THE MANUAL OF GARDENING. 
29 
lection should be without a well selected variety. Those which 
are most esteemed are the indica, (the old bright scarlet,') indi- 
ca~purpurea, phcznicia, alba, smithii, gillinghami, sinensis, no- 
va-blanca, <$pc. 
Auricula. — This is one of those called Florist’s flowers: it is 
a native of Switzerland. The soil most suitable for it, and most 
easily procured, is equal proportions of fresh garden-mould, and 
w T ell rotted cow dung, to which add a little sand ; a more com- 
plex kind is sometimes recommended, composed of one half of 
well-decayed dung, one fourth of turf loam, one eighth of peat 
or heath soil, and the rest rotten leaves and river sand, the whole 
having been exposed to the frost in the preceding winter. They 
may be propagated either by seeds or off-sets, the former method 
is seldom resorted to except by florists, who wish to procure 
new sorts. The seed should be sown in boxes in March, co- 
vered very lightly, and placed in an eastern aspect; they must 
be gently watered, and when the plants have five or six leaves, 
be planted out into other boxes, or pans, proceeding the same till 
they become strong ; they should then be planted in the border 
till they flower, when the best can be selected for potting. Off- 
sets should be taken oft' when the flowers have fa'ded, and planted 
separately in small pots filled with the soil last described, and the 
old plants should be also re-planted in fresh soil. Auriculas must 
either be protected during the winter in a frame, or placed under 
the shelter of a wall, the pots turned down on their sides, and a 
slanting board placed over them : the pots should be placed on 
coal ashes to prevent the worms from entering ; this also prevents 
the bottom of the pot from becoming clogged up, which would 
hinder the circulation of the water. In spring, when the frost 
is over, well expose them to light and air, and remove the 
earth from the top of the pot, for the depth of an inch, supply- 
ing the place with fresh compost. Liquid manure may also be 
applied occasionally. If more than one flower-stem appear to 
each plant they should be removed, and not more than eight or 
ten flowers should be allowed to remain in each bunch, which 
will make the blossoms finer. Auriculas which remain in the 
open border, should be taken up and parted every three years, or 
they will deteriorate and soon die. Those kept in pots should 
have an inch and an half of broken potsherds or stones at the bot- 
tom of each pot to secure a good drainage: the dbil must be of a 
medium quality, neither too clayey nor too sandy ; and at the 
same time he rather rich, to supply abundant nourishment, and 
retain sufficient moisture to support the healthy vegetation of the 
plant. 
This tribe is certainly a pleasing one, and in England its cul- 
ture is pursued with astonishing avidity by many of the working 
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