January 24, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
59 
I NTERESTIN' J all the year round are his plants to the Auricula 
grower. He feels something akin to pity for the uninitiated who 
may admire the beautiful display of his collection while in bloom, 
but wonder how ho delights to linger and waste, as they deem it, so 
much time over a loi of green leaves during the greater part of the 
year. To such he may well offer no explanation of the attachment, 
to use no stronger term, that ties him more closely at all times to 
these sweet flowers than to any others he favours, and he revels in 
sympathetic intercourse with the kindred spirits who, like himself, 
have found the light. Interest will heighten as growth begins—if, 
indeed, it can this -u-ason be said to have stopped from the unusu¬ 
ally open weather. Despite all airing and due exposure a large 
proportion can scarcely be said to have been quite at rest. • Much 
precaution will likely be necessary to prevent damage to the flower 
in case of severe frorE occurring. To beginners only is it necessary 
to say that the plant itself is not in peril directly from that, and 
that keeping the plauts moderately dry at the roots, free from drip 
and from green fly, which the weather has encouraged, is all that is 
needed at present. 
It will be hard c< ■ experience a less favourable season for the 
Auricula than the last. The plants made little steady progress, 
advancing by fits an-. starts, owing to the alternating frosts and 
thaws, and the prevalence of cold winds. The bloom was every¬ 
where late. My own was not at its best till the third week in May, 
was more than usually irregular in time, and straggled on till the 
beginning of July. Some varieties bloomed splendidly, some 
indifferently well, and a good number of sorts generally reliable 
were poor or failed altogether. It may not be uninteresting, for 
the sake of comparison, to mention a few. 
In the class of green edges Beeston’s Apollo was markedly good. 
It is a flower worth having. Traill’s Anna, with all its faults, 
should not be despised. One plant of it among others was fine. 
Alderman Wisbey was poor as a green edge, but two were very good 
indeed as greys. Page’s Champion, now of sufficient strength, of 
fine form, with its lively green edge and unusual body colour, was 
very attractive. Col -nel Taylor, fairly good, has never yet with me 
turned out first-rate : but one lives in hope that next May may 
disclose it in the condition which a critic of thirty years ago says is 
worth waiting a lifetime for. Prince of G-reens was, as usual, far 
from the character in which it was shown at the first exhibition of 
the Scottish Auric .dr Society two years ago in Edinburgh ; but the 
Prince and the Colonel may don their best uniform at next review. 
I still keep at lea.-!: plant of Lord Nelson ; it is not a refined 
flower, but the dark green edge, black body colour, and good tube 
make it tell in a ei.d’e.'tion. It has a capital constitution and good 
habit. Freedom v, :-.s very good—one plant with five pips, the best 
I have had of it. Its difficult to get as many as one could wish of 
this variety up t" iln- esired strength. Hickson’s Earl of Errol, from 
the neatness of the truss and soft rich ground, never fails to attract 
the notice of those : -fc too critical ; the edge is too narrow, but for 
such as do not I - t competitions alone the flower has its recom¬ 
mendations. Tuli-nun is an unsatisfactory grower, and is at best 
but second rate. I have never seen it so good as with the late 
Mr. Meiklejohn several years ago. 
The grey e ir - produced the greatest per-centage of good 
flowers. I con-i > ■ Charles Edward Brown one of the best of 
No. 44S.—-Tot. N Mill, Third Seiies. 
these. No variety comes oftener in good character. I cannot help 
thinking that there is a spurious plant abroad under that name,, 
probably a seedling from it or from General Bolivar, not unlike, 
but inferior to the genuine flower. I have more than once had this 
equal to the first of its class. Not nearly so steady with me is the 
redoubtable George Lightbody. Last year, however, two plants 
among the last to bloom were all but satisfactory. Alexander 
Meiklejohn, a very telling flower, but late, was capital. It is 
frequently rendered too large in the pip and coarse in quality by 
being overgrown. I have seen it all but unrecognisable. No 
variety with me loses so much in bulk after flowering, bat it makes 
a beautiful plant ultimately, and seldom fails to please. John 
Waterston, another that can easily be deformed by overgrowing, 
I would not willingly be without. A good grower, of good habit, 
and of fine quality, the best of Cunningham’s productions, will 
keep alive his name. It is much thought of in the north. Some 
four or five others of his raising I have discarded. George 
Levick I can make little of. This I regret, as three pips on a small 
plant made me, like Oliver, “ ask for more.” I have never seen 
good plants of this sort. Ringleader, difficult to open, is in every 
collection I know. I had it in various sizes of truss, some, indeed, 
too large, but all more or less cupped. Maria, not without fault, 
but always lovely, with her liquid colour and good edge, often 
white, seldom fails to light up the stage. Complete was among the 
best of the later flowers ; variable as it is it must hold its place. 
One of the first Auriculas I had was Mary Ann. Fine in paste, 
cold, but chaste, she possibly obtains from me the benefit of a first 
attachment. Ajax I never had so good as last year, on two small 
plants with three pips each. They were larger and brighter, and, I 
fancy, on an offset two years old, it may be worth continuing. 
But foremost of all my collection was Lancashire Hero. Others 
well qualified to judge, looking at two specimens, pronounced it the 
best Auricula we have. As it increases with me it would take 
many years to secure as many plants as one could wish of this 
superb flower Nor do I find it much otherwise elsewhere. 
Of the white edges one that surprised me was Earl Grosvenor. 
Probably owing to the season and to the plant being stronger it was 
in the front rank. The edge was pure, the colour bright, the truss 
of five pips stood well up and commanded admiration. A flower 
with such possibilities is worth retaining, even if inconstant. Acme 
was in no case with me up to its best as I have often had it. It 
was in grand condition as the premier of the Exhibition in Edin¬ 
burgh. It is undoubtedly one of the finest of its class. I cannot 
but think that the objection urged against it of its having a short 
flower stem has been made too much of. The whole habit of the 
plant is low set. John Simonite I have not succeeded well in 
growing. It is one of the cracks, but will, I fear, long continue a 
scarce flower. Of Smiling Beauty last season I cannot speak too 
highly. Several plants produced five pips each, all equally good. 
I scarcely expect to see Heap’s flower surpassed in my day. These 
last three I consider our very bast white. Without further par¬ 
ticularising, I would say that Lady Sophia Damaresque, Bonny 
Lass, that stingy grower Countess of Wilton, and Regular, were all 
in attractive form. The last can produce a pip quite large enough, 
and will please those who see it so. Smith’s Ne Plus Ultra I will 
no longer be troubled with. It has always been one of the coarsest 
flowers I have. Fletcher’s, a grey, I much prefer. 
I like the seifs if anything better than the others. A deficiency 
in them tells heavily against the effect of a collective bloom. 
They give brightness, weight, and warmth to the whole. They 
are undoubtedly the favourites of visitors. Nor can I see why 
they should be considered inferior. The canons in their case 
are no less strict, nor are they more frequently satisfied. The 
abundance of really good seifs and the comparative ease with 
which they can be obtained among seedlings cannot, so far as I 
know, be established as fact, and I would hail the appearance of a 
superior flower among these as heartily as a decided hit among 
No. 2104.—Yon. LXXX., Old Series. 
