200 
THE AURICULA. 
this is a mistake. It may be hardy enough to 
Stand frost without showing any external 
mischief; but if it be frozen to the centre, the 
lloom which is in its incipient state will re- 
ceive an injury that will manifest itself in 
crumpled or deformed flowers, bad colours 
and rough notched edges ; but a . common 
covering of water-proof cotton or cloth will do 
all that is necessary. The rising of the bloom 
should take place in April ; near London, they 
would bloom toward the 20th, and continue 
half through May in flower. As the buds 
begin to develope themselves, the faulty and 
very small ones should be cut or pulled out 
with a pair of sharp tweezers, so as to reduce 
them to eight or nine pips ; but they need not 
be pulled out all at once, because they must 
get a little forward before they show which 
will be the best. Near London there must be 
seven pips on a truss; in the country, especially 
in the North, they show only live ; but there 
is no comparison between the beauty of a truss 
of five and seven, for the seven allows of a 
middle pip, and the six form a close circle 
of flowers round the centre one. Nevertheless, 
there are flowers which will give fifteen or 
twenty pips, and when they come strong 
the grower is unwilling to lose any good pip. 
In such case, however, it will soon be seen 
whether any one or two take a lead beyond 
the rest, or any two or three are likely to be 
behind all the others. In either case, those 
far in advance or far behind should be removed; 
again, when the truss is crowded, it is some- 
times found impossible to give them room to 
bloom properly ; and it must be always recol- 
lected that the flowers must have room to form 
a truss without lapping over each other, be- 
cause the whole of each pip or flower should 
be seen. In reducing the number of pips, 
therefore, regard must be had to this, and no 
more must be left on the truss than can be 
spread out in that manner. As the flowers 
expand, soft moss should he tucked in be- 
tween the foot-stalks, so as to keep the flowers 
out of each other's way and give them room to 
open flat, and the sun must be kept from them, 
as well as all chances of a frost ; however, these 
will come more in place among the calenderial 
directions. 
We now proceed to give the treatment 
which we have always observed from month 
to month ; and as we must begin the year, we 
are to presume that the plants are all in their 
frames, in the compost we have recommended ; 
that there are offsets round the edges of pots, 
struck and not struck root, as the case may 
be, others singly in the smallest pots, and 
plants of all sizes upwards, to those in the 
smallest show pots, which are size forty-eight, 
and those in the larger ones, size thirty-two ; 
besides which, we are to suppose there are seed- 
lings of one season and upwards, all requiring 
the attention peculiar to their several states. 
We commence then with — 
MONTHLY OPERATIONS. 
January. — As there is danger of frost this 
month, and it is not desirable to get them 
frozen, it is necessary to keep coverings ready 
for use, and to cover the last thing at night, 
however mild it may be ; but the milder the 
weather, the later ought they to be covered 
up ; the morning frosts frequently come with- 
out an}' previous indication. If the weather 
be mild in the mornings and through the day, 
although the ground may be frozen, the plants 
may have air all the warmer part of the day. 
It must be observed too, that the plants will 
require watering but seldom, indeed, while 
there is any moisture in the soil they ought 
not to have any; they might, until the end of 
the month, be almost allowed to flag before 
they have it, but there must be no tampering 
with water ; whether they have it once in a 
month, or once in three months, they must 
have enough to wet all their compost alike. 
There is nothing more dangerous than partial 
watering, and we were going to say, nothing 
more frequently given, sprinklings that hardly 
go an inch into the soil, and leave all the under 
portion as dry as dust ; the consequence is, not 
with these only, but all other plants, that the 
topfibresgeta littlenourishment, while the prin- 
cipal get none, and the plant is checked too often 
fatally. If they will do without, let them ; 
but when you give it, let it be enough to go 
through; and all waterings should be with a fine 
rose, so that they may require several times 
going over before the soil is well wetted. As a 
general rule, they should have all the air that can 
be given, whenever the weather is sufficiently 
mild ; but in north or east winds of any 
strength, they are better only tilted on the 
side, away from the blowing point. This treat- 
ment is still good for offsets, seedlings, and old 
blooming plants. The frame should occasion- 
ally be emptied and swept out, and the plants 
re-turned, for it clears away vermin and the 
eggs of vermin ; and besides, keeps the plants 
and pots clean, and as they are re-turned, the 
holes should be examined, and the pots rubbed 
round with the hand to clear away any dirt. 
February. — In this month, and early in 
next, the plants for blooming should be all 
top-dressed. The surface should be stirred 
with a blunt piece of wood, so as to loosen as 
much as you can without disturbing the fibres, 
and the loose stuff thrown out. The top- 
dressing should be rich. If you have good well- 
rotted poultry dung, you may add one-fourth 
of it, one-fourth of cow-dung also rotted, and 
two-fourths, or half, of clean sand. These, 
well mixed together, make a first-rate top- 
