72 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOQIST. 
[ Mat, 
them for the summer months, care being taken 
to put a good coat of ashes on the ground to 
prevent worms getting into the pots. If well 
attended to with water, duly staked, and the 
blooms kept picked off, they will make fine 
plants by October, when they can be placed in 
any cool, airy house, from whence they may be 
introduced into a warmer house for blooming, 
as required.—H. J. Clayton, Grimston Park 
Gardens , Tadcaster. 
AURICULAS AT KIRK BY 
MALZEARD. 
f ijV EADERS of the Florist and Pomolo- 
-> gist know the Rev. F. D. Horner well 
AQ 
by his excellent papers on the Auricula 
and other florists’ flowers. Many of them will 
also have had the great privilege of looking 
over the collection of Auriculas and other 
choice plants grown in the Vicarage garden at 
Kirkby Malzeard. The collection is not so 
large as many persons would be led to sup¬ 
pose, and during the last few years many of 
the old varieties have been discarded, to make 
room for the numerous seedlings raised and 
selected by Mr. Horner. The selection is not 
the easiest part of the process of seedling¬ 
raising. The fact is, it depends much upon 
the part of the plant from which the trusses 
spring, as to whether or not the pips will be 
up to the required standard. For instance, 
John Simonite (Walker) is perhaps the best 
white-edged Auricula yet raised, yet Mr. 
Simonite assures me that most fanciers would 
have discarded the plant when its first flowers 
opened; if it throws a centre truss it is worth¬ 
less, and the same may be said about many 
others. 
Very few persons would believe the amount 
of patience necessary before the great results 
achieved by Mr. Horner can be produced. The 
Auricula fancier has a standard set before him 
to work up to, but very seldom indeed can all 
the points which are required be obtained in 
one flower, though the nearer it comes to the 
standard of excellence, so much the more 
highly is the flower valued. 
Beginning with the Green-edged class, the 
material available to work from ten years ago 
was very imperfect. Prince of Greens , a variety 
with good petal, and very perfect green-edge, 
was coming into notice, but it had also some 
serious faults; while Champion (Page) was weak 
in constitution; Colonel Taylor (Leigh), was in¬ 
constant ; and Freedom (Booth), with other faults 
had angular paste, and seldom bore more than 
three pips on a truss. After ten years’ patient 
but pleasant labour, Mr. Horner has now ob¬ 
tained green-edged flowers, very perfect in 
form, with good substance of petal, the green 
pure, without the least spot. In carefully 
examining the seedlings with Mr. Horner 
early in April, we marked an 1879 seedling, 
No. 12, as the best; the form of flower and 
substance of petal is that of George Light- 
body, the edge is quite green, the ground¬ 
colour black, the paste dense, pure, and white, 
and the tube yellow. Enterprise was next to 
it, with good olive-green edge, well-opened 
petal, and dense round paste, black ground, 
and yellow tube. Emerald had a rich dark- 
green edge, dark maroon body-colour, dense 
paste, yellow tube, and large truss. Sybil had 
a lively green-edge, maroon ground-colour, 
good paste, and yellow tube; a more perfect 
flower and better grower than Champion. 
Benjamin Simonite is thought very highly of 
by Mr. Horner, but it is slow of increase; and 
Richard Gorton will hold a high position as a 
good green-edge. 
In Grey-edged flower3 Ajax , raised some 
years ago, has good qualities, but lacks the 
refinement of George Lightbody, and may not 
come so good as old Robert Lancashire’s notable 
variety, Lancashire Hero. 
In White-edges there are some striking 
flowers, and many are advances on the best 
old varieties. Water Lily is a large and pro¬ 
mising variety : the edge pure, the ground 
black, the paste broad and pure white, the tube 
golden; it has distinct green foliage. May 
Queen is a round, smooth flower, with good 
white edge, black ground, and yellow tube. 
Bean Blossom is in the way of Smiling Beauty, 
but a more perfect white-edge, with quite a 
black ground-colour and golden tube. 
In the Selfs there was also much room for 
improvement. A few years ago Pizarro 
(Campbell) was considered the best self, but 
the petal of this sort is not of great substance, 
and soon goes off. Ringdove and Heroine 
have been publicly exhibited by Mr. Horner, 
and are well-known valuable varieties. Other 
fine things have now been raised, some of 
them very distinct in colour, and all of them 
of good shape; Constance , for example, is a 
