THE 
F L ORIS T ’ S J 0 U R N A L. 
June, 1843 . 
ON THE AURICULA. 
WITH AN ENGRAVING OF DICKSOn’s MATILDA. 
At page 50 of our Third Volume, we entered upon a detailed 
account of the management of Auriculas, which makes it un¬ 
necessary to extend the present article beyond a brief outline of 
some of the more important points connected with them. 
The improvement in this delightful spring flower within the 
last few years has been in a corresponding ratio to the general 
advance of every species of horticultural pursuits. Really good, 
new flowers make their appearance every season, and as a con¬ 
sequence the inferior kinds disappear, every cultivator finding 
it his true interest either to undertake the raising of seedlings 
himself, or to encourage their production in other hands. To 
such an extent has this improvement already reached that 
nearly one half of the old varieties, sorts that but a little time 
since were deemed invincibles, are now obliged to give way, 
and their places are filled by new and superior flowers. 
It was at one time thought sufficient if a flower possessed a 
tube well filled by the thrum or anthers, with the paste and 
ground colour proportionate to each other, without any regard 
to the form or disposition of either. Now, however, the standard 
embraces all the previous qualities with the addition that the 
eye, paste, colour, and edge, should be relatively proportionate; 
the three latter to occupy each a third- of the flower, without 
either running into or encroaching on the other; the outline of 
each must also be circular, not angular or starry as it is termed, 
it being deemed at once fatal if the paste assumes the angular 
form or the colour runs throur’ the edging to the margin of the 
31 
VOL. IT. NO, VI. 
