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would amply repay the most tedious care. To grow 
these plants well, the soil should be composed of one part 
of sandy loam, one part peat, one part leaf mold and well 
decomposed manure, and one part sand. During the 
Summer months they require an abundance of water at 
the root to prevent the edges of the leaves becoming 
brown, which is a great disfigurement to them, but in 
Winter much less must be given. A frequent sprinkling 
or syringing of the foliage to keep them clean greatly 
enhances their beauty; also a good shady position must 
be afforded them, as the coloring of the leaves is not near 
as vivid when exposed to the full sunlight in Summer 
as when grown in the shade. In fact the finest plant of 
Begonia Rex we ever saw grew under a bench in a con- 
servatory, where the roots had ample scope and a gleam 
of sunshine never struck it. All the varieties of Rex are 
easily propagated either by stem cuttings or by leaves; 
in the latter case the leaves must be laid upon the propa- 
gation bed and the primary veins cut in numerous places, 
using a few pieces of broken pots or stone to keep the 
leaves pressed firmly to the sand, and in a short time 
numerous plants will spring up all around to reward the 
operator. The older and more matured leaves are best 
for this purpose; they are not as likely to damp off as the 
younger and more tender leaves. About two-thirds of 
the leaf may be cut away, and insert the leaf stalk in the 
sand or propagation box as you would an ordinary cut- 
ting, and in this way it will root and produce a fine plant, 
but this is something of a waste, as several plants can be 
raised from one leaf by laying it flat upon the surface of 
the sand or propagating material as before stated, and 
only one plant is generally secured by the other method 
given. The Begonia Rex produces a charming effect 
planted amongst Ferns. The moist air necessary for the 
