168 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
ing; let them receive no check whatever, either from want of 
covering or of water, as they show the effects when they come 
in bloom. Give plenty of air at all opportunities, to prevent 
their drawing and becoming weak, so that they are not able to 
support their trusses of flower. By the end of the second week 
in April, the flowers will begin to expand and show their co¬ 
lours, and the lights must be kept on by day and night, to pre¬ 
vent the heavy rains from washing them or their being tarnished 
by the sun, either of which would spoil their beauty. I generally 
give air by lifting the lights at back of their frames, shading them 
during the heat of the day and shutting them up in the evening. 
When the flowers begin to expand, 1 thin out the crowded pips, 
so as to give room to the others. When my plants are fully 
blown I generally place them under a fence or hedge, elevated 
on boards, or coal ashes, with hand glasses placed over them, as 
in this position they last so much longer in bloom. As soon as 
the flowers begin to fade, if seed is required, care must be taken 
to pick the dead flowers off as soon as they have become dry ; 
then take the plants and place them where they will be shel¬ 
tered from the hot sun and heavy rains till November, when 
they should be placed on a raised platform, and sheltered from 
the heavy rains by boards or shutters, hanging on hinges, to let 
up or down as occasion requires. I generally begin to pot my 
plants about June, or sometimes later; I generally remove the 
offsets about March, because they grow quickest in spring. In 
doing this, care ought to be taken not to rend the main root of 
the old plants, which would often produce canker and rotten¬ 
ness : less injury will arise from a clean cut with a sharp knife 
than from a forcible separation by the fingers. The seed of the 
Auricula should be sown in January, in very light compost, and 
covered very thinly over. The pots should then be placed on 
a little heat, as it will vegetate sooner ; as soon as they are up 
remove them to the greenhouse, and cover with a hand-glass 
till they are hardened off, and when the plants are sufficiently 
large, transplant them into small pots, placing four or five to¬ 
gether in a compost of one. half leaf mould, one quarter cow 
dung, one quarter sandy loam, which I find most suitable for • 
them. 
The principal points to be attended to are, to put plenty of 
broken tiles at the bottom of the pots to secure a good drainage; 
to shorten the tap roots of old or strong plants ; to place them 
