very decided 

 grey, and habit of plant excellent. 



WHITE EDGES. 



This is the most defective of the four classes of Auriculas, 

 there being few really good flowers in it, and, unfortunately, 

 the very best of all is gradually becoming more and more diffi 

 cult to obtain. 



Heap's Smiling Beauty. — A very fine flower, but uncertain; 

 in some seasons very fine, and in others indifferent. Its chief 

 fault is that at times the white of the edge has a greyish colonri 



Hcpworth's True Briton. — A very fine flower. The pip is 

 perfect in shape, but it is difficult to get it flat. The plum 

 ground colour contrasts well with the edge. The foliage is 

 green and heavy. 



Lightbody's Countess of Dunmore. — A fairish flower,'__but not 

 possessed of first-rate qualities. 



Taylor's Glory. — The best of all white-edged flowers. What 

 trusses I remember of it with my friend Dr. Plant ! but now, 

 alas ! it seems to be dying out — so much so, that I find Mr. 

 Lightbody has eliminated it from his list, and Mr. Meiklejohn 

 has but small plants of it. It is a pure white edge, and has a 

 well-shaped and smooth pip. 



Traill's White Rival. — A good flower, but not equal to some 

 of those already named. 



Smith's Nc Plus Ultra. — Another very good flower, and of 

 good constitution. 



Popplev>ell's Conqueror. — Not strictly speaking a first-class 

 flower, but always sure, throwing a good truss, and having very 

 handsome deeply Berrated foliage. 



SELFS. 



A very favourite class with outsiders, who will always pick 

 out the rieh-ooloured flowers with which it abounds in pre- 

 ference to the edged varieties ; although in the eyes of a fancier 

 they do not hold so conspicuous a place, still they are very 

 beautiful, and help greatly to relieve a stage. 



Spalding's Blackbird. — Nearly black. Good round petal, and 

 a good trusser. 



Nethenoood's Othello. — A first-class flower. Long stem, deep 

 colour, and always good. 



Campbell's Pizarro. — A deep, rich maroon, fine flower. The 

 colour very rich, and the foliage quite white. 



Smith's Formosa. — Small flower, of a most peculiar shade of 

 light blue. Very effective for contrast with the deeper-coloured 

 flowers. 



Smith's Mrs. Smith. — A very constant deep-coloured flower, 

 rarely disappointing, and of good habit. Indeed, the selfs are 

 much more vigorous, as a rule, than the edged flowers. — 

 D., Deal. 



FLORAL, CRITICISM. 



[Ths following is the paper to which was awarded Lieut.-Col. Scott's 

 prize of £5 5s., for the best essay on the Principles of Floral Criticism, 

 May 4th, 1870. T.wo other papers were sent in. j _ ____^__ 



This is a subject at once broad and comprehensive, affording scope 

 for much more copious discussion than can be given in an essay as 

 concise as this must of necessity be; for to enter into every detail of 

 the subject — especially with regard to the standards of perfection set 

 up for the different members of the floral world — v/ould necessitate the 

 writing of a good-sized volume. It is incumbent upon a writer of an 

 essay of this description to be brief and to the point, and tbis I have 

 studied to be ; and in so doing I have endeavoured to discuss the 

 matter from a natural and not artificial point of view, commencing 



