THE BEGONIA. 135 



on the one side with the fibrous-rooted section, giving us such mag- 

 nificent begonias as Gloire de Sceaux, Gloire de Lorraine, and Triomphe 

 de Lemoine ; and on the other side with the tuberous section, giving rise 

 to the pretty one-sexed varieties, John Heal, Adonis, Winter Gem, Julia, 

 Ensign, and Myra. Between the years 1880 and 1894, through the 

 efforts of Messrs. Haage and Schmidt, of Germany, and Bruant, of 

 France, many excellent begonias were introduced. Among them we 

 find B. Haageana, Scharffiana, Credneri, Schmidiiana, and Erfordii. 



A begonia that is likely to prove interesting, if crossed with the 

 tuberous varieties, was introduced in 1890. It is B. Baumannii. The 

 seed was sent to Herr Baumann, of Bolwiller, in 1886, by its discoverer, 

 Dr. Sacc, from Cochabamba, in Bolivia. It is described as plentiful 

 in the moist valleys of the Cordilleras, where it is eaten by cattle. The 

 plant is said to be of easy culture and to be in flower nine months of the 

 year. The most remarkable thing about it is that it has a very sweet 

 perfume, being the only known tuberous variety to give off any odor. 

 It is also said to he well suited to house culture. This begonia was 

 distributed by Lemoine, of France, in 1890, but unfortunately it is 

 rarely seen in America. 



Otto Froebel, of Zurich, Switzerland, for whom the pretty, brilliant, 

 scarlet-flowered, tuberous variety B. Froebeli was named, has intro- 

 duced a number of remarkable forms, such as B. Mont Blanc, the 

 first erect-flowered, bulbous begohia sent out in 1876. In the Swiss 

 Gardener's Almanac for 1895 are to be found all the begonias introduced 

 and sent out by him, but the writer has so far been unable to secure 

 a copy. 



BEGONIAS OF AMERICAN TNTRODUCTIOX. 



The species and varieties so far mentioned have all been of European 

 introduction. Let us now for a few minutes look into the introduc- 

 tion of the begonias by American florists. Perhaps the best known is 

 B. Feastii, a cross between B. manicata and Uydrocotylifolia, which 

 was introduced by John Feast, of Baltimore, about 1880. Another 

 interesting species is B. Sauli, named after one of the oldest nursery- 

 men and florists of Washington, D. C., John Saul (now deceased). 

 The seed was sent to him from Guatemala, in 1894. The plant proved 

 to bo like 5. Feastii, but differed from it in having a distinct red 

 sinus at the junction of the petiole and leaf. This neat little begonia 

 is well worthy of extensive cultivation, and should appear in every 

 florist's catalogue: 



A few years ago, E. G. Hill & Co., of Kichmond, Ind., introduced 

 B. coronata, a cross between carolinaefoUa and polyantha. It is a 

 strong-growing hybrid, with large-lobed leaves and pale pink, drooping 



