POTTED FLOWERING PLANTS 331 , 



carried through the summer in the same way as described 

 for other plants in this group. 



495. Summer-flowering or tuberous-rooted begonias. 

 Tuberous-rooted begonias are of less commercial impor- 

 tance than the semi-tuberous group. They are used some- 

 what for summer sale. They aid in making conservatories 

 and store windows attractive, and in some instances are 

 successfully used for outdoor bedding. 



Habitat. Mostly from Mexico and South America. 



496. Propagation. The tuberous-rooted begonias are 

 grown entirely for summer bloom, and the best plants are 

 produced from two-year-old tubers. They may be se- 

 cured from the larger seed-houses, and cost approximately 

 six dollars a hundred. For early flowering, the tubers 

 should be started in February or March, in shallow boxes 

 of sandy loam, and in a temperature of 60 to 65. Tuber- 

 ous-rooted begonias may be grown from seeds, but they are 

 not as satisfactory the first year as those grown from tu- 

 bers. Seeds are usually sown in shallow pans in March. 

 The soil should be very finely sifted, and composed of one- 

 half leaf-mold and one-half sandy loam. The seed is very 

 fine and should be scattered thinly, then pressed into the 

 soil, which will be sufficient covering. The pans should 

 be covered with glass and paper for a few days, and kept 

 in a temperature of not less than 70. As soon as the 

 plants appear the paper should be removed, and when the 

 young plants have roots about a quarter of an inch long, 

 they should be put into boxes of nicely prepared soil. 



497. Culture. As soon as the roots have developed, and 

 the leaves are appearing from the tops of the tubers, they 

 should be potted into three-inch pots. In this potting, 

 considerable well-rotted manure should be added to the 

 sandy loam, and when the root system has become es- 



