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THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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[Amir, IS. 
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events, the attention then paid to this flower in England 
■was as great even as at present. 
Parkinson, in his “ Paradisus,” published in 1056, says 
that “ those who had been industrious in sowing the ■ 
seeds of the several sorts” had so succeeded in raising 
varieties that he should not be able to enumerate them j 
all. He describes, however, 21 varieties; and the draw¬ 
ing of one of these, “The greatest faire yellow Beare’s 
Eares with eyes,” shews that the florists had indeed much 
improved the flower; for, in the sketches given by Gerard 
and Lyte, the pips are small, and only four or five in a 
truss, but in this and others, given by Parkinson, the 
pips are large, and increased in number to from 8 
to 13. 
The raising varieties from seed was then well known, 
but regular canons for distinguishing a good flower were 
not yet established, as they probably were when tbe 
“ Complete Florilege” was published by John Rea, Gent.: 
in the third edition of which work, printed in 1702, there 
are many varieties noticed, and named after their raisers. 
Air. Hughes, in his “ Flower Garden,” published m 
1072, gives a short direction for its cultivation; and is 
the first writer on gardening we have met with who 
speaks of it as the “Auricula.” 
The cultivation of this flower continued to increase in 
favour; and it is the first of our show flowers of which 
canons were published in a separate work, whereby the 
superiority of rival flowers might be determined. The 
work in which these canons, or rules, appeared was 
written by Mr. James Thompson, a florist of Newcastle; 
and printed at that town, in 1757, under the title of “ The 
distinguishing properties of a fine Auricula.” 
These, however, were not the first ; for that fertile 
writer on such subjects, Richard Bradley, in his “ New 
Improvements of Gardening,” published in 1718, gives 
seven characteristics of excellence which are “ required 
by skilful florists” to be possessed by this flower (John¬ 
son and Slater's, 'The Auricula). 
Abercrombie, writing in 1778, repeats these charac¬ 
teristics; and if we except “ the top spreading flat,” they 
briefly enumerate such as are still esteemed marks of 
superiority. “ The flower-stem should be upright, tall, 
and strong enough to support its cluster of flowers toler¬ 
ably upright; the cluster or truss of flowers should be 
large and regular, somewhat of a roundish form, all the 
j florets being sustained on short pedicles, to form the 
| truss close and regular; tbe florets should be large, and 
I the top spreading flat and regularly around; and the 
eye of each floret large, circular, and bright.” 
Air. Emmertou, who wrote on this flower in 1816, was 
the first to write more particularly on this subject; others 
corrected where he had erred slightly; and within a few 
years the collective judgment of the floricidtural world, 
with some judicious emendations, were arranged and 
published by Air. Glenny. This code, with some slight 
additions, we shall now republish from a little work 
which issued from the press in 1847. 
As florists have several terms relative to the Auricula 
which may be not understood by every amateur, we 
may as well explain that the thrum is a collective name 
for the parts of fructification in the very centre or tube 
of each flower. Paste is the white colour next round 
the edge of the tube, or eije, of the flower. Ground colour 
is the next colour to this on the petal, being the dis¬ 
tinctive colour of the variety. Edge is the outer colour 
of all, forming the border of the flower. A Pip is a 
single flower, and a Truss is several pips, with their 
several footstalks springing from one stem common to 
them all. 
The properties of the Auricula may be divided into 
two series; namely, those of the single pip, and those 
of tbe single plant. 
The Pip. —l. Should be circular, large, with petals 
equal, firm, fleshy, smooth at the edges, without notch 
or serrature, and perfectly flat. 
2. The centre, or tube, should not exceed one-fourth 
of the diameter of the pip; it should be of a fine yellow 
or lemon colour, perfectly round, well filled with the 
anthers, or thrum, and the edge rising a trifle above 
the paste, or eye. 
3. The paste, or eye, should be perfectly circular, 
smooth, and a dense pure white, without crack or 
blemish, forming a band not less than half the width of 
the tube, and encircling it. 
4. The ground colour should be dense, whole, and 
form a perfect circle next tbe eye; tbe brighter, darker, 
or richer the colour, the better the flower; but if it be 
paler at the edges of the petals (where they are parted 
1 into five) or have two colours or shades, it is a fatal 
J defect. 
j 5. The margin or outward edge should be a clear un¬ 
changeable green,grey, or white; and be about tbe same 
width as the ground colour, which must in no part go 
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