i 
1871.] NOVELTIES, ETC., AT FLOWER SHOWS. 141 
Various opinions exist as to tlie best time to repot Auriculas. Some say it 
should be done in August, but experience proves to me that August is not the 
best time, but about the middle of May, when the plants are pushing out their 
young roots, often indeed above the surface of the soil. If repotted now, that 
is, during this growing season, they have a much longer time to establish them¬ 
selves before the declining autumn. There is also another great advantage to be 
gained by taking off the offsets early, and that is, they make much finer plants than 
if this had been deferred until August, as the young roots above the surface often 
become dried up in consequence of being exposed for so long a time. The best 
soil for repotting these plants is a compost made up as follows :—4 bushels of 
good turfy loam, 1 bushel of good old rotten cow-dung about three years old, 
1 bushel of good rotten leaf-mould, 1 bushel of peat, and half a bushel of silver- 
sand, the whole well mixed together. These proportions will be found to yield 
a very suitable compost for them. Care should be taken not to put them into 
too large pots, a 48-sized (5-in.) pot is quite large enough for the largest plants, 
and a large u 60 ” for the smaller ones. The offsets do best placed close to the 
edge of the pot. It is very important to have all the pots well drained. The 
plants should be placed during the summer months in some shady situation, 
exposed to the open air as much as possible, but sheltered from heavy rains, 
which are very injurious to them; and they may remain in this situation until 
the end of October.— John Ball, Slough. 
. _ '1 
NOVELTIES, Etc., AT FLOWER SHOWS. 
<pW)T the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 3rd of May, 
another of the new Crotons, Codiceum vciriegatum Johannis (f.c.c.* *), was 
shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons, as was also the beautiful Todea 
Wilhesiana (f.c.c.), figured in our last volume, and Agave festiva (f.c.c.). 
The Croton was one of the narrow-leaved drooping series, but broader and more ij 
vigorous-looking than the narrow form usually grown ; while the Agave w'as one of 
the smaller kinds, with narrow leaves, and large terminal spine. A handsome and 
novel Sobralia (f.c.c.), with large, pale rosy-lilac flowers, was sent by Mr. B. S. 
Williams, together with Amaryllis marmorata perfecta (f.c.c.), scarlet streaked 
with white. Elisena longipetala (f.c.c.), a curious Peruvian bulb, came from the 
collection of W. Wilson Saunders, Esq.; this is one of the pancratiform amaryl- 
lids, remarkable in having the corona singularly deflexed. Mr. William Paul 
exhibited a beautiful Hybrid Perpetual Pose , named Princess Beatrice (f.c.c.), 
of a finely-cupped shape and of good substance, deep pink in the centre, with 
a pale pink exterior—a lovely pale-coloured flower. A fine and richly-coloured 
erect-flowered Gloxinia , named Pev. II. H. Dombrain (f.c.c), having a rich red¬ 
dish-crimson tube and lobes, and a white throat, with purple stains round it, came 
from Messrs. Rollisson and Sons. A Tea-scented Pose , Earl of Eldon (f.c.c.), which 
„ --- 
* In these Notes on Novelties, the letters F.c.c. indicate that a First-Class Certificate was awarded; s.c.c. 
a Second-Class Certificate. 
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