CHT, 1896, BT 



rUOeiSTS' PtlBblSni^C CO., 520-333 Caxton Building, CHIGAGO. 



VoLIL 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 22, 1898. 



No. 43. 



BEGONIA MANICATA AUREA. 



(From advance sheets of the Florists' 



Manual, by "William Scott.) 



This is a variety of this large genus 

 tliat deserves special mention. Mani- 

 ( ata has a fine, green leaf, but is of 



anv place or firm ■who have had an 

 over supply. Like most variegated 

 plants it is of much slower growth 

 than the type. 



Few plants are so satisfactory as a 

 window or house plant, the dry air of 



Begonia. Manicata Aurea. 



little value to a florist, as it occupies 

 much room and the flowers are of no 

 particular value, not being produced 

 in suflicient quantity to be profitable. 

 Manicata aurea, is, however, a most 

 desirable plant and I have yet to see 



a room suiting it fully as well as the 

 more moist atmosphere of the green- 

 house. A native of Mexico, it will 

 thrive in a high temperature, but a 

 winter heat of 55 to 60 degrees will 

 keep It in good order. To bring out 



its rich golden variegation, the leaves 

 being always most irregularly marked, 

 it should not have very rich soiL Pot 

 firmly, and except in the very hottest 

 monliis it should have the full light. 

 Its thick, fleshy, crooked stems are 

 slow to branch and propagation by 

 shoots is too slow, but it will propa- 

 gate from sections of the leaf precisely 

 as do the Rex begonias, either by lay- 

 ing a well developed leaf on the sand 

 and pegging it down, making a cut 

 here and there through the midribs of 

 the leaf, or by cutting up the leaf into 

 small pieces and putting them in the 

 sand. "When you begin steady firing, 

 say in December, is the best time to 

 propagate. 



AMONG BOSTON GROWERS. 



Charles Ctinunings*, Wofaum. 



At Wobum 1 found Mr. SpiUsbury, 

 the efficient foreman for Mr. Ciun- 

 mings, busy buUdlng a new house, 75 

 xis, which he intends to use for vio- 

 let Princess de Galles. He invested 

 heavily in this variety a year ago, and 

 grew it with the California, having 

 picked last season from 600 plants of 

 Galles, and SO<J plants of Calltomia — 

 12<3.O0O flowers — all of Al quality. 



He has this season, however, dis- 

 carded the California, and will plant 

 nothing but the Galles.- These he 

 plants out of doors in the spring and 

 lifts in the fall, transplanting to solid 

 beds. His plants are not quite so 

 large as last season, but are fine and 

 healthy, ilr. C. has four houses be- 

 sides the new one. two of which he de- 

 votes to carnations, planting about 

 0,1X10 plants. One house 17C"x2S wUl be 

 planted to Scotts, Daybreaks, Bradts, 

 Foster and Eldorado; the other house 

 125x30 to Mrs. Fisher. Flora HiU and 

 Daybreak. Another house, 1.50x21. 

 will be nsed for his specialty. Princess 

 de Galles violet. 



In the other house he has planted 

 chrvsanthemums, which are looking 



