582 



HISTORY OP THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



or variegated. The latter only are esteemed By 

 florists. 



A fine variegated auricula has a strong, erect, 

 and elastic stem, of sufficient height to cany 

 the flowers above the leaves. The flower stalk 

 must also be strong and elastic, and of a propor- 

 tional length to the size and quantity of the 

 pips, which should not be less than seven, so as 

 to form a round, close, and compact bunch. The 

 pip is composed of the tube, with its stamens 

 and anthers, the e3'e, and the exterior circle, 

 containing the ground colour, with its edge or 

 margin. These three should be all well propor- 

 tioned; and for them it is requisite that the 

 diameter of the tube be one part, the eye three, 

 and the whole pip six, or nearly so. All the 

 admirers of this flower agree that the pips ought 

 to be round, although this is in fact a rare occur- 

 rence; and we must be content if they are so 

 nearly round as not to be what is termed starry. 

 The anthers or summits of the stamens ought 

 to be large, bold, and fill the tube well, and the 

 tube should terminate rather above the eye. The 

 eye should be very white, smooth, and round, 

 without any cracks, and distinct from the ground 

 or self colour. 



The ground colour should be bold and rich, 

 and equal on every side of the eye, whether it 

 be in one uniform circle, or in bright patches; 

 it should be distinct at the eye, and only broken 

 at the outward part into the edging: a fine black 

 purple, or bright coffee colour, contrast best with 

 the eye. A rich blue or bright pink, is pleasing; 

 but a glowing scarlet or deep crimson, would be 

 most desirable, if well edged with a bright 

 green; but this must seldom be expected. The 

 green edge or margin is the principal cause of 

 the variegated appearance in this flower; and it 

 should be in proportion to the ground colour, 

 that is, about one half of each. The darker 

 grounds are generally covered with a white 

 powder, which seems necessary, as well as the 

 white eye, to guard the flowers from the scorch- 

 ing heat of the sun's rays, which would soon 

 destroy them if they were exposed to it. 



Auriculas are propagated by dividing the root, 

 or by rooted slips, and by seed for obtaining 

 new varieties. The best time for taking off slips, 

 or dividing the root, is after the plant is done 

 flowering. The operation is therefore generally 

 performed in July, and the beginning of August. 



In order to procure good seed, the healthiest 

 young plants of the most approved sorts are to 

 be selected, and put into pots, where they are to 

 be reared and tended apart from other flowering 

 plants, until the seeds are perfected. Six seed- 

 ling plants of different sorts may be put into 

 each pOt, and thus reared apart; or Knight's 

 method of impregnating the stigmas of one sort 

 with the anthers of another, may be resorted to. 

 The seed generally ripens in June or July, and 



is to be gathered in single capsules as it ripens, 

 and kept in these till the sowing season, which 

 is January, February, or March. Maddock sows 

 the seed in boxes, covers with very little earth, 

 and puts them into heat, bj' which means the 

 seeds quickly germinate ; while those sown in 

 the open air, are more dilatory and uncertain. 

 The earth must be kept constantly moderately 

 moist, but never very wet. As the spring advances 

 the boxes may be exposed to the open air, shaded 

 from all but the morning sun. As soon as any 

 of the plants appear with six leaves, such are to 

 be transplanted into other boxes, filled with com- 

 post; and after a time retransplanted into larger 

 boxes. When they flower, all the best sorts are 

 to be marked and reserved, and the useless ones 

 thrown away. Such weakly plants as do not 

 blow the first or second year, are nevertheless to 

 be preserved; for among these, it not unfrequently 

 happens, that the most valuable flowers are to 

 be found. A great proportion of the seedlings, 

 although the seed was saved from the best flowers, 

 will turn out plain or selfs, which, unless pos- 

 sessed of excellent properties in other respects, 

 or being singularlj' beautiful in their colours, 

 are of no value, but as common border flowers. 

 As a compost, Hogg uses one part rich yellow 

 loam, or fresh dung earth, one of leaf mould, 

 one of cow dung two years old, and a small por- 

 tion of river sand. Maddock recommends one 

 half rotten cow dung two years old, one-sixth 

 fresh sound earth, of an open texture, one-eighth 

 earth of rotten leaves, one-twelfth coarse sea oi 

 river sand, one-twenty-fourth soft decayed wil- 

 low wood, one-twenty-fourth peaty or moory 

 earth, and the same quantity ashes of buint 

 vegetables. This compost is to be thoroughly 

 incorporated, and exposed to the air in an open 

 situation, for a year previous to using it. Accord- 

 ing to Hogg, the Lancashire growers use horse 

 dung and cow dung indiscriminately, sometimes 

 mixed, sometimes apart ; the dung of poultry 

 most frequently, and old decayed willow wood, 

 when they can get it with the mould cast up 

 by moles, taking care that the whole be properly 

 mixed and pulverized. In winter they tlirow 

 it up in narrow ridges; and when the top of it 

 is frozen they take it off, and so continue to do 

 till the whole of it has been frozen. Paxton 

 uses bone dust, or a very small portion of lime. 

 The common sorts of auriculas are grown in 

 beds, or in mingled borders; but all the fine 

 flowers are put into pots. The time of trans- 

 planting them is immediately after the bloom; 

 and this process should be repeated every year. 

 The plants should be carefully turned out of the 

 pot, and the earth shaken from the fibres of the 

 roots. These should be curtailed if found too 

 long and numerous, together with the lower end 

 of the main root. The lower leaves, if they 

 have turned yellow, should also be cut off, and 



