6 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ January, 
were,” it was said, “ subjecting the plants to 
greenhouse treatment, and that they could not 
survive.” Yet they did survive, and even upon 
the testimony of the objectors themselves, at¬ 
tained additional stamina, grace, and beauty. 
Time rolled on, and the next step was to 
discover the advantage of a covered erection, 
not merely for the enjoyment of the bloom, but 
for their winter’s or summer’s sleep, as the 
case might be, their growth and development. 
In such an erection the “ sunshine of the 
master’s eye ” could be upon them, whilst, 
amply ventilated, both the objects of his care 
and himself had complete immunity from the 
intrusion of frost and the blighting influence 
of bitter east wind. It must not be supposed 
such an “ innovation ” was permitted to pass 
without a protest; such an assumption would 
exhibit a strange lack of acquaintance with 
the tenacity of ignorance. Yet, when Mr. 
Horner (whose papers on the cultivation of the 
Auricula and whose productions on the exhibi¬ 
tion-table have stamped him as the master 
amongst these flowers), wrote in the April 
number of the Florist (1877, 74), first 
premising that his plants were in a house : 
—“ With a good deal of snow, and frost 
enough to skate by, March has not been 
more like a lion than a Polar bear. The 
plants, however, have been growing finely 
through it, for I thought it well to take the 
chill off those few nights here with their 12° 
to 18° of frost, so kept a quiet fire on, which 
I only use for Auriculas as an auxiliary for the 
outside shading, when that is not protection 
enough in sharp spring frosts,” it was some¬ 
what surprising to be told by a writer in the 
Journal of Horticulture that “no Auricula- 
grower would, he believed, subject his plants 
to a higher temperature than that of an ordi¬ 
nary matted frame (whatever that might be), 
inferentially asserting, of course, the supe¬ 
riority of the frame over a well-constructed 
house; not so surprising, perhaps, when his 
position was traversed, to find him avoiding 
discussion, but most surprising of all, to find 
in the issue of the same Journal of November 
22 the same writer coming out with a full¬ 
blown eulogy of a house, as contrasted with a 
pit, saying a certain misfortune had induced 
him to do what he wondered he had never 
done before, “ build a low house for his plants,” 
so that he “ can now get into it in all weathers, 
and give air without any danger of rain beating 
in.” 
I have been led into these remarks by the 
remembrance of a very excellent and elegant 
span-roofed pit which I saw at Mr. J. Booth’s, 
when I was last at Manchester, which had been 
specially put up for his fine collection of 
Auriculas, and which I was asked to describe. 
Its dimensions were—length, 36 ft.; width, 
8ft,, the lights being so arranged that the 
most ample ventilation can be given at all 
times without danger from rain or hail. More¬ 
over, shade can be given in summer by attach¬ 
ing blinds of suitable thickness to the under 
side of the lights. A sunken walk down the 
middle, 3 ft. below the ground-level, in order 
to get head-room, gives easy access to the 
plants on either side; and the health and 
vigour which these exhibited were the best 
'SCALE ,12 9630 h 'j _ 3 4 5 fits. 
1- U-iU , _I ' 1. , 1.—-I- 1 
Mr. Booth's Auricula Pit. 
evidence of the suitability of their quarters. 
The accompanying figure, drawn to a scale of 
one-fourth of an inch to the foot, will give the 
dimensions of the various parts, as well as 
convey an accurate impression of the general 
character of the structure. The pit is warmed 
by two 2 in. hot-water pipes.—E. S. Dodwell. 
OUR SEASONS. 
« IIE remark seems prevalent that the 
disastrous spring of 1877 will long 
be remembered by fruit-growers of 
this country, on account of the destruction 
of the blossom by frost, and the consequent 
loss of fruit for the year. Why this failure 
should be matter for much surprise I fail 
to make out, seeing that it is, year after 
