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You should first of all make choice of such 
plants to save seed from as are young and 
healthy ; for though young plants in general 
bear but small trusses, their seed pods will be 
large and full. The best proportioned and 
highest coloured flowers should be saved for 
this purpose, and their colours should be true 
and unchanged to the last, that is (as the flo- 
rists call it) they should die well. Most 
flowers, whose ground colour is of a dark blue 
purple, die badly, those of a dark red purple 
die well. There are but few exceptions to this 
observation. 
All ordinaiy flowers should be removed at a 
great distance from those intended for seed j 
for although the fresh varieties will be great, 
yet, if good and indifferent are suffered to re- 
main together till the seed ripens, the flowers 
so raised from such seed will more likely dege- 
nerate than improve. Experience has taught 
us they will all produce something like them- 
selves, and the only chance for them to pro- 
duce superior is, by keeping the selected sorts 
apart when in bloom, and to procure seed from 
such only. 
The present perfection in Auriculas has no 
doubt been obtained very gradually ; yet the 
future prospect being unbounded, every florist 
