1875. ] 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
39 
cultivating tlie Auricula and taken to other fancies in plant-growing, are now 
declining the cultivation of the latter, and going back to their former hobby. 
Not only have these old hands returned, but a goodly number of young recruits 
have joined the ranks, and the advice I have to give will be more for the instruc¬ 
tion of the young beginners, than for the benefit of those of the older school who 
may well consider themselves equally competent with an old fancier like me. 
My own practice, even from my younger days, has been to adhere to certain 
rules. About the last week in January, or not later than the first week in Febru¬ 
ary, weather permitting , I commence stripping off all the outer dead and decayed 
leaves from the Auricula plants; that done, I take a wooden skewer and run it 
round the inside of the brim of the pot to the depth of about an inch in the 
mould ; then, holding the pot a little on the slope, I knock the pot slightly with 
the other hand till all the old and loose mould has fallen off, and the uppermost 
fibrous roots become visible. I then fill up the pots to within a quarter of an 
inch of the top with rather new fresh compost. That done, the plants are 
placed in the frames again, the lights put on and kept on for a fortnight, and the 
glass covered with mats at night; whether there is any probability of frost or not, 
I never forget to put on the mats, but unless the frost is keen, I take them off at 
daybreak in the morning, so as to allow the plants all the light possible. I continue 
this treatment until about the middle of the month, when, should the weather prove 
somewhat mild and showery, I take off the lights, and let the plants have a 
moderate soaking. If the weather is cold and frosty about that time, I drive off 
watering for a few days longer ; but if the weather is then fine, and no rain appears, 
I take the water-pot, put on as fine a rose as possible, and give a gentle watering 
over the whole of the plants, twice or thrice, using pure soft water ; rain-water 
is the best, if it is clean, and not too stale. 
After this soaking, whether by rain or from the water-pot, I let the lights 
remain off, if fine, till the plants have got a little dry, but take care to put them 
on again in the early part of the afternoon. Above all, it is important not to 
forget the mats at night—I may say from this time up to the blooming season. 
At the same time, I strongly recommend the mats being taken off every morn¬ 
ing at daybreak, and when the weather is at all mild and fine, I particularly 
recommend that the lights also should be taken off during day-time, so as to 
allow the plants all the sun and air possible, and which they delight in all the 
year round. 
There is one little matter I may mention, in case any new beginners should be 
anxious about getting up a collection of plants off-hand, as it were. It would 
perhaps at this season of the year be best to purchase and bring home their plants in 
the pots; at all events, it would be best to do so if the purchaser has not got suitable 
compost in store. I may, however, mention a circumstance which occurred once 
in my practice a good many years since. I purchased a plant of Booth's Freedom 
at Middleton, in Lancashire, on New Year’s Day. I took it out of the pot there, 
shook all the mould clean away from the roots, brought it home, and potted it in 
