PROPAGATING AURICULAS. 



303 



intensely interesting and distinctive, even when not in flower, and the infinite variety 

 in forms of leafage, with the plentiful charm of white meal in varying densities upon 

 it, give the Auricula a beauty which is peculiarly its own. 



" Seedlings add to a collection an element of freshness and expectation that has all 

 the joy of hope in it. As a plant that is very often of exceeding slow powers of 

 propagation, so much so that it may be a matter of years before a variety can come into 

 circulation, it is worth while to meet this difficulty half-way by seeking wayside 

 comfort and consolation in one's own good things." 



Fig. 143. Auricula Pkofagation. 



a, Plant with offset ; 6, offset removed ; c, cutting for insertion from d, which shows resulting growths. 



Seed. — Where this is desired, the flowers should be fertilised while very young, 

 as soon as ever the anthers display dry pollen, which is always before the flower is much 

 expanded. In many cases they will never develop further after impregnation, and this 

 is a good sign under the circumstances. 



The seed is ripe in July, the capsule of the seed vessel opening at the top. Seed 

 may be sown as soon as ripe, or not until the spring. It should simply lie on the 

 surface of its seed bed, in pans or boxes perfectly drained, and filled with 2 or 3 inches 

 of the potting compost, with a sheet of glass over the whole. 



