ON florists' flowers. 



45 



the Rose and Chrysanthemum, to go no further — while the 

 remainder will be dealt with in their respective sections. 



The Auricula {Primula Auricula). 



Amongst the choicest of florists' flowers must undoubtedly be 

 accounted the Auricula, which has been long under cultivation 

 in English gardens — three-hundred years at least. During that 

 period it has seen many changes. In those days of long ago it 

 was designated in some districts " Bear's-ears," in others "Sow's- 

 ears " ; while in Scotland, the cottagers know it as the " Dusty 

 Miller," the leaves being in many instances so thickly coated 

 with a mealy substance (farina) as to appear quite white. These 

 Auriculas are quite hardy in Scottish gardens, and the refined 

 Auricula of the florist will stand the winter out-of-doors. This 

 I have proved ; but the edged ^flowers are worthless when treated 

 in this way, owing to their delicate tints and the w^hite farina 

 on leaf and flower being so easily injured by rain-drops. The 

 Wild Auricula is freely distributed in the mountainous 

 districts of Switzerland, Austria, Syria, and the Caucasus. 

 Under natural conditions the plants are found, as regards the 

 foliage, in two states — some heavily powdered with farina, and 

 others quite destitute of it ; and so we find them in the garden 

 varieties. 



Show Auriculas. — This section has long been under the 

 careful hand of the florists, and the flowers have been brought 

 through their fostering care to the highest standard of excellence. 

 Fanciers divide the Show section into four classes — Green-Edged, 

 Grey-Edged, White-Edged, and Selfs — and the usual method is to 

 begin with the Green-Edged. In describing fully the properties 

 of this section, I would remark that in all the other classes 

 there exist varieties with green and powdered foliage, but the 

 foliage of all the Green-Edged varieties is quite destitute of 

 farina, or meal. The Auricula should possess a stout flower-stem — 

 one that holds the truss erect above the foliage. The fancier is 

 quite satisfied with seven to nine pips. A strong plant will 

 produce as many as twenty pips, or more ; but where there are 

 so many it is necessary to thin a number of them out, otherwise 

 they will not fully develop, and the central flowers, or "pips," of 

 the truss will usually be the most imperfect. 



Green-Edged. — In this class, the edge of the corolla should be 

 quite green and free from farina, but in most of the so-called 

 green edges there are usually a few dots of meal, though they 



