JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
194 
should like some for a wedding, and on February 13th I again 
cut a quantity of blooms from the following varieties:—Robert 
Bruce, Elaine, Golden Christine, Hero of Stoke Newington, Fair 
Maid of Guernsey, Jewess, White Venus, Bronze Jardin des 
Plantes, Rev. R. T. Briggs, Lady Margaret, Pink Venus, Marabout, 
Model of Perfection, Rosinante, Countess of Dudley, Mr. Glad¬ 
stone, Princess Louise, Ethel, and George Sands. 
I have had Mr. Barns, a Japanese variety, this last four years, 
and have not succeeded in flowering it. I should like to hear if 
any of your readers have found it satisfactory.—T. B., Kynsal , 
Audlcm, 
WATERING AND DRAINAGE. 
The remarks of Mr. Young (page 152) about my notes on 
watering are both timely and reasonable. I am always glad to have 
my notice properly called to anything I write which may appear 
inconsistent with something in former articles. It is quite true 
that I attach great importance to thorough drainage of Vine 
borders, and in my treatise on the subject it is stated that a 
depth of 8 or 10 inches of rubble was placed under the soil ; but 
it is also distinctly stated that letting off the superfluous water 
was not the only, nor even the principal, reason for placing it 
there. Two other reasons are given, and as I do not know that I 
can state them plainer I will quote them :—“ The subject of 
aeration is a very important one, and possibly not fully under¬ 
stood ; but this much we know, that the roots of plants cannot 
live without air, that air follows each supply of water given to the 
border, and that the system of drainage which allows a great 
quantity of water to be applied necessarily gives abundant 
aeration.” 
Another reason given is that “ brickbats and similar material 
have some effect on the temperature of the soil above them, not 
only from the warmth contained in themselves, but from the body 
of air contained in the interstices, and which, being cut off from 
direct contact with the atmosphere of the house and that outside, 
must vary but very slightly and this is emphasised by adding 
that, “I consider that those who insert drain pipes vertically 
through their borders to connect the air of the drainage with that 
of the ordinary atmosphere make a mistake and neutralise to 
some extent the good offices of the rubble, because they make it 
possible for a circulation of air to take place otherwise than 
through the border.” 
I do not undervalue the importance of allowing means of exit 
for superfluous water ; but supposing I had the means of ascer¬ 
taining exactly how much water it is necessary to give the borders 
merely to keep them sufficiently moist, I certainly should not at 
any time give them more than that quantity ; but as no instru¬ 
ment is yet invented for ascertaining the amount of moisture con¬ 
tained in the soil at a depth of 2 or 3 feet, we are obliged to guess 
to some extent the quantity of water necessary, the only guide 
being the success or failure attending former applications. But 
as in the case of the Vine a very large quantity of water is neces¬ 
sary, we are more likely to err by giving an insufficiency than by 
the reverse. We, therefore, practise drenching our borders 
thoroughly at intervals ; and as there is provision made for the 
exit of all beyond what the soil can hold in suspension, perhaps 
the only disadvantages are a certain amount of wasted labour and 
wasted manure. These are evils for which there is no remedy 
at present as far as I know, but in the case of plants confined to 
pots with a comparatively small amount of soil it is altogether 
different. 
The question of aeration has not now to be taken into account, 
unless it may be to prevent too much of it, as we do occasionally 
by plunging the pots, and the same may be said with regard to 
temperature, the extremes of which are to be guarded against. 
There then remains simply the question of supplying and re¬ 
taining sufficient moisture; and we have the plant in a pot so 
entirely open to observation as to its wants in this respect, that it 
becomes a very simple matter to gauge them by some of the 
various methods known to and practised by those who water care¬ 
fully ; and could I attend myself to a house of plants, I certainly 
should not be afraid to have the pots glazed and without a hole 
for drainage. I do not say that I should commence my experi¬ 
ments with “delicate Heaths” or Lisianthus Russellianus, but I 
have recollection of an event which partly bears on the subject as 
regards the last-named plant. 
The best lot I ever saw of this beautiful plant was grown in 
such a manner that no superfluous water could run away, and 
none was ever given. The pots containing them were placed in 
saucers, and the only water they ever had was poured into these 
saucers, the surface, I believe, being never once wetted from above 
during their whole existence. When I state that the said plants 
[ March 8, 1833. 
were grown at Shrubland Bark by a namesake and valued tutor 
of my own, who also used to be known some thirty years ago in 
the neighbourhood of Streatham Common as a successful plant 
exhibitor, there will be many of your older readers who will 
remember him with kindly feelings. I think I never saw more 
beautiful objects in my life than those plants were, and Mr. Taylor, 
who suffered no one but himself to attend to them, was well 
repaid for his trouble. 
I do not say that this case proves the correctness of my theory, 
but it goes some way to prove that a good plant cultivator long 
ago recognised the evils attending the washing and drying system 
of plant-growing. 
Mr. Young rightly says that after a pot had become full of roots 
a plant would not be likely to suffer so much from having the 
drainage stopped, and asks if I ever corked up the bottom of a 
pot from the first of a plant’s existence. I am not sure that I 
ever have done so. But when we see plants in cottage windows 
growing very fairly in old earthenware teapots, meat tins, baking 
powder boxes, blacking bottles, and even glass bottles with the 
necks knocked off, and with no provision for the escape of water, 
as well as in painted flower-pots, we ought not to fear the result 
of competition with the cottagers under similar conditions. 
The only question about the matter is knowing when to give 
water, and how much to give. Over-drainage is often nothing 
but a precaution we are obliged to take in order to prevent satura¬ 
tion and souring of the soil at the hands of unskilful or unloving 
attendants. 
With some exceptions our choice is only between having our 
plants dried up and drowned, and as the former evil is the easiest 
to detect we prefer it of the two.—W m. Taylor, 
NOTES ON AURICULAS. 
We have just been examining and attending to our stock of 
Auriculas, and amongst your numerous readers there may be some 
who desire a few particulars at this time. First, the soil my plants 
are growing in is a pure loam mixed only with cow manure. To 
diminish the tendency to flower out of season as much as possible 
I have adopted a system of keeping the soil in the pots dry through¬ 
out the winter months. This past winter, in order to obviate as 
far as possible any ill effects to the plants from this course, the 
pots were placed on a layer of fine sand. This has so far succeeded 
that on turning out some of the plants in the beginning of Febru¬ 
ary (up to which time no water had been given them since the end 
of November preceding), the plants, though perfectly quiescent, 
had fine healthy roots. The plants have been kept moist since, 
for with the fresh growth of foliage and flowers new roots will be 
produced, and dryness in consequence is now mischievous in its 
effects. The practice of surface-dressing the soil every spring has 
been said to be of little if any benefit to the plants. With the 
kind of soil at our command I find that surface-dressing is bene¬ 
ficial, though cases doubtless occur where this practice may not 
be necessary. The compost we employ is one-half of good loam 
to one-half of cow manure. Though the way I use the latter 
material has been explained before, it may not be amiss to restate 
its preparation here. Fresh but dry dung is selected—dry enough 
to rub down into fine flaky particles. This is incorporated tho¬ 
roughly with the soil, which is also moderately dry, and the com¬ 
post is ready for use. In preparing the plants the soil is allowed 
to become rather dryish. With a label or a pointed stick the 
surface soil is worked out from amongst the roots therein, at the 
same time removing any offshoots ready for doing so. The 
amount of fresh material required is packed firmly in the pot, 
which with the others is again returned to the frames, where they 
are watered in the same manner as any other plant. I have tried 
forcing some into flower, but it is not an experiment which can 
be commended. Offsets, however, I invariably keep in a slight 
heat until they are well established and ready for a larger pot. 
A weakly offshoot under this treatment will throw a good truss 
the first year. Liquid manure is useful when cautiously applied. 
The only stimulant 1 have used is sulphate of ammonia, which 
supplied in a weak state once a week three weeks running while 
the trusses are being produced, and provided the plant is well 
rooted, I have found to advantage. It is especially useful, as it 
causes other manurial ingredients of the soil to act more freely. 
As many persons purchase Auriculas at this period of the year, 
I have made the following list select, as so many of the kinds 
grown are really not worth the trouble. There is a new one, 
John Simonite (Walker), which I believe is very good, but it 
was not to be obtained last season. John Morris is new and very 
good. 
Green-edged Varieties .—Admiral Napier (Campbell), Admiral 
Wisbey (Headley), Colonel Taylor (Leigh), Excellent (Trail), 
