274 FLOWER GARDEN. | 
in the end of autumn. The roots are then. taken up, dried, 
and stored in a cellar, or some other place where they may 
be secured from frost and moisture. Early in the spring, 
the tubers of, the finer varieties: are placed. among leaf- 
mould on.a hotbed,.or in boxes in a stove, to staré them, 
as the gardeners speak. When; thus forwarded, they begin 
to flower in July, or six weeks earlier than usual; and 
cuttings taken off from such:started tubers in April are 
sure to form flowering plants in September. 
The Auricula (Primula Auricula) is a native of the 
Alps and the Caucasus. It has long been an inmate of 
our gardens, and has generally been a favorite with those 
florists whose means and appliances are of a limited kind. 
Some of the most successful cultivators at present’ are 
among the operatives in the vicinity of Manchester and 
Paisley. 
Besides the double varieties, which have never heen!in 
much repute, Auriculas are classed under two divisions: 
the Se/fs or plain-colored, and the variegated or painted 
sorts. Professed florists confine their attention to the 
latter: it must, however, be confessed, that their criteria 
of fine flowers are often arbitrary, and that, although many 
of their favorites are examples of undoubted beauty, the 
eye of the uninitiated would generally prefer the simpler 
hues of the self-colored flowers. 
.. The auricula, though now almost wholly an artificial 
plant, and strangely transformed from its! original appear- 
ance, still inclines to a moist soil and shady situation. The 
florists’ varieties are grown in rich composts, for the pre- 
paration of which numberless receipts have been given. 
We quote that of Mr. Hogg, of Paddington, an expe- 
rienced grower: “One harrow of rich ycllow loam, or 
fresh earth, from some meadow, or pasture-land, or com- 
