166 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[July, ! 
grand old Auricula-grower in the North than it is in the South ? For genial and 
clever John Ball, of the Royal Nursery, Slough, can point the visitors to sorts 
(happily very few) that appear to have altogether ignored any sense of the 
responsibility of increase. 
Mr. Lightbody’s favourite time for potting was the end of July. John Ball 
will get many of his potted even earlier. The following was one of Lightbody’s 
special directions :—“ Let this necessary work be commenced in such time that 
the whole collection may be shifted by the first week in August,” and the reason 
assigned was that the time specified immediately preceded that when the plants 
make their second growth, besides which, the off-sets are sure to be well-rooted, 
and are more easily slipped from the parent plant. 
A good Auricula soil is made up of good yellow loam of a fibry character, 
and leaf-mould, in equal parts, some thoroughly decayed manure that will freely 
crumble to pieces, added in the proportion of one-half, and enough silver-sand 
to keep the compost open. The whole should be mixed together, laid up in a 
dry place, and occasionally turned and sweetened previous to using. The last 
generation or two of growers used to excite the growth of these plants by stimu¬ 
lating them over-much ; the not less successful and enthusiastic cultivators of 
the present generation prefer to grow in a cool, generous, and not over-rich 
compost. 
Over-potting is a danger to be guarded against. The large plants will do 
well in 32-sized pots ; the smaller ones in 48’s and large 60’s. There should be 
abundant drainage, and the soil be pressed firmly about the roots. The Rev. F. 
D. Horner is not at all particular about using his soil fine. He adds small lumps 
of fibry turf, and the roots of the Auriculas appear to like to get hold of these 
pieces, and make their way down through the soil. The soil should be used 
sufficiently moist, as water is not immediately required at the roots ; a little may 
be administered as soon as the plants are repotted, to guard against the leaves 
becoming flaccid for want of it.—R. Dean, Ealing. 
PROTECTION OF FRUIT-TREES IN BLOSSOM. 
HE present season has not been calculated to severely test the efficacy of the 
various materials used as means of protecting the blossoms of the Apricot, 
Peach, and other fruit-trees trained to walls, as in many instances abundant 
crops of fruit are found to have set, where no protection of any kind had 
been applied. 
I have had no experience with the movable glass copings of some 18 in. or 
2 ft. in width, which some consider as very effective; but I have long found a 
temporary roof composed of old lights some 10 ft. in length, with a moveable 
curtain of frigi-domo in front of them, to be all that could be desired as a pro¬ 
tection. It is not, however, always possible to secure a sufficiency of lights to 
cover in this manner all the trees requiring protection; consequently I have had 
recourse to various other means to effect this purpose, and have used with varying 
