810 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



Lightbody, he prefers its being frozen through 

 before using. He has also found it preferable to 

 employ charcoal or wood-ashes instead of sand ; 

 they keep the soil equally open, and therefore 

 sweet, and they also help to fertilise it. 



General culture. — The auricula cannot be cul- 

 tivated with the least degree of success without 

 protection ; in fact, it ought to be treated as a 

 greenhouse or cool-pit plant. Florists have in 

 use various contrivances, that of Dr Horner of 

 Hull being the best, because, while it secures 

 dryness at the roots, it admits of light all round 

 excepting at the back, which is boarded up, but 

 having a small door in it for getting at the 

 plants, and also to assist ventilation. The frame 

 is elevated between 2 and 3 feet from the 

 ground by strong wooden props or legs; the 

 roof is covered with glass sashes as in an ordi- 

 nary frame. The front and ends of the frame 

 are also of glass, in sashes made so as to let 

 down, being hinged at their bottoms. There are 

 five rows of shelves for the pots to stand on, 

 and these are set to the same angle of elevation 

 as the glass roof, and placed somewhat apart 

 from each other, so that even when the glass 

 sides and roof are shut up, abundance of air is 

 admitted to the plants between the shelving and 

 the space below, which is open. By letting 

 down the front lights, the Doctor observes, 

 " the plants may be left for days together ex- 

 posed to all the advantages of light and air 

 without care or notice ; and when it is desirable 

 to give them the benefit of a shower, the top- 

 lights are removed." Such structures are ad- 

 mirably adapted for all florists' flowers grown in 

 pots, except such as dahlias, hollyhocks, &c. 

 Those who have not the command of such a 

 frame may, however, grow the auricula to great 

 perfection in covered pits or garden frames, set- 

 ting them on a dry foundation. The plants 

 should be kept within 9 inches of the glass. 

 During severe frosts the glass roof should be 

 covered with wooden shutters, and in the case 

 of such structures as that described above, the 

 open sides should be boarded up also. The 

 only fault such structures have is, that they do 

 not admit of the proprietor getting inside to 

 examine his flowers, and attend to the numerous 

 requirements of the plants. During autumn, 

 winter, and spring, advantage should be taken 

 of fine days, when the utmost amount of venti- 

 lation should be given, even to the extent of re- 

 moving the top-lights altogether, shutting up, 

 however, at night, for fear of accident. During 

 winter keep the plants rather dry than other- 

 wise, as they are very tenacious of damp. The 

 plants ought also to be kept clean, dead leaves 

 removed as they appear, the surface of the soil 

 often stirred up to prevent the formation of 

 muscous matter, and the pots frequently washed 

 for the same purpose. In February they should 

 be top-dressed, removing about an inch of the 

 surface, yet not so deep as to interfere with the 

 roots, and laying on new compost as high up as 

 nearly to touch the leaves. Mr Lightbody re- 

 commends for this top-dressing a mixture of 

 old sheep-dung with the soil the plants are 

 growing in. This, he asserts, has the effect " of 

 causing the green edges to bloom with a more 



vivid colour, and increases the size of the pips." 

 The situation of the auricula stages deserves 

 consideration. For ourselves, we would place 

 the plants during summer in a pit, stage, or 

 frame facing the north, and during winter facing 

 the south. More experienced florists, such as 

 Mr Cooke, prefer a permanent aspect. He says, 

 <l East, or east by south, is best for them, plac- 

 ing the frames on bricks in a situation that is 

 dry." Mr Lightbody's stages face the north- 

 east; but immediately after being top-dressed 

 (in February), he removes those plants intended 

 for exhibition to a stage facing due south, and, as 

 they come into bloom, removes them again to the 

 north-east that they may get the morning sun. 



About the end of March, when the flower- 

 trusses begin to show themselves, give air freely 

 only on fine days, for at that period the frame 

 must be kept rather warmer, both night and day, 

 than heretofore, to encourage a strong develop- 

 ment of bloom. Water must at the same time 

 be given more liberally, and that in a tepid state; 

 none, however, should be allowed to fall on 

 the foliage, and if slightly enriched so much 

 the better. When in bloom, shade from the 

 sun, and guard against any sudden change 

 of temperature, which should be rather dimi- 

 nished when the flowers are fully expanded, 

 with a view to prolong their season of flower- 

 ing. When the blooming is past, set the plants 

 on a bed of coal-ashes to keep worms out of the 

 pots, and place them in a situation, or shade 

 them so that the sun does not shine upon them 

 after ten o'clock. 



Potting. — The period when this operation 

 should commence appears not to be fully 

 determined by florists. Some begin at the end 

 of June, just when the flowering is over, in 

 order, as they say, to have a strong growth to 

 flower freely next season. Others delay till the 

 end of July, so as to have the whole potted by 

 the middle of August, while many do not begin 

 till the month of August. The mode of potting 

 practised by Mr Lightbody is sufficiently feas- 

 ible. " The plan I follow," he says, " is to shift 

 two years consecutively, leaving a good ball of 

 soil at the roots ; and the third year to shake 

 the whole of the compost from the fibres, and 

 pot them afresh. When I require to do this, I 

 re-pot about a month earlier. The method of 

 re-potting is as follows : For a full-sized plant 

 use a pot 6 inches wide and 7 inches deep; and 

 for smaller plants and offsets, pots varying from 

 3 to 5 inches wide. For draining, I use, first a 

 layer of broken crocks, with a layer of oyster- 

 shells, convex side up ; above this I place some 

 vegetable fibre, to prevent the compost choaking 

 the drainage. I then fill in some compost ; 

 when this is done, I examine the plant to be 

 re-potted, and reduce the ball of fibres with a 

 sharp knife. I like to grow my plants with 

 short stems, consequently the lower portion of 

 the stem is well examined annually, and all 

 decaying portions of it cut off, and the wound 

 dressed with wood charcoal to dry it up, and 

 keep the plant healthy. The offsets are then 

 slipped carefully off, and the part of the plant 

 to which they adhered dressed also with char- 

 coal ; the plant is then placed in the centre of 



