BULl'.S IN POTS, IJOWLS, ANi) GLASSES 



35 



in a warm greenhouse, the young plants will tiower a little 

 during September. As it is very small and powdery, it should 

 be sprinkled thinly on the surface of firm, smooth, sandy soil, 

 and gently pressed in. To avoid the risk of smothering the 

 tiny seedlings it should not be covered with soil, but glass 

 should be laid over the top of the pot or box to check 

 evaporation, and also paper to exclude the light. If the soil 

 should become too dry it should be moistened by immersion, 

 as described for annuals. When the seedlings appear they 



/^ib 



Fig. 59. — Pricking out seedling Begonias, lifting them with a notched 

 match, and making holes for them with a pointed one. 



need more light (not strong sunshine) and fresh air, and when 

 they are large enough they should be pricked out in a box of 

 similar soil, from which, at a later stage, they should be 

 transferred with as little disturbance as possible to small pots. 

 In October, when the foliage begins to change colour, they 

 should be gradually dried off. When the stems drop off, the 

 small tubers may be taken out of their pots, cleaned, and 

 stored in a bag of dry sand where they will be safe from frost. 

 Early in the following March they should be planted again in 

 small pots of light, rich soil, placed in the greenhouse, and 

 watered very little until growth commences. As soon as the 

 pots are filled with roots they should be moved into larger 

 ones, and in order to afford support to the stems, sunk a little 



