APRIL. 



91 



This mode of lifting trees was acknowledged by Mr. Barron of 

 Elvaston, and other good judges present, to be very ingenious; but 

 as the plan has not yet come much into operation, of course its 

 economy and general applicability have yet to be proved. 



MEMORANDA FROM KEW. 



There are but few gardens, whether public or private, that do not 

 possess some varieties of the interesting and extensive genus Begonia. 

 All the varieties are herbs of a succulent nature, and are remark- 

 able for the great singularity and uniformity of their leaves, which 

 are in most instances one-sided, resembling an ear. Some of them 

 are very pretty, and many of them are exceedingly handsome, both 

 in foliage as well as flower; and when well-cultivated they form a 

 most important feature in hot -house decoration, during the latter 

 part of the winter, and throughout the spring and summer. They 

 are for the most part stove-plants of free growth, in a moderately 

 warm temperature ; they are easily propagated, and are not difficult 

 to manage. To have them in perfection, they should be grown in a 

 light compost composed of a little loam, good turfy peat, leaf-mould, 

 and silver- sand, intermixed with potsherds broken to about the size 

 of a nut, ensuring good drainage, which is particularly essential to 

 this class of plants. Water should be given cautiously at all times 

 to the roots ; never allow them to become at all saturated, or they 

 are liable to die off. Syringing overhead in autumn and winter is 

 injurious to them, and it should be done but very sparingly during 

 summer, except when their leaves can soon become dry : a few of them 

 succeed well in a greenhouse. 



As all the kinds of Begonia are not alike pretty, I have given a list 

 of such as are at present growing at Kew, where they are mostly all 

 in flower, and embrace nearly the whole that are known in cultiva- 

 tion ; the few remaining are but of little importance, except B. pres- 

 toniensis, which is a hybrid with large flowers of an orange-scarlet, 

 rendering it an acquisition to any collection. Being of free growth, 

 when kept in a clean healthy condition, they soon arrive at maturity ; 

 therefore it is obvious that a succession of young plants is necessary, 

 as they always flower best, and are ready to replace the older ones 

 as they dwindle away. 



In constructing the annexed list, the letter d in the third column 

 signifies decumbent, indicating that those species have decumbent 

 creeping stems, consequently they are best adapted for cultivating 

 in shallow pots or pans, as they require surface-room only. Those 

 marked e have erect-growing stems, requiring chiefly head-room; 

 and those marked t are tuberous-rooted, and their stems die down 

 annually. The height is given in feet as corresponding with ordinary 

 good culture ; and the colour of the flower is added, which is a valuable 

 auxiliary to those who wish to form a selection only. 



Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. J- HoULSIOX. 



