sunny exposures are not as desirable for African violets, during the sum- 

 mer, since damage from too much sun may result. A north or north- 

 east window is usually good. Given the same care otherwise, a plant 

 should bloom all summer. Plants may be grown several years in the 

 same pot, but better results are usually obtained by occasional shifting of 

 plants to larger pots and by starting new plants to take the place of old 

 ones grown too large. New plants are readily propagated by detaching 

 a leaf with petiole and rooting it in water, sand, or soil. Although the 

 African violet has a clumpy type of growth, it is not advisable to use di- 

 vision as a means of propagation. Expert plant growers divide them 

 successfully, but the amateur may lose all the divisions because of a crown 

 rot organism which gains entry through the injured roots or crown. 



Limited trials with the variety Pink Beauty indicate that it is equally 

 easv of culture. The African violet is also available in white, purple 

 shades, and other blue varieties. 



Begonia Semperflorens and Its Varieties 



The begonias comprise the largest and most varied group of plants 

 used in the home. Of the many species, forms and varieties in general 

 usage for house plants, Begonia semperflorens, or the wax-leaf begonia, 

 and its varieties are the most popular. These begonias are more or less 

 everflowering which probably explains their popularity. Their flower 

 color ranges from red and orange-red through the, various shades of pink 

 to white in both single, semi-double, and double flowers. Foliage color 

 ranges from green to deep wine-red and some varieties have speckled or 

 white leaf formations. 



Several varieties of Begonia semperflorens have been tried in New 

 Hampshire homes over a period of three years. The single-flowered 

 varieties are of slightly easier culture than the double-flowered, but the 

 difference is not great. The Calla begonia is somewhat more difficult 

 to grow but some amateur growers have succeeded equally well with 

 the three types. 



The four varieties distributed in as many homes were under observa- 

 tion for periods of two to 15 months, with results as shown in Table I. 



Table I 



Of the nine failures six were caused by overwatering, two by dry- 

 ing, and one failed because of a combination of high temperature and 

 poor light. The two plants of the variety Westport Beauty performed 

 poorly because of lack of sunlight. 



Nineteen 



