JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
438 
[ June 2, 1881. 
the size of the trees when planted, nor state how much fruit he 
gathered the first and second years. Would he kindly do this, as 
he has the quantity booked ? The testimony to the present con¬ 
dition of his trees is, to me, a particularly satisfactory point. Mr. 
Pettigrew’s own knowledge of the system “before I was born” 
puzzles me, however, because he and I were both whiskerless lads 
at Drumlanrig Castle together, and there were then only a few years 
between our ages. The examples he speaks of before I was born 
must be only traditionary, I am afraid.— J. Simpson, Worthy. 
AURICULAS AT SHIBDEN HEAD. 
Shibden Head, the residence of Mr. Woodhead, is situate about 
three miles from Halifax and five from Bradford ; the nearest 
railway station to which is Holmfield, on the Great Northern 
Company’s line from Bradford to Halifax, the distance from 
which station is about a mile and a quarter up a steep hill 
known as Windy Bank, and windy it is when the wind is in 
the west. When the top of Windy Bank is reached a short 
descent brings the visitor to Shibden Head, which is upwards of 
1000 feet above the sea level. Here, although so high and cold, 
not only does the Auricula thrive but it grows finer than I have 
seen it elsewhere, as, in addition to the plants being robust, the 
yield of offsets is great. Mr. Woodhead grows his Auriculas in 
three houses on the eastern slope of the hill, which forms a portion 
of the dividing range or backbone of England, running betwixt 
Laneashire and Yorkshire. 
No. 1 house contains the stock plants of named varieties, com¬ 
prising nearly a thousand plants. Here are the large collections 
of named sorts, consisting of upwards of forty Col. Taylors, thirty- 
five George Lightbodys, the same number of Lancashire Hero, 
Smiling Beauty, &c. The bloom in this house was superb, the 
plants being well grown and the trusses large. Amongst the best 
were Col. Taylor, green ; Prince of Greens, very large, only weak 
in its tube, which is nearly green. In greys as usual many were 
good ; whilst in whites Acme, that free-growing sort raised by 
the late Mr. Read, was beautiful. Amongst fancies Gorton’s 
Stadtholder was fine with twelve pips. All these plants were in 
glazed pots, which are evidently suitable for the purpose. Two 
points are particularly noticeable as regards the plants being 
grown in glazed pots. One is that only 24 inches depth of com¬ 
post is required, the lowest part of the pots being filled with 
crocks ; and another is, that the plants do not require a third of 
the water which they need in porous pots. To this Mr. Woodhead 
ascribes the robustness of his plants, as he says that where so much 
water has to pass through the pots the strength of the compost is 
washed away without benefiting the plants. 
In the next house were the seedlings, which I was most anxious 
to see. These were planted in shallow boxes, originally twenty- 
two plants in a box ; of these some had bloomed in the autumn 
and had been removed. To see the seedlings I had to pay a few 
visits in intervals of a few days eacb, and by that means I was 
enabled to note a few of the best flowers ; but the stock of really 
good flowers consists of hundreds, many of them better than any 
in cultivation. This can only be ascribed to the great care taken 
in hybridising, no flower being used for that purpose in which 
there was a chance of either being self-crossed or by bees. Another 
thing Mr. Woodhead kept in view was always to have a rich tube 
in one or both of the parents when hybridising, and to this fact I 
attribute the beautiful golden tubes his flowers possess. Another 
thing very noticeable was how the properties of the parents were 
to be seen in the offspring—a sure proof that the work had been 
properly done. It was particularly noteworthy the very small 
per-centage of pin-eyed flowers there was amongst them, whilst in 
only three instances were good flowers spoiled by having a pin eye. 
House No. 3 contained seedlings which had bloomed in autumn 
and bad been potted at that time. These plants were very robust, 
and amongst them were some very fine flowers. There was also a 
number of seedlings in boxes from seed sown about Christmas, 
1879. Many of these were blooming on small plants, a few of 
which were very promising, but the major part of these will not 
bloom until next autumn or spring. 
Of fancy flowers there were some with immense trusses nearly 
like Hyacinth stems owing to their erect growth ; whilst some 
flowers were nearly white, drab, buff, puce, &c. In no case was 
there an absence of paste, nearly all the flowers except Alpines 
having an abundance of it. This is rather strange, as I recollect 
when I first commenced growing Auriculas thirty years ago I was 
told by old growers that some varieties would yield only Alpine 
flowers. Tnis must have been caused by Alpines being grown 
amongst edged flowers, and most probably crossed by bees, which 
is nearly an impossibility in hybridised flowers. Such flowers the 
bees will not visit, having no doubt an aversion to a mutilated 
flower. I may say that fully one-half of the seedlings will be 
grown till they are fairly proved, all possessing more or less good 
properties. Mr. Woodhead’s garden must have been visited by 
hundreds to see the bloom, as for fully three weeks nothing could 
be done owing to the number of visitors who came from all parts. 
However, I would recommend another year that certain days in 
the week should be set apart for the public to see the plants. In 
addition Miss Woodhead has two houses full of good plants, and 
which are well worth an inspection. 
The following are descriptions of some of the best varieties. 
The numbers attached to each sort are the book numbers of the 
parent plants. Under these numbers the plants will continue 
to be grown until such times as names are settled on for the 
varieties. 
13 Green edge. Tube yellow ; paste fine and solid ; body 
—- colour dense and black ; edge deep green. Flower smooth 
120 and circular. One of the best greens in this unique col¬ 
lection. 
8 Grey edge. Golden yellow tube ; paste extra fine; body 
—- colour black, evenly laid on ; fine smooth edge. An 
1U| immense trusser, and one of the best greys in the col¬ 
lection. 
84 White edge. Tube orange yellow; paste dense and good ; 
— body colour black and solid. A true white of the largest 
4 size. Plant of excellent habit and slightly mealed. The 
finest flower I ever remember to have seen. 
18 Dark crimson self. One of the finest tubes—rich golden 
— yellow ; paste solid and fine ; edge smooth ; colours finely 
52 proportioned. A grand flower.—G. Rudd. 
[Mr. Rudd has sent us descriptions of thirteen green-edge 
flowers, eleven greys, four whites, and eight seifs. We publish 
one of each section as an example, and will retain the others until 
the varieties are named. “ D., Deal," has also received some 
flowers from Mr. Woodhead, and has sent us descriptions of them ; 
but it can be of slight public utility to publish them, as the flowers 
are necessarily under numbers, which do not indicate to our 
readers the parentage of the varieties. Our correspondent remarks 
that the flowers that have been submitted to him “ give promise 
of valuable additions to our catalogues in years to come. The 
flowers are especially remarkable for their rich tubes, which are 
either deep yellow or orange, and a great advance on many of 
the newer and some of the older varieties that in this respect are 
defective.” We may add that we have inspected Mr. Woodhead’s 
collection of Auriculas. The plants are the finest we have ever 
seen, and the white-edged flower described on page 402 was the 
best of its class that has been brought to our notice. It is evi¬ 
dently the No. 84 x 4 described above by Mr. Rudd ; and “ D., 
Deal," also refers to it as a “most refined and beautiful flower.” 
Knowing the great care that has been exercised in hybridising 
by Mr. Woodhead, and judging by the descriptions of the flowers 
sent to us, we anticipate some important additions to the “ Auricula 
Royal ” from Shibden Head.] 
CHAPTERS ON INSECTS FOR GARDENERS.—No. 23. 
NEW SERIES. 
We come now to consider some singular, though not generally 
beautiful, species, which have furnished a puzzle to naturalists 
for many years past. It is all but certain that they will never 
agree upon the location of these species, for some declare them to 
be insects, some will only own them as crustaceans, and others 
again would form them into a separate division or class. To the 
ordinary observer they are insects, and so possibly they will re¬ 
main, because in size and habit they appear to be so nearly akin 
to the insect tribes. None of them are of such dimensions as 
would make them conspicuous ; and while some are decidedly 
hurtful to our plants, there are species that help to diminish the 
numbers of our garden enemies. 
To commence wdth the Thysanura, which constitute the little 
order of the Springtails (fig. 98), thought in some things to approach 
the crabs, in others to resemble the lace-winged flies. The family 
Collembola includes species that are abundant during most 
seasons about hotbeds and within frames, the warmth of which 
appears to be agreeable to their senses. Also in the open 
borders, though seldom noticed there, these tiny creatures fre¬ 
quent succulent plants, more particularly when they are in an 
unhealthy condition. The presence of certain fungi has an attrac¬ 
tion for them, and decayed roots or prostrate branches of trees 
which have become damp occasionally turn out to be the abiding 
place of myriads upon myriads of Springtails, which have had 
given them in some localities the appellation of “ ground fleas ” 
from their jumping propensities ; but they have rather the aspect 
of a mite than that of a flea, the antennse being generally con- 
