56 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



afterwards, give all the encouragement you can afford, fostering the 

 lawful ambition and desire to surpass and excel your neighbour; 

 and whether your plants should grace an exhibition table or not, 

 bear in mind if a plant is worth growing it is worth growing well. 



CONCEENINa BEGONIAS. 



a class of plants there are few which deserve our atten- 

 tion more than the Begonia, interesting at all seasons 

 of the year, either for beauty of foliage or gracefulness 

 of flower. In noting a few observations upon their 

 culture, etc., I prefer dividing them into two classes — 

 foliage decoration, the other for prolificacy of bloom, 

 because their culture should be somewhat different. I do not know 

 that anything new can be advanced upon their general management, 

 but with all beginners there must be line upon line, precept upon 

 precept. " It's only a Begonia " is the common reply of many of 

 our grade to any question about it, and it is the subject of neglect, 

 and used merely as a stop gap to fill up vacant places between others 

 bearing a more aristocratic definition. February is a good time to 

 commence with the foliage class. Prepare five-inch pots by first 

 washing them, then place an inverted three-inch pot in the centre, 

 and fill round with broken pieces of pot to the height of the inside 

 pot; place a piece over the hole of the inverted pot, shake a layer of 

 the very smallest crocks (not dust) over the whole, which will bring 

 it level with the bottom of inside pot, leaving nearly two inches for 

 soil, then a thin layer of moss, which will keep the soil from washing 

 away the drainage. Before using moss for such purposes, it should 

 be steeped in boiling water to clear it of insect life and render it 

 sweet ; this done, you have a pot drained to perfection. Prepare 

 a mixture of one part loam, half part peat, half part leaf-mould, 

 and half part silver sand, well incorporated together ; fill up the 

 pot with this, slightly make firm, insert two stout leaves of a sort 

 with about half an inch of foot stalk, deep enough to keep erect without 

 covering the collar, this being the part from which the future plant 

 will emerge, water gently, and place in a temperature fluctuating 

 between 70" and 90°, giving a slight sprinkle occasionally over head, 

 and guard against the rays of the sun. When the crown is well 

 up they will be rooted freely, and will require more water. Now 

 prepare some eight-inch pots by thorough draining as above to the 

 depth of two inches without the inverted pot ; the soil should be 

 one part loam, one peat, one leaf-mould, and half part silver sand, 

 well incorporated. Turn out carefully, remove the crocks, but not 

 displacing any soil, pot pretty firm if the soil is in good condition, 

 and does not bind. Eemove to the same temperature as before, 

 water carefully till the pot is full of roots, after which more bounti- 

 fully at every third or fourth watering. A dose of clear liquid 

 manure water will do wonders for them. In the course of four or 

 five months from the time the leaves were put in they will be fit 



