18 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDEXIXG. 



themums also appear likely to be preferred to the 

 fine double forms, and destined to receive a share 

 of the popular favour given to the single Dahlia. 



But there is such a thing as "fashion" in the 

 world of floriculture, as there is on the broader stage 

 of our social life. One of these ajDpears to be taking 

 the shape of a renewed interest in some of the old 

 florists' flowers. For a few years past, exhibitions 

 of Auriculas, Carnations and Picotees, Dahlias, and 

 Pelargoniums have taken place annually in London. 

 The Auricula is receiving special attention, and the 

 circle of cultivators of this charming flower widens 

 every year. There is a decided tendency towards 

 an enlarged culture of hardy flowers, and not a few 

 of the prettiest and most useful florists' flowers come 

 under this denomination. At present the two most 

 popular of our hardy florists' flowers are the Rose and 

 the Chrysanthemum ; but others will surely rise uj) 

 to a higher level of popular appreciation before long. 

 Information respecting many neglected subjects is 

 eagerly inquired for; and when this activity is 

 apparent, it is certain that a new era of popularity is 

 in store for some of those fine old-fashioned " Stars of 

 Earth," neglected for a time, but which the flower- 

 laving public will not willingly let die. 



The Auricula.— Some years ago this was very 

 happily described by an old florist as a " beautiful and 

 fascinating flower." It is so in every sense of the 

 word. But, unhappily, it has come to be regarded 

 as! a flower that can be successfully cultivated only 

 by proficients, and much that has been written 

 respecting the Auricula has tended to deter rather 

 than to encourage lovers of this flower to attempt 

 its culture. It is a flower that the amateur should 

 take in hand, for if only the necessary attention be 

 paid it, it can be grown with comparative ease. Xor 

 is it necessary, as some have said, that it should have 

 a pure, sweet, untainted country air, though this is 

 a decided advantage; for we have seen collections 

 of Auriculas in thickly-populated, smoky districts 

 of Yorkshire and Lancashire, growing freely and 

 lowering finely : indeed, it is a subject that can be 

 gsown in the neighbourhood of cities and towns 

 where many other things would fail. It does not 

 require much space to be grown in : an ordinary glass 

 frame, with the be d raised above the ground-level so 

 as- to. secure, as far as possible, a dry bottom"; or a 

 small house on a north or west aspect, will suit the 

 Auricula well when grown in pots ; and we have 

 &een in tt)wns pots of Auriculas standing on the 

 outside s:.il of a basement window — large, vigorous, 

 healthy plants, flowering with great success in spring. 

 Let no assumed difficulties, therefore, dissuade any 

 one from attempting its culture. We have seen in 

 Lancashire a few plants growing in odd corners, 



where it would scarcely be believed they could exist, 

 but tended with loving care, and this attention 

 neutralising all the disadvantages of position. 



Classes of Auriculas. — There are two distinct t^-pes 

 of the Auricula, viz., the show, or edged and sgU: 

 varieties; and the Alpine varieties. There is no 

 doubt they are both derived from Primula auricula, 

 but how and when the divergence between the two 

 tyjDes became so marked is beyond our knowledge. 

 The main distinction between the two consists in 

 this : that while the show varieties have a dense meal 

 — a farina-like substance — round the tube, which 

 comes off at the slightest touch, and which is termed 

 the iDaste, the Alpine varieties are meal-less. There 

 are green-edged flowers in which the edge is destitute 

 of farina : the grey and white-edged flowers have meal 

 on the margins, in lesser or greater abundance, and 

 between the paste and the edge there is a zone of 

 colour, which is termed the body : the self-flowers 

 have a broad marginal colour round the paste — 

 yellow, mauve, blue, purple, maroon, or black — and 

 this extends to the edge. The Alpine varieties have 

 a great variety of shades of colour ; some are self- 

 coloui'ed, some are beautifully shaded, some have 

 white, some cream, some pale yellow, and some deep 

 golden centres, the last being very handsome. There 

 is a class of Alpine Auriculas known as "laced," a 

 delicate and beautiful strain, with distinct and well- 

 defined pale margins to deeper colours defined with 

 marvellous regularitj". These are of Continental 

 origin, but improved by English florists. There is 

 also a very interesting class of double-flowered 

 Alpine varieties, but they are in but few hands, and 

 at present restricted in numbers. 



Propagation of the Auricula. — The Auricula is in- 

 creased in two ways : bj- means of offsets thrown up 

 from the main stem, and by seeds. Some sorts of 

 show varieties throw up offsets much more freely than 

 others ; almost all the Alpine varieties make offsets in 

 plenty. As soon as these growths have made roots, 

 they should be carefully removed, and potted singly 

 in small pots, using a light sandy soil; or several 

 may be placed round the sides of larger pots. And 

 as they make roots, they should be shifted out into 

 larger pots, taking care not to over-pot, and to give 

 tho pots abundant drainage. In this way an in- 

 crease of stock can be secured. New varieties can 

 be obtained by seeds. The sooner they are sown 

 after becoming ripe the better, filling pots, pans, 

 or shallow wooden boxes with rough siftings about 

 half-way up, and then adding fine soil of a light 

 sandy character, which should be pressed down 

 firmly until the surface is quite level, and the seeds 

 should then be scattered very thinly over the surface, 



