■ffune 28 , 1888. ] 
JOUEiYAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
527 
it, but this washy tube gives it a dead-alive sort of appearance ; 
occasionally, too, the truss is sprawley, like a spider’s legs, but not 
always so, and when at its best, fresh and clear in colour, it is 
pretty sure to beat any green edge in cultivation. I had a fine 
bloom of it this year. It is miserably slow in giving offsets, and 
this I have no doubt is the cause why it still keeps up its price, 
and why it is so difficult to obtain. I have had my plants of it for 
four years, and have never yet had an offset. 
Grey edges are more plentiful than any of the other classes, 
and there are many really good varieties besides George Lightbody. 
There is first of all Charles Edward Bunn, his twin brother, for I 
believe they were both raised from the same pod of seed, and then 
without artificial crossing. This variety I have had this year 
nearly as fine as George Lightbody, and at times it does come so. 
It is a very vigorous grower and prolific, so that one rarely pots a 
plant of it without getting one or more offsets. As far as my 
judgment goes it is a variety well worthy of a place even in a select 
collection. Then there is Alexander Meiklejohn (Kaye) a very 
choice flower, with perhaps at times an uncertain edge. It is not 
always to be had good, and very few good blooms of it were seen 
ithis year. It has perhaps the fault that many seedlings have in 
their growth—inconstancy. Another variety I should not discard 
would be Dr. Horner (Reid). It is like most of Reid’s flowers, re¬ 
fined in character without any coarseness. Another good though 
inconstant flower is John Waterston (Cunningham), with an un¬ 
decided edge, sometimes white and sometimes grey. Colonel 
Champneys (Turner) is a flower which has not one good property. 
Taking it critically (except its vigorous growth), the tube is washy, 
^he flower cupped, body colour very brilliant, but far too heavy, 
and with a “ chiny ” edge, neither white nor grey, yet the brilliancy 
"sf the body colour is sure to attract the uncritical eye, and “ What 
a beauty!” is the exclamation with which it is generally favoured, 
«nd yet one cannot quite banish it, and a plant or two must be kept. 
Prank Simonite (Simonite) is a flower somewhat similar, perhaps 
a little better, but still with the “ watery ” eye. Ben says he 
'thinks it is hardly possible to get the brilliant blue-black of this 
variety with a yellow tube. Robert Traill (Lightbody) I would 
Eot discard, although it seems to me to be difficult to get a good- 
«ized truss of it. Then there is Richard Headly (Lightbody), 
which we may be sure the raiser thought highly of or he would not 
have dedicated it to his dearest friend.* It is a beautiful and re¬ 
fined flower, but unfortunately very late, rarely coming in time for 
the shows. I was unfortunate with my plants, as I have said, this 
year, and on examining them I find a great deal of rottenness at the 
root, and I am afraid my fine plants are worn out, and that I must 
depend on offsets. 
Of white edges wo have had some really fine additions. Smiling 
Beauty (Heaps) is a very fine refined flower, and in some seasons is 
super-excellent. Then there is Traill’s Beauty, one of the freest 
in growth and most prolific of all Auriculas, and one’s frame soon 
gets full of it; but the greatest addition to the white edges, leaving 
•out of sight the new ones, has been Acme (Reid’s) although it, too, 
has its defects. It is for ever throwing offsets and weakening the 
plant, and it does not throw its truss as much above the foliage as 
is desired, but it has a most lovely edge, solid paste, and bright 
yellow eye, and is, I think, the best white edge in cultivation. It 
did not bloom well with me this year, and I think it was but poorly 
exhibited. 
Passing on to seifs. Surely I am not, because we have three in 
Heroine, Sapphire, and Mrs. Douglas, to get rid of all our cherished 
seifs. Since the time I have alluded to we have had Campbell’s 
Pizarro, which we used to think highly of ; then there is brilliantly 
coloured Lord of Lome, and still more brilliant Duke of Argyle, 
which both bloomed well with me, although the latter is delicate in 
constitution, and the brightness of the former of the two thus upon 
the stage makes it a most attractive flower. Then Charles J. Perry 
(Turner) is a brilliantly coloured blue flower, reminding one of a 
florist of bygone days. I had it very fine this year. Topsy, too, 
very dark and good at times, taking a high position, and very 
vigorous in grow th. It may be exceeded by some of the new ones, 
but where are we to get these? and until that happy time comes we 
must fain cherish such flowers as Topsy and Charles J. Perry. 
In recording thus my own experience during the last season, I 
have at the same time endeavoured to show that we are not to be 
quite so wholesale in our condemnation as some would have us to 
he, and that we unfortunates who are not in the “ Auricula ring ” 
(I do not use the word in any objectionable sense) must be con¬ 
tented with flowers which, after all, may prove equal to any of the 
new comers. Yet who can tell ? The day may come when the 
Auriculas of the present day will be as little thought of as those of 
a century ago. I have before me a MS. list yellow with age, and 
quaint in its writing. To whom it belonged I know not, but it is 
dated March 15th, 1744, and contains about fifty varieties, some 
with very old names. Old King of Prussia, Charles III. of Spain, 
Quadruple Alliance, &c., and yet not one of these is now known. 
Some were marked with X as being extra fine ; but, alas ! they 
are gone. Who were the Herberts, Drovers, Uptons, Masons, 
Holts, Savages, &c., whose names figure in the list as raisers, no 
one can tell ; and so, my dear fellow workers, it will be by-and-by 
with ourselves ; the lists of to-day will be forgotten, and people 
wiU ask, Who were the Turners, Headlys, Traills, Lightbodys, 
Horners, &c., whose names are attached to this list ? Ask some of 
our younger Auricula growers now, and they know nothing of 
Reid, the raiser of Market Rasen ; of old George Lightbody, the 
retired paymaster of the Royal Navy ; of Mr. Jeans, the genial 
and brilliant parson of Alford. So let us be taught humility ! 
And while I thoroughly appreciate the labours of all engaged in 
this good work, I endeavour to console myself with the reflection 
that the flowers I have give me a vast deal of pleasure during 
many years.—D., Deal. 
A CHAPTER ON TOMATOES IN THE OPEN AIR. 
The other day an excellent judge of the flavour of Tomatoes 
told me he preferred fruit from the open air to that from under 
glass, because the former were decidedly superior in flavour. I 
could not argue on the point, as I am of the same opinion, and I 
believe all who have had the opportunity of testing the matter 
fairly are in favour of the open air fruit. Tomatoes are now so 
well known and esteemed that it has been generally found they are 
more than mere ornaments, and besides size and appearance, flavour 
has become an important character ; indeed it is a leading feature, 
and if the fruits are best flavoured in the open air, this ought to be 
an additional inducement for their culture in this way to ba taken 
up more and more. I am not surprised at anyone asserting open 
air Tomatoes are the best in flavour, as the Tomato is an air-loving 
plant. It never does well in a stifling atmosphere, and I never 
knew the flavour of any fruit to be excellent in an atmosphere that 
did not agree with the healthy development of the foliage. I have 
heard some say, “ We do not need to trouble with Tomatoes in the 
open, we have plenty under glass.” I do not agree with this. 
Tomatoes are no “ trouble ” in the open, and as to having plenty 
under glass, that is doubtful, as I seldom knew anyone have too 
many Tomatoes, particularly in the open air, where they swell so 
well in August, September, and October. I know many instances 
where a great deal of attention given to growing Tomatoes under 
glass, but where no attempt whatever is made to cultivate them in 
the open air, and open air culture is still far from general. No one 
can argue against it, but they have an impression that Tomatoes 
in the open air are uncertain, so that they are not worth trying ; 
but this is utterly without foundation, and all who grow Tomatoes 
in the open in anything like a practical way will be highly gratified 
with the result. Do not treat them, however, as if they must fail, 
because when plants are grown under this impression many little 
attentions are withheld from them that would be given to others. 
Another mistake with open air Tomatoes is to place out inferior 
plants as being “ good enough to turn out.” The fact is they 
cannot be too good, and the secret of securing early ripe fruit 
and plenty of it is to deal only with good plants. We have just 
placed out a number that have been carefully prepared. The 
seed was sown in March, the plants were potted as necessary, they 
were not overcrowded at any time, neither were they drawn up to 
unnatural dimensions, but by keeping them in the full light and 
plenty of air they retained a dwarf robust habit. They bloomed 
when about 1 foot high, and many little fruits were formed on them 
before they were placed out. By careful planting these have not 
received the slightest check, and they will go on swelling and ripen 
in July. By that time other fruits will have formed, and a constant 
supply will be produced all the autumn. 
A plan we have followed with much success is to have the plants 
established in 8-inch or 10-inch pots and plunge these over the rim 
in the soil in the position the plants are to occupy. It is impos¬ 
sible for them to be checked in this way. The roots being con¬ 
fined causes the plants to form very short-jointed fruitful wood, 
and by the time a heavy crop has been formed the roots have run 
over the rim of the pots and through the bottom into the soil in . 
which they are plunged, and from this they gain a stimulant which 
agrees with them admirably. We fruit Tomatoes in many corners 
in the houses in the spring months, but these often outgrow their 
place at this season. Some of them are thrown away, but the best 
are taken out, put into frames to harden off a little, and then the 
pots or boxes in which they are growing are plunged, fresh and 
profuse supplies of good fruit being soon obtained. 
These three systems of growing them all merit commendation. By 
following them excellent crops are insured, and the result is greatly 
superior to any derived from backward plants. The other day I was 
