270 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



temperature than is required for begonias. This should be 

 between 65 and 75. A moist atmosphere is also essential. 



It is a good plan to preserve the bulbs in silver sand during 

 the winter, and in February to embed them hi fibre refuse in 

 shallow boxes. They must then be kept moist until new shoots 

 two inches long have formed, when they can be potted and grown 

 on in a stimulating heat. 



The gloxinia can be raised from seed if one has sufficient time 

 and patience to attend to the seedlings constantly, but a far 

 easier method of propagation is depicted hi Diagram 43. 



If a matured leaf be removed from the parent plant, and the 

 rib be partially cut through, as at A A in Figure 1, and if the leaf 

 be then turned over and placed on a layer of ashes or fine soil in 

 a box or on the greenhouse bench, as in Figure 2, it will soon pro- 

 duce new bulbs which can be potted up and grown on for another 



The method is quite simple, and provides a sure and certain 

 way of increasing one's stock of plants. 



