1883 .] 
AURICULA MRS. MOORE.-THE AURICULA : SPRING NOTES-SEEDLINGS. 
33 
AURICULA MRS. MOORE. 
[Plate 581.] 
<*7T T the show of the Southern Section of 
wl the National Auricula Society held 
I\G) last year at South Kensington, seve¬ 
ral seedling varieties were adjudged 
worthy of First-class Certificates, and amongst 
those in the grey-edged class which received 
this testimony to their merit, was the beautiful 
variety we now figure, and of which Mr. 
Douglas pronounces our plate to be a very 
faithful delineation. 
The variety was raised by Mr. Douglas, 
late of Loxford Hall, now of Great Gearies, 
Barkingside, to which place he has removed 
with his employer, F. Whitbourn, Esq. Mr. 
Douglas is well-known as one of our best and 
most successful southern auricula growers, and 
his success as a raiser has also been well 
marked, as witness the variety Mabel figured by 
us last year. Of the present novelty the follow¬ 
ing is the description, as noted in April, 1882, 
when it was Certificated:— “Mrs. Moore, 
an extra fine flower, with very symmetrical 
truss, and having a round rich golden tube, 
dense circular paste, bright maroon ground 
colour, and very fine smooth edge; a large 
finely-rounded flower, regular in all its parts.” 
The number of high-class new flowers which 
was brought out on this occasion should be 
regarded by Auricula growers as an encourage¬ 
ment to perseverance in raising novelties, 
since the seedlings, if they spring from judi¬ 
cious crosses, can scarcely fail to bring a fair 
share of gratification and reward. The fact 
that the trade growers cannot at the present 
time meet the demands made upon them for a 
supply of plants, is a sufficient indication that 
there is room for new and varied seedlings. 
Moreover, though the novelties may not all or 
any of them be such as to supersede a few of 
the finer named flowers of auld lang syne, 
—on the other hand they may be decided 
advances—yet they will certainly be valued 
as supplementing to a very material degree 
the available supply of these good old sorts, 
many of which it is so difficult to obtain. 
We are pleased to be able to introduce here 
some seasonable remarks by Mr. Douglas.— 
T. Moore. 
THE AURICULA: SPRING NOTES—SEEDLINGS. 
f ARCH and April are the two Auricula 
months. The fancier who has been 
carefully tending and faithfully watch¬ 
ing his pets through the hard frosts 
of winter, or what is worse, the wet gusty 
months of autumn, will now rejoice to see the 
development of the rising trusses and the 
beautifully fresh and varied leaves, some of 
them, as in the case of Mr. Horner’s beautiful 
seedling Sapphire, having the foliage like the 
mountain snow for whiteness. Taylor’s Glory, 
Reid’s Acme, Smith’s Ann Smith, Summer- 
scales’ Catherina, Kay’s Topsy, Campbell’s 
Pizarro, Sims’ Vulcan, and others, have all 
beautifully powdered foliage of various degrees 
of whiteness, but none of them are anything 
like so pure as Sapphire. Even in the green¬ 
leaved varieties there is a considerable 
difference of colour and form, so much so, that 
the fancier could name his whole collection by 
the foliage alone. A great part of his pleasure 
also consists at this season in showing his 
collection to his friends, especially those like- 
minded with himself. 
There is a strange fascination about this 
simple Alpine flower, which those who have 
not studied its characteristics cannot under¬ 
stand. Any one desirous of practising 
patience need only accompany an Auricula 
fancier on a visit to see the collection of a 
friend, and if he can wait patiently until the 
two have done inspecting the Auriculas he will 
do for anything. 
The opening flowers are very sensitive, and 
are checked in their development by frosts at 
night, and cold winds by day. Many persons 
have no other accommodation for their plants 
than cold frames ; and I have proved by ex¬ 
perience, that with care in ventilation and 
protecting with mats at night, a collection 
can be flowered well in frames. Indeed, such 
a large grower as Mr. Meiklejohn, of the 
Raploch, near Stirling, has no other accom¬ 
modation for his collection of 2,000 plants. 
A heated pit has no doubt many advantages 
over ordinary frames, as the frosts can be kept 
out easily, and the plants can be attended to 
and inspected in all sorts of weather. Water- 
o 
