THE CANADIAN HOR TIC UL TURIST 



Fig. 158). — Mr. Hcnt. 



ing through the sand. Place the box in a 

 warm position near the glass where the 

 sun at midday does not strike directly 

 on it, and in about a week, or perhaps 

 longer, usually when the tubers show a 

 growth of about half an inch in height, 

 a tuber or two may be carefully lifted 

 from the sand ; if small fibrous roots 

 about an inch long are showing, the 

 tuber can be potted, if no root growth 

 is showing, return the tuber at once 

 into the sand and water thoroughly. In 

 potting the tubers use fairly well drained 

 pots, of a size in proportion to the size 

 of the tuber. A tuber one inch in 

 diameter would require a six-inch pot, 

 and so on, in proportion to its size, 

 some very large tubers would require a 

 nine or even ten-inch pot, as it is best 

 to have the pot large enough for them 

 to flower in, without repotting, as re- 

 potting tuberous begonias in an ad- 

 vanced stage of growth is a delicate 

 and dangerous occupation, however 

 carefully done, and is not really neces- 

 sary. 



Care must be taken in potting the 

 tubers not to injure the young fibrous 



roots by pressing the soil around them 

 too closely ; the best way is to fill the 

 pot nearly full with well prepared, en- 

 riched, dry loamy potting soil, then 

 take out sufficient of the soil in the 

 centre to make a hole, large enough 

 so that the tuber will be barely below 

 the surrounding soil ; sprinkle a hand- 

 ful of dry sand around the tuber to 

 help start root action ; fill around care- 

 fully with the dry soil taken out, so 

 that the tuber barely shows above the 

 top of the soil ; water thoroughly ; if 

 the soil settles to leave the tuber bare, 

 fill in with more dry soil, and water 

 slightly again ; place the box in a warm 

 situation near the glass, partially shaded, 

 water only when appearing dry, which 

 will be seldom until established, then 

 harden off gradually in a slighly lower 

 temperature, as the tuberous begonia 

 does not need a high temperature — 50 

 to 6o° being suitable — to produce stocky 

 plants with good foliage. 



Give the plants a good circulation of 

 air, as the tuberous begonia when well 

 established dislikes a close humid at- 

 mosphere ; in fact I find it best not to 

 syringe or sprinkle the plants overhead 

 at all ; even in the open air, overhead 

 watering is not really desirable, as the 

 peculiar rough, spiney surface of the 

 foliage retains the moisture in a close 

 atmosphere sufficient to spot and rot 

 the leaves ; this peculiarity applies to 

 many other varieties of plants, among 

 them being the gloxinia, gesneria and 

 achimenes. 



I might add though, that unless there 

 is a long spell of continuous wet wea- 

 ther, the tuberous begonia when planted 

 out in beds or borders, stands the rain 

 very much better than geraniums, espe- 

 cially if sheltered a little from sweeping 

 winds. 



The tuberous begonia can be propa- 

 gated from cuttings with fairly good 



152 



