PRIMULA EXHIBITION. 



177 



NATIONAL AURICULA SOCIETY (SOUTHERN SECTION). 

 (Classes I. — IV.) 



A series of prizes was offered by this Society, but owing to 

 the exceptionally cold weather during the three first months in 

 the year there were not so many exhibitors froni the North of 

 England as usual. Out of a total of seventeen prizetakers, 

 three only exhibited Auriculas from the north of the Trent, viz., 

 Mr. Potts, of Hoole Hall, Chester, Mr. W. Bolton, of 

 Warrington, and Mr. Walkden, of Sale, near Manchester. 

 The type of Primula Auricula, classed as show Auriculas, are 

 not delicate in constitution as plants. Frosts would not injure 

 them if they are kept dry at the roots, but the flowers are very 

 delicate, and if they are caught by a frost during the period of 

 expansion they do not open out, but become what the fanciers 

 term " set," and in this state their delicate markings are not 

 shown to the best advantage. To minimize the danger of the 

 flowers being injured by frost, the owners of valuable plants 

 place them in heated houses in January ; but the heating 

 apparatus must not be used, except to keep out frost. This was 

 done with our collection at Great Gearies, in Essex, and the 

 plants were just in good flower for the Exhibition. In ordinary 

 seasons with the same amount of artificial heat they would have 

 been in flower much earlier. The Rev. F. D. Horner, who is 

 the owner of the most valuable collection of seedling varieties in 

 the United Kingdom, has his garden at Burton-in-Lonsdale, 

 Yorkshire, and has his collection usually in flower at the time of 

 the Southern Exhibition ; but owing to absence from home for a 

 period of three weeks before the Exhibition, the plants did not 

 receive that amount of artificial heat needful to force them into 

 flower, and when Mr. Horner was able to attend to them, about 

 ten days previous to the Exhibition, he was unable to get them 

 up to time, and missed by five days only. The absence of this 

 famous collection was a great loss to the Exhibition. 



