April 25th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
537 
THE NATIONAL AURICULA 
SHOW. 
The Annual Exhibition of the Southern Section, as 
it is termed, of this Society was held at South Ken¬ 
sington on Tuesday last, and, whether due to some 
recent disunion or to the season, it is certain that the 
competition in most of the classes was smaller than 
usual, and the average quality of the plants generally 
not equal to what has been seen in some previous 
years. Complaints as to the disastrous effects of the 
recent spell of cold easterly winds and of the ener¬ 
vating influences of the more recent hot sunshine 
were rife, thus evidencing what we last week 
propounded, that the Auricula is a difficult and even 
costly flower to cultivate; and giving as it does so 
little floral return for its year’s culture, it is, indeed, 
disappointing when that return is materially discounted 
by distressing weather. 
other cause operated against them. Mr. Barlow’s 
Gold-laced Polyanthuses and Mr. Llewellyn’s Primulas 
have long been specially interesting elements of this 
Auricula Show, and their absence this year created a 
void that was too apparent. 
In the Alpine section Mr, Charles Turner held his 
own as usual, though his flowers, beautiful as they 
were, lacked that pleasing freshness and finish we 
have seen in some previous years. These, however, 
always make an attractive class. The pretty laced 
forms shown by Mr. Dean, and the curious, though 
hardly pleasing, fancy forms shown by Mr. Douglas, 
attracted much attention, whilst, as usual, the beau¬ 
tiful Primula species, and the Fancy Polyanthuses 
and lovely clumps of double and single hardy 
Primroses, won universal admiration. These classes 
need extending if the Auricula Show is to be 
made popular with the general public, as is de- 
(Mellor), white-edged ; Bev. F. D. Horner (Simonite), 
green-edged ; George Lightbody (Headly), green- 
edged ; Sapphire, violet self ; and Nigella, white- 
edged. Mr. James Douglas, gardener to Francis 
Whitbourn, Esq., Great Gearies, Ilford, was second; 
Mr. W. Pohlman, Halifax third; and Mr. Turner, 
Slough, fourth. Mr. Horner was again well in front 
of Mr. Douglas with six varieties, his flowers being 
Heroine, Monarch, green-edged; Rev. F. D. Horner, 
Florence, purple self; George Lightbody and Alba¬ 
tross, white-edged. Mr. Pohlman was again third, 
and Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, fourth. 
The first prize for four went to a Lancashire grower, 
Mr. W. Bolton, Wilderspool Road, Warrington, who 
had Prince of Greens, Mrs. Wilson, plum-coloured 
self; Frank Simonite and Lancashire Hero. BIr. J. E. 
Henwood, Hamilton Road, Earley, near Reading, 
came in second in this class, W. Brockbank, Esq., 
A EUSTIC BRIDGE IN BATTERSEA PARK. 
We have seen both Show and Alpine varieties in 
finer form than this season. The very best of the 
delicate show flowers doubtless were those which had 
been assisted by artificial heat. Yet there is hardly a 
stronger argument put forth in favour of the cultiva¬ 
tion of this old florists’ flower than that it is hardy 
and does well in cool houses and frames. The primary 
features of a show Auricula are so delicately traced 
and evenly balanced that a little additional warmth 
in the spring season is found not merely desirable but 
essential to perfect development. 
The Rev. F. D. Horner, who is always the premier 
exhibitor, fitly had the premier flower of the Show in 
his singularly beautiful Greyhound, one of his own 
raising; and it is the exceeding good fortune which 
attends upon Mr. Horner’s efforts as a raiser as well 
as upon his labours as a cultivator that serves to 
place him year by year in the same proud position. 
The absence of some former and always popular 
growers was to be deplored, but the season or some 
sirable, for they are the flowers of myriads, 
whilst the choice Auricula must ever remain the 
favoured flower of the few. Some day the title of 
the Society will perhaps be changed to that of the 
Primula Society, and thus in its scope include all 
members of one of the most interesting, as indeed 
one of the most beautiful families of plants that 
decorate our earth in almost every region of the 
globe. 
The limited space at our disposal precludes the 
possibility of our giving a complete list of the awards, 
but we add those made in the leading classes. As 
usual, with twelve show Auriculas, the first prize was 
won by the Rev. F. D. Horner, Lowfields, Burton- 
in-Lonsdale, who staged a very fine lot of flowers, 
nearly all seedlings of his own raising. They -were 
Greyhound, green-edged ; Mrs. Horner, a lovely 
purple self ; Greenfinch, green-edged ; Heroine, 
plum-purple self; Monarch, green-edged; Lynette, 
bluish-purple self; Thebis, grey-edged; Reliance 
Brockhurst, Didsbury, Manchester, being third; Mr. 
C. Phillips, Earley, near Reading, fourth, and the 
Rev. E. L. Fellowes, Wimpole Rectory, Royston, fifth. 
Mr. Henwood had the best pair in Read’s Acme and 
Mellor’s Mrs. Heap, and the other awards in this class 
were taken by Mr. C. Orchard, gardener, Coombe 
Warren, Kingston-on-Thames, the Rev. E. L. Fellowes, 
Mr. W. Bolton, BIr. Brockbank, and BIr. Phillips. The 
competition with fifty plants was confined to BIr. 
Douglas and BIr. Turner, who secured the awards in 
the order named, and who both staged very meritorious 
collections. 
In the Alpine classes, BIr. Turner carried off the 
whole of the .first prizes, his twelve consisting of 
Edith, Philip Frost, Placida, Sunrise, J. J. Coleman, 
Selina, BIrs. Knighton, Duncan, Blungo BIcGeorge, 
Blabel, Viscount, and Troubadour. BIr. Douglas was 
second. The six sent from Slough consisted of Edith, 
Unique, Pallas, Tennyson, BIrs. Lumby, and Placida. 
In this class BIr. Douglas was second, BIr. R. Dean 
