600 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 19, 1888. 
FLORICULTURE. 
Auriculas a Generation Ago and New. 
Turning over lately the pages of The Florist of thirty- 
nine years back, I was interested in noticing, just at 
this, the “Auricula time,” the select list of twelve 
Auriculas furnished by Messrs. Gaines, of Battersea ; 
Holland, of Middleton ; Pope, of Birmingham ; Vialls, 
of Northampton ; and Mr. John Edwards. The fol¬ 
lowing is the list, with the votes of the above growers 
placed against each variety:— 
Votes. Name. Raiser. 
5 . Glory. Taylor 
4. Champion. Page 
4. Conqueror of Europe. Waterhouse 
4. Ne Plus Ultra. Fletcher 
4. Metropolitan . Redman 
3. Col. Taylor . Leigh 
3. Countess of Wilton. Cheetham 
3. Favourite. Taylor 
3. Incomparable . ,, 
2. Apollo . Hudson 
2. Duke of Wellington . Dickson 
2. Freedom . Booth. 
There is also a list “from our note-book,” as 
follows : —“ Green: Leigh’s Col. Taylor, Page’s Cham¬ 
pion, Yates’ Morris Green Hero (new), Lightbody’s 
Lord Lyndocli. Grey: Cheetham’s (not Metcalfe’s) 
Lancashire Hero, Fletcher’s Ne Plus Ultra, Conqueror 
of Europe, and Oliver’s Lovely Ann. White : Taylor’s 
Glory (the only good one) and Othello. Selfs: Kay’s 
Jupiter, and Martin’s Eclipse (new).’’ 
Great advances have certainly been made in all the 
classes since those days, when so many varieties that 
would he called “rough ” now could he included in a 
select list hy leading growers. Of the sorts named, 
Col. Taylor, Champion, and Freedom (green edge), 
Lancashire Hero and Lovely Ann (grey), Glory and 
Countess of Wilton (white), are the only ones that 
would be looked at now. Of these, Champion and 
Freedom are but rarely seen, both being difficult to 
grow. Lancashire Hero and Lovely Ann—the first 
especially—are still highly esteemed; each has the 
power of assuming either green or grey edge, beautiful 
alike in either form. Lovely Ann, indeed, as Mr. 
Brocktank once pleasantly said, has three dresses, deep 
green, light green, and grey, and whichever it pleases 
her to don she is “ Lovely Ann ” in every one of them. 
Prince of Green’s, Monarch, Talisman, Abbe Liszt, 
Rev. F. D. Horner, and Edith Potts make up a 
goodly list of fine green edges of more or less recent 
introduction. In greys we have had George Lightbody, 
Alex. Meiklejohn, John Waterston, and Greyhound, to 
name a few among the best. 
Auricula raisers have indeed got on since the days 
when Glory could be described among white edges as 
“ the only good one.” True Briton, Smiling Beauty, 
John Simonite, Acme, Conservative, Silvia, and 
Magpie (the latter a most exquisite flower, and one of 
Mr. Horner’s late introductions) have been given to us 
in the meantime, and doubtless there are others as 
beautiful still to come ; but the Auricula is a slow plant 
in the matter of stock. 
As to the richly-coloured and attractive class of the 
seifs, there is wealth indeed of them. Charles J. Perry, 
Helen Lancaster, Pizarro, and Lord of Lome are 
beautiful and effective flowers among the older sorts, 
but are now being surpassed in beauty and refinement 
by such splendid sorts as Heroine, Sapphire, and other 
of Mr. Homer’s varieties. 
Despite all the neglect of the Auricula in recent 
times, the enthusiasm and skill of a few ardent lovers 
of the flower (chief among whom is Mr. Homer), fol¬ 
lowing up the good work of the Lightbodys, Headleys, 
Traills, and others, seem to have placed an age 
between us and the days when The Florist's select list 
was published.— M. R. 
The Giant or Fancy Polyanthus. 
The Giant or Fancy Polyanthus is rapidly taking a 
leading place as a plant adapted for spring and early 
summer decoration. This most useful flower has 
become largely improved of late ; not only have strong¬ 
growing plants bearing large and bold trusses of 
handsome flowers been obtained, but the colours have 
become greatly extended also. There is, too, an in¬ 
creasing demand for seed, and as seed is now fairly 
plentiful and good, and within the reach of all, it is 
best to depend upon seedlings every year rather than 
upon two-year old plants, if they have been lifted, 
divided, and planted out for further use. This section 
of Polyanthuses is also known as Primrose Polyanthus, 
Hybrid Primrose, &c., for the reason that many of them 
throw up first of all blossoms on Primrose stems, and 
then stout stems carrying trusses of bloom. They are 
strong growers, very free of bloom, continuous in 
flower, and make a display right up to the time of 
the usual summer bedding plants going out. They are 
very hardy too, standing all weathers, and coming 
through the severest winters comparatively unharmed. 
Some persons prefer to have beds of mixed colours, 
and these formed a very fine and pleasing feature in 
the London parks this season. Others prefer to have 
them in colours, such as white, yellow, purple, crimson, 
&c., and they come fairly true from seed. But which¬ 
ever way they are used, they appear to give great 
satisfaction, provided seed of a good strain is obtained. 
An inferior one is scarcely worth growing ; therefore 
a little care is necessary in these matters. 
Now, many people who sow seeds do it too late 
in the season, with the result that by the autumn the 
plants are small instead of lusty and strong, and but 
few of them bloom the following spring. Others who 
sow earlier sow their seeds on a warm dry spot in their 
gardens, and take but little care of them ; with the 
result that not a few of the plants become dried up if 
the seeds germinate, which they frequently do under 
such circumstances in a most unsatisfactory manner. 
This is not the best way of sowing; seeds of a good 
strain deserve to be taken care of, and treated better 
than merely sowing them in an exposed place in the open. 
I strongly recommend sowing in April or May in 
well-drained pans, pots or shallow boxes, placing over 
the drainage some rough sifted soil, and then a good 
fine sandy compost. Press this down firmly until the 
surface is made level, and scatter the seed thinly upon 
it, covering slightly with a sandy mixture. These 
should be placed in a cold frame or a shady part of the 
greenhouse, and germination is helped by putting 
pieces of glass over the pans or pots and keeping them 
shaded from the hot sun. When the plants are large 
enough to handle they are best pricked off into other 
pots or boxes, and finally planted out in a nursery bed 
previous to placing in the flower beds in the autumn. 
Seeds of Primroses—true Primroses—can also be had 
in colours, such as white, purple, crimson, yellow, &c., 
and treated as in the case of the Polyanthuses, sowing 
at the same time. With care in selection high- 
coloured Primroses are now quite abundant, and also 
found very effective for spring display. But it should 
be stated that too much of what is sold as coloured 
hybrid Primrose is simply the seed of fancy or giant 
Polyanthus, and persons who expect to have Primroses 
are therefore greatly disappointed. I have simply to 
add, procure seed from a reliable source, and the chance 
of disappointment will be reduced to a minimum.— 
R. B. -•>£*>- 
HARDY PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
Androsace coronopifolia. 
This is a very neat, white-flowering species, the flowers 
being produced in great abundance on short umbels. 
Our plants have stood the winter as well as any of the 
Alpines we have, and just now they look exceedingly 
pretty amongst other dwarf-growing plants. Our stiff 
soil appears to suit it well, which is more than we can 
say of some of the genus. Care should be taken 
to sow seed of this species every year, it being, unlike 
many of the species, a biennial, and liable to be lost 
unless care is taken to save seed. 
Aubrietia Hendersoni. 
The Aubrietias are sufficiently well known to render a 
note on them nearly devoid of interest. The subject of 
this note is, however, not so well known as it deserves 
to be. On the heavy soil here it is by far the best 
coloured Aubrietia we have, and is a most charming and 
useful spring-flowering plant. 
Caltha palustris. 
What a grand mass of golden yellow colour the Marsh 
Marigold is giving just now ! In the bog-bed it is one 
of the first plants to brighten up the spring, and one 
that deserves a place in every garden where a damp 
corner can be found for it. We grow a double form, 
but it does not come so fine as the common single 
form. C. leptosepala, the white-flowered Marsh Mari¬ 
gold, a native of North America, is an interesting 
flower to grow with the yellow species, but not so 
thoroughly showy as our native plant. 
Phlox stellaria. 
Amongst the Alpine species of Phlox, this one is well 
worth growing, either as an edging or in masses on the 
rockery. It is something like Primula obconica in 
colour, and one of the prettiest of the Alpine section. 
Our plants flower a little ahead of P. verna, which is 
a good companion for P. stellaria. — J. W. 0 ., Pinner. 
Triteleia hniflora lilacina. 
Pretty as the pale-coloured typical form is, it cannot 
vie with this variety, whose flowers are of the most 
charming clear sky-blue with a more deeply-coloured 
midrib. When the sun is warm and bright the flowers 
respond to it in a manner that shows the nature of the 
weather they like. Now the flowers of the ordinary 
form appear under these conditions almost white, so 
that T. u. lilacina shows up to advantage, and its 
lanceolate segments spread in a Star-like manner. It 
may be seen in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, Chiswick. 
-*>^<*- 
ALLOTMENT GARDENING. 
Much has been written on this subject in various 
papers, but nowhere, I venture to think, has allotment 
gardening been more practically successful than at 
Barkston-le-Willows, Lincolnshire. I think a few 
remarks as to how this came about may interest your 
readers, and, perhaps, in these days of agricultural 
depression, when agricultural land can scarcely be let 
at any price, some small landowners may see their way 
clear to allot a portion of their estates in a similar 
manner, and so realise better returns than they have 
done lately. To commence with, Barkston has been 
favoured in having had among its inhabitants some 
kind-hearted people, who, at their decease, left certain 
lands, the annual rent of which was to be distributed 
among the poor of the parish in coals, &c., by the 
clergyman or churchwardens for the time being. The 
fields were let to farmers who held the adjoining land, 
for the mere price of an old song, as the saying goes, 
with the result that only enough money was forth¬ 
coming to buy 10 cwt. of coals each for a few poor old 
widows in the almshouses ; whilst the farmers, having 
already more land than they could manage, got what 
crops they could off the land, and leaving it in a great 
measure to shift for itself, soon had it full of all kinds 
of weeds, and eventually were not able to get a crop at all. 
Time went on, and years rolled by, when one of these 
farmers failed, and his farm was advertised to be let. 
A short time before this event, a younger clergyman 
had come into the living, who had established a 
circulating library and reading-room, the advantages of 
which anyone could enjoy by paying twopence per 
month. In this room one evening the topic of conver¬ 
sation was this said farm, and, finally, one of the mem¬ 
bers said that the rent of “Swain Field ” (the name of 
the field in question) should be more than it was, and 
that it ought to be made into gardens for labourers, as 
Barkston at that time, though in the very heart of an 
agricultural district, was deficient in garden ground. 
After thoroughly discussing the suggestion among 
themselves, a petition was drawn up, and signed by 
every householder in the village, with the exception of 
two, both of whom characterised the proceedings as 
“ danged soft.” This petition was presented to the 
clergyman before alluded to, who, after consulting the 
churchwardens, said it would be a grand thing for the 
village, and would keep many of the men from the 
public-houses, and from idling about in the streets. 
In process of time a surveyor’s services were called 
into requisition, and the field, containing a little more 
than five acres, was duly measured and staked out into 
lots of 600 square yards each ; these stakes were then 
numbered, and the numbers were given by ballot, each 
man drawing a number out of the box. The price 
charged for each lot was five shillings per annum, and 
on entering into possession each man had one shilling 
and sixpence to pay for tenant right. Being, in 
January last, on a visit near the place, I was asked if I 
would go with one of the allotment holders to see how 
they were getting on with their gardens ; much stress 
was laid on their gardens, and accordingly I went. On 
arriving at the field, which is fully a mile from the 
village (a great drawback to them), I was surprised to 
see what a change had come over the land during the 
four years they had rented it; some of their gardens 
were sown with rye, some had been trenched, others 
were partly dug, and scarcely a weed was to be seen in 
the whole field. 
My companion pointed out what a different soil it 
appeared now, and said he had had his ploughed and 
manured, and it was presently to be planted with 
“spuds,” i.e., Potatos. I was also pleased to hear 
that another field was to be parcelled out in like 
manner, as another farmer who held it had died, and 
they had given his trustees notice to quit the field in 
question. After I had left my informant, I thought 
this surely must be a good thing, where it could be 
applied, to raise the price of land with a minimum of 
