516 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  23,  189^. 
AURICULAS— ANCIENT  AND  MODERN. 
As  my  earliest  floral  associations  are  connected  with  the  Auricula, 
I  have,  of  course,  from  time  to  time  noticed  any  developments  in  its 
culture,  especially  in  these  later  days,  when  so  much  attention  is  being 
given  to  a  class  of  flowers  which  in  my  earlier  days  were  hardly 
thought  of.  I  mean  the  Alpine  section,  and  what  are  now  called 
Fancy  Auriculas.  Sharing,  perhaps,  the  prejudices  of  the  older 
florists,  these  classes  have  never  “  captured  ”  me.  The  Alpines,  no 
doubt,  are  very  handsome,  and  of  late  years  have  been  wonderfully 
improved;  they  are,  moreover,  much  more  easy  to  cultivate  than 
the  edge  varieties,  and  increase  more  rapidly  ;  tliey  also  seed  very 
freely,  so  much  so  that  one  of  the  best  Auricula  growers  I  ever 
knew  would  not  have  one  of  them  in  his  garden  for  fear  of  con¬ 
taminating  the  seed  of  his  choicer  kinds. 
With  regard  to  what  are  called  the  Fancy  varieties,  they  were 
evidently  those  which  were  known  to  the  old  Dutch  florists,  and 
appear  in' the  flower  paintings  of  many  of  the  Dutch  school.  I 
imagine  that  the  edge  varieties  are  purely  of  English  origin.  The 
oldest  list  that  I  have  seen  contained  only  English  names,  and  of 
those  now  in  cultivation  the  oldest  goes  back  to  tbe  beginning  of 
this  century.  I  have  had  a  list  which  was  compiled  about  150 
years  ago,  but  it  gives  no  indication  as  to  what  classes  the  flowers 
belonged,  and  not  one  of  them  appears  to  have  survived  to  the 
present  time.  The  jealousy  with  which  the  best  varieties  were 
watched  by  their  owners,  the  care  which  was  taken  of  them,  treating 
them  like  spoiled  children  more  than  anything  else,  and  the  extra¬ 
ordinary  composts  in  which  they  were  directed  to  be  grown,  amuse 
those  who  in  these  days  have  adopted  a  more  rational  mode  of 
proceeding. 
That  the  Auricula  will  ever  be  popular,  in  the  same  sense  and  t  > 
the  same  extent  in  which  the  Rose  and  Carnation  are  popular,  is,  I 
think,  very  questionable ;  and  warm  and  deep  as  is  the  love  which 
the  Auricula  grower  has  for  his  favourites,  he  cannot  be  blind  to  th  ■ 
fact  that  all  do  not  see  with  him.  To  many  both  the  form  and  colour 
of  the  flower  are  stiff  and  formal,  and  my  experience  is  that  nine 
persons  out  of  ten  who  come  to  see  a  collection  of  Auriculas  will  pitch 
upon  the  seifs  in- preference  to  the  edged  varieties,  and  the  seifs  are 
certainly  the  least  highly  developed  of  the  four  classes  into  which  the 
Auricula  is  divided. 
The  north  may  certainly  be  regarded  as  more  especially  the  home 
of  the  Auricula.  It  is  amongst  the  weavers  and  cotton  operatives  of 
Lancashire  that  it  had  its  strongest  hold,  and  it  was  not  until  abour 
twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago  that  much  attention  was  paid  to  it  in 
the  south.  In  the  earlier  part  of  the  century  it  is  true  there  were 
many  keen  and  enthusiastic  growers  in  and  around  London,  but  some¬ 
how  or  other  they  had  nearly  all  either  passed  away,  or  abandoned  the 
culture  of  the  flower  for  something  else  ;  but  the  movement  made  to 
institute  a  southern  branch  of  the  National  Auricula  Society  gave  an 
impetus  to  the  culture,  while  the  offering  of  good  prizes  induced 
exhibitors  to  come  forward  ;  still  the  cultivators  are  comparatively 
few,  although  they  have  been  very  enthusiastic  and  successful. 
As  Ave  are  now  arrived  at  the  time  in  which  it  will  b-^  necessary 
without  delay  to  repot  our  plants,  in  nothing  will  the  alteratinns  in 
culture  be  more  manifest  than  in  this  operation.  All  the  nastinesses, 
of  former  days  are  discarded,  and  what  the  Auricula  grower  looks  out 
for  now  is  good  strong  turfy  loam,  such  as  is  obtained  in  the  Downs 
near  Epsom  and  other  similar  localities.  It  is  not  clayey,  and  is  full 
of  fibrous  roots,  which,  after  it  has  been  stacked  for  some  time,  decay, 
and  afford  admirable  material  for  the  purpose.  Three  jiarts  of  this, 
with  one  part  of  well-decayed  cow  manure,  and  one  part  of  leaf  mouhi, 
with  some  sharp  sand,  form  a  compost  in  which  the  plants  flourish. 
There  are  some  growers  who  will  not  treat  all  their  varieties  alike,  but 
give  to  some  more  of  one  of  the  ingredients  than  to  others  ;  they  will 
have  their  little  heaps  of  the  three  kinds  of  soil  used  on  their  potting 
bench,  and  mix  them  according  to  what  they  think  the  plants  require. 
I  have  never  gone  myself  into  such  minute. particulars,  but  have  mixed 
all  the  compost  I  might  require  at  once,  and  used  it  indiscriminately 
for  all  varieties. 
Another  point  which  has  been  more  strictly  insisted  upon  of  late 
years  is  that  of  firm  potting.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  older  florists 
did  practise  this.  Amongst  them  was  that  keen  and  successful  florist 
John  Dickson  of  Acre  Lane,  Brixton,  Avho  was  at  one  time  the  only 
trade  cultivator  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  and  who  raised 
several  varieties,  which  for  a  time  maintained  their  position  in  our 
lists.  They  had,  however,  most  of  them  too  much  body  colour,  and 
did  not  suit  the  more  exact  requirements  of  the  present  day.  In 
potting  them  the  soil  should  be  carefully  pressed  down  as  close  as  is 
possible,  and  too  large  pots  should  not  be  used.  Small  pots  are  more 
desirable  because  the  new  roots  sooner  get  to  the  sides,  and  the 
extension  of  growth  is  encouraged  thereby.  This  would  sound  like 
heresy  to  the  old  Lancashire  growers,  whose  “  moogs  ”  were  6  or 
7  inches  across,  and  proportit>nately  deep,  and  therefore  held  a  large 
quantity  of  material.  After  the  plants  have  been  repotted  they 
should  be  placed  in  a  frame  and  kept  rather  close  for  a  few  days  in  a 
position  in  the  garden  facing  north,  so  that  they  receive  little  sun 
during  the  summer  months.  Air  should  be  'gradually  given  to  them, 
and  growers  are  generally  careful  that  they  should  not  be  exposed  to 
summer  rains,  for  the  Auricula  dreads  wet  more  than  cold,  and  much 
damp,  especially  drip,  is  fatal  to  the  plants. 
Although  the  new  varieties  which  are  added  to  our  lists  are  few  in 
number,  especially  when  compared  with  those  of  other  flowers,  yet  it 
is  abundantly  evident  that  those  Avhich  are  added  put  the  older  ones 
into  the  background.  There  was  a  time  when  Colonel  Taylor, 
Page’s  Champion,  and  Lord  Palmerston  used  to  be  found  amongst  our 
green  edges,  but  I  suppose  Page’s  Champion  is  now  represented  by  a 
very  few  plants,  and  its  delicate  constitution  probably  determines  its 
complete  extinction,  and  such  varieties  as  Rev.  F.  D.  Horner,  Abbd 
Liszt,  and  Mrs.  Ilenwood,  with  their  better  constitution  and  greater 
freed(.m  in  producing  offsets,  have  quietly  pushed  the  others  into  the 
background.  So  it  is  with  the  grey  edges.  Waterhouse’s  Conqueror, 
Oliver’s  Lovely  Ann,  and  Smith’s  Bolivar  have  long  since  given  way 
to  George  Lightbody  (that  best  of  all  Auriculas),  Richard  Ileadly, 
Woodhead’s  George  Rudd,  .and  other  flowers  of  equally  sterling 
character.  In  Avhite  edges  Reed’s  Acme,  Woodhead’s  Mrs.  Dodwell, 
and  John  Simonite,  when  it  can  be  grown,  have  supplanted  many  of 
the  older  varieties;  even  bleep’s  Smiling  Beauty,  that  very  pretty 
white  edge,  has  given  way  before  the  new  comers.  And  so  wit  h 
regard  to  seifs.  The  advent  of  Heroine,  Mrs.  Potts,  and  Black  Be.-is 
has  completely  changed  the  character  of  our  exhibition  stands,  such 
varieties  as  Falkner’s  Hannibal,  Martin’s  Mrs.  Sturrock,  and 
Campbell’s  Pizarro  are  now  not  often  seen. 
I  have  touched  upon  this  subject  because  now  is  about  the  best 
time  to  increase  one’s  stock ;  if  put  oft  till  later  it  will  probably  be 
found  that  the  varieties  you  wish  for  are  not  to  be  had  ;  besides,  it  is 
well  to  get  them  under  your  own  care  during  the  summer  months, 
and  so,  as  I  have  said,  good  common  sense,  and  the  rejection  of  all 
quackeries,  and  of  the  pretence  of  superior  knowledge,  will  recommend 
the  flower  to  many  who  have  hitherto  abstained  from  its  cultivation. 
The  National  Auricula  Society  stands  in  much  need  of  new  sub¬ 
scribers,  and  lovers  of  the  flower  who  may  wish  to  encourage  it  have 
only  to  send  their  names  to  Mr.  T.  E.  Ilenwood,  Auricula  Villa, 
Hamilton  Road,  Reading,  who  will  be  happy  to  receive  them. — 
D.,  Deal. 
A  BRITON  IN  BELGIUM. 
( Concluded  from  page  460.) 
I  WAS  a  little  staggered  to  hear  that  British  Potatoes  are  not 
thought  much  of  in  Belgium,  but  my  feelings  were  not  so  severely 
lacerated  as  to  debar  me  from  doing  full  justice  to  the  small  yelloAV 
Flemish  Potato  known  as  Jaune  de  Flandre,  which  is  bvno  means  a  sort 
bursting  with  flout iness,  but  has  delicious  flavour.  The  fact  is — and 
it  is  a  very  easy  one  to  grasp — the  British  Potatoes  sent  to  the 
Continent  are  the  coarse  market  kidnevs,  not  the  high  flavoured  rounds 
like  Sutton’s  Windsor  Castle  and  Daniel’s  Universal,  or  the  more 
delicate  kidneys  and  pebbles,  like  Webber’s  Beauty,  Duke  of  York, 
and  Veitch’s  Syon  House.  The  foreigners,  together  Avith  some 
“  Experimentalists  ”  at  home,  are  entirely  unaware  of  the  fact  that  we 
have  a  considerable  number  of  sorts  of  splendid  table  quality,  Avhich 
are  not  grown  in  immense  quantities  for  market,  but  are  perfectly 
familiar  to  practical  cultivators  on  a  smaller  and  private  scale.  When 
the  correspondent  who  has  recently  been  adorning  the  pages  of  the- 
Journal  with  opinions  about  Potatoes  which  he  does  not  appear  to 
have  groAvn  takes  the  trouble  to  acquire  some  kuoAvledge  of  the  best 
modern  garden  sorts,  he  will  probably  come  to  the  same  opinion  as 
I  have  done — namely,  that  there  are  excellent  eating  Potatoes  in  as 
well  as  out  of  England.  The  Yellow  Flanders  is  groAvn  on  an  enormous 
scale  in  Belgium.  AVhether  it  can  hold  its  own  here  against  a  large- 
number  of  our  best  sorts,  a  few  months  will  show  me. 
What  is  the  best  potash  fertiliser  ?  This  is  a  question  of  great 
interest  and  no  small  importance.  It  has  cropped  up  recently  in  (he 
discussion  on  Potatoes.  It  will  crop  up  again.  The  chance  that 
threw  me  into  the  hands  of  Mi'.  Chas.  Van  Geert  at  AntAA’crp  Avas  in 
every  respect  a  fortunate  one,  for  this  cultured  and  hospitable 
Belgian  was  able  to  combine  the  interest  of  a  very  line  tree  and 
shrub  nursery  Avith  the  results  of  many  years’  experimental  work  in 
plant  feeding.  He  has  an  opinion  of  his  own  about  manuring,  and  he 
expresses  it  Avith  a  conviction  far  naore  impressive  than  the  opinions  of 
arm-chair  theorists.  The  theory  and  practice  of  Mr.  Van  Geert  is  to 
rely  upon  stable  manure  for  mechanical  and  nitrogenous  action,  but 
not  for  phosphates  and  potash,  Avhich  must  be  applied  as  supplements. 
So  far,  perhajis,  there  is  nothing  particularly  noteAAmrthy,  but  Avheh  Ave 
find  out  the  special  fertilisers  chosen  and  the  manner  in  which  the 
manuring  is  done,  we  learn  something  not  Avithout  significance.  The 
phosphatic  manure  used  is  bone  powder,  the  potash  one  is  the  much- 
