42 THE TUBEROUS BEGONIA. 



If, however, the seedlings, from want of room, lateness, or any other cause, are 

 not to be planted out, they may be potted off singly into "thumbs," or small 

 60-sized pots (2 or 3-inch), from the store pots or pans, or as soon as they have 

 gained sufficient strength. If placed on a board or slate staging, or, better still, 

 a shelf near the glass in a nice growing atmosphere and slightly shaded, they will 

 soon fill these pots. Now shift them into 48's (5-inch pots), or if room is 

 limited, put the best into this size, and the smaller ones into a size smaller, say 

 4-inches, in which they will soon show for bloom, and make nice little plants and 

 fair-sized tubers, if well attended to and fed with some liquid manure when the 

 pots become filled with roots. 



Seedling Begonias may be potted on into larger pots up to about the middle 

 of August, after which it is better to give them no more root-room, but to keep 

 up the vigour by supplies of liquid nourishment. Plants that are potted thus 

 late will continue to bloom nearly up to Christmas, if afforded a gentle heat when 

 the cool autumn days and nights arrive, and more particularly if they have the 

 farther advantage of a light roomy house with not too much moisture about. In 

 case all the plants cannot be potted on, it is possible, and as a rule by no means 

 difficult to a practised eye, to select the best before they come into bloom. A 

 good Begonia may usually be perceived while in quite a small state by the bold, 

 finely-shaped foliage, not much pointed, in the single forms at least, clean stems, 

 and when these appear, wide, circular outlined buds, usually flat and thick. In 

 matters of this kind, however, a little practice is worth more than a lot of 

 directions. 



POTTING ON AND SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT. 



ANY of the small plants that look promising should be potted on at once, and 

 after keeping close for a few days, grow on with plenty of air and slight shade 

 in any light structure. Such plants as these, raised in good time, and potted 

 somewhat firmly in rich, open, loamy soil, with good treatment make grand 

 decorative specimens in 48's and 32's, coming into bloom in June, July, or 

 August, according to the time the seed was sown. Fine plants in 5 -inch pots, 

 18 inches high from the pots, and nearly a foot through, have frequently been 

 had in full bloom by the end of June from seed sown in January, but these 

 were specially grown and pushed on rather rapidly ; under ordinary treatment 

 plants will not attain this size until July or August. When in full bloom 

 these pot-plants may of course be labelled and described for future use in the 

 same way as those grown in the open ground. 



Towards autumn a very full exposure to the free air will be found to have 

 a marked effect upon the development of large and sound tubers ; in fact, if 

 the production of fine tubers is an object, it is strongly to be recommended 

 that the plants be stood out-of-doors altogether, on a bed of ashes or some 

 slates, during August and September, in a sunny spot, and, if possible, some- 

 what protected from strong winds. This treatment will cause the tubers to 



