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THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Auricula will grow and last in health. It is perfectly contented without any "well- 

 rotted manure " ; but if a beginner cannot "be happy till he gets it," he might halve 

 the leaf-mould allowance with this venerable ingredient. If I used it I should also use 

 more sand, and choose old droppings from a cow pasture. 



Pots. — These never need exceed a width of 3 to 4J inches. Depth is more useful 

 than width. Auricula roots are long and strong, and are always found most vigorous 

 and branched among an abundance of sharp clean crocks, and round the sides of the 

 pot. They are the roots as of a fissure-loving plant, revelling in root room accessible to 

 air, and quickly passing moisture. 



Potting. — This should be decidedly firm — crocks abundant, clean, and covered 

 with a layer of moss to keep them clear of soil. Have the compost pleasantly moist 

 and friable, and do not water newly-potted plants for some days. It is better for a 

 time to keep the soil from drying by giving less ventilation for a week or so. Each 

 plant must previously have had all inactive or decayed roots cut off, and the under- 

 ground stem shortened back to its most active root power. This usually means leaving 

 only the last twelve months' growth of stem, and may be from f to 1\ inches below the 

 leafy neck. The object is to encourage root production up to the base of the foliage, 

 and to virtually keep the plant always young. Arrange the roots carefully around and 

 down a cone of soil in the pot. Shelter the plants from wind and sun, and until they 

 have fresh root-hold, water as little as may be, short of distressing them. 



Pests. — These must be cleared off at any cost, and before they gain any headway. 

 First and foremost is greenfly ; large breeding " queens '' of them may hatch from eggs 

 laid on the underside of the leaves of the winter foliage, and to destroy this leading 

 generation will save trouble for some time after. Nothing is safer and more complete 

 for any attack on insect pests of the Auricula than the vapour of " XL." It has a check 

 action even on the "woolly aphis " of this plant, an insect mostly subterranean, attaching 

 itself to the roots, without any effect on the general health of the plant. It will, how- 

 ever, also ascend to the neck above ground, where with its waterproof wool coat it 

 seems to cut off new young roots from any access to stimulants of moisture, and from 

 such positions it must be dislodged. Here, after fumes of "XL," the "wool" loses its 

 texture, and the insect dies, but takes much more killing than the common aphis. 



Thrips, both the black and the yellow, may come during spells of hot dry weather, and 

 are most rapidly destructive. They are shy of cool situations, and their dislike is one of 

 the advantages of a north aspect for Auriculas in the summer. "XL" is a most 



