376 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
AURICULAS* 
These flowers seem to be increasingly 
popular, and perhaps it may be of some 
value if an “ old hand gives a few of his 
ideas to those who wdsh to start growing 
them. There is no need to spend a great 
deal of money in order to form a collec¬ 
tion, for, as in other flowers, many of the 
cheapest varieties are also the best. Let 
us take the grey-edged class first. Here 
George Lightbody, a variety raised over 50 
years ago by Mr. Headley, is still pre-emi¬ 
nent ; this, along with G^rge Rudd and, 
perhaps, a few plants of Marmion, are all 
that a (beginner need obtain. In white 
edges he must have Acme, Conservative, 
and Heather Bell. In green edges Mrs. 
Henwood, Shirley Hi'bberd, and Abraham 
Barker are cheap. In seifs he needs no¬ 
thing but (Mrs. Potts and Ruby; still 
cheaper. If he grows these well he can face 
any competitor on the show table. 
But he may want more variety, so let 
we \A'ant the blues bluei', the reds redder, 
and the blacks blacker, it is best to keep the 
three colours apart. I would advise would- 
be seedling raisers to try the following 
crosses: 
G. Lightbody x Olympus. 
G. Rudd X G. Lightbody. 
Lancashire Hero x G. Rudd. 
Shirley Hibberd x Mrs. Henwood. 
Mrs. Henwood x Prince Charming. 
Acme X Mrs. Dodwell. 
Acme X Conservative. 
Mrs. Potts X Favourite. 
Mikado x Mrs. Phillips. 
Harrison Weir x Ruby. 
Daffodil X Buttercup. 
James W. Bentley. 
MORISIA HYPOG^A. 
Few will question the opinion that Mori- 
sia hypogsea is one of the most beautiful 
of our alpine plants, or will dispute the 
view of those who hold that every col- 
24, iSi’ 
people who have grown it becoim' r 
and more chary of asserting that i* 
long liver, although it is certainly i.a"' ‘ 
and perennial. 
The wuiter knows of good culuva- 
who cannot letain Morisia hypogiea C 
out propagation for more than U. 
three years. Others, again, can couir^- 
lives of some of their plants up to 
or eight years, yet, with hardlv an ex.v; 
tion, these cultivators admit that it ?.!• 
absolutely reliable, and that it is \w*’ • 
keep a spare young plant or two fc-r v. 
placement, if necessary. It appeal^ r 
matter little whether the soil be of .'I'n. -• 
pure sand or of a richer character; t? 
Morisia may succumb in a year or two . 
may survive for several years. There .’.r. 
doubtless, some cultivators who inav tr^. 
verse this statement, but it has been .i.;. 
vanced after long personal experien- 
and comparison of that of others wbr- 
knowledge is entitled to oonsiderati-r 
Generally speaking, a light, welWrain-i 
CHELSEA SHOW—PART OF ROCK AND WATER GARDEN. 
Constructed by Messrs. Wallace and Co., Colchester. 
him purchase Lancashire Hero and Olym¬ 
pus to add to his greys; Traill’s Beauty and 
Mrs. Dodwell to his whites ; Ossian, Orient, 
and Prince Charming to his greens; 
Mikado, Harrison Weir, Mrs. Phillips, 
Favourite, and Miss Barnett, to his seifs; 
and, if he has a liking for a yellow^ self, as 
I have, let him add Daffodil to the list. 
Every auricula grower worth his salt 
raises seedlings. I do, and although I have 
not “ set the Thames on fire” yet I still 
go on, for the pleasure of seeing seedlings 
bloom is very groat. I have been raising 
seedlings for more years than I care to 
^unt, and my experience teaches me that 
it is best to keep greys to greys, whites 
to whites, seifs to seifs; and in the seifs as 
lection of such flowers of any pretensions 
should include this charming dwarf plant. 
It is very delightful, with its flat rosettes 
of finely-cut, shining leaves, and its bright 
little yellowr flowers close set in the foliage, 
which so well displays the brightness and 
beauty of the little blooms. It is, indeed, 
a plant worthy of all praise. AVhen we 
come, however, to speak of its cultivation, 
we are on more doubtful ground. It is 
not a troublesome plant in the ordinary 
sense of the term, but it is uncertain, and 
those of us who wondered at first that it 
has been lost to cultivation for years be¬ 
fore its re-introduction, can understand 
why this w’as the case. What its duration 
of Hfe may be is difficult to tell, but most 
soil of almost pure sand 
pogsea best, and there it is 
sow itself. , is 
Its propagation by root-cu n 
In early spring or in ‘its roots c" * 
be lifted, and a portion ^hem’ 
ployed as root cuttings, 0 inserti^’:- 
into lengths of about ‘ pan 
them in sandy soil, with ^ done 
at the level of the soil. ^ top^ 
spring, it should be ^i'show sigf 
wnicii snouiu 00 repotted 
the cutting pot may ^ P 
into smaller pots and gm ^ 
before planting out. 
