BEGONIA. 41 



of April, when they may be repotted in a rich soil. Use 

 pots sufficiently large to accommodate the tuher without 

 crowding the roots. If wanted for show plants, the 

 pots must be quite large. For a vigorous two-year-old 

 plant a ten inch pot will be necessary. If the plants 

 are to be transferred to the border, a six-inch pot will 

 be sufficiently large to accommodate them until they are 

 planted out. For the greenhouse or conservatory, the 

 tubers should be started as soon as they show signs of 

 growth, which will be early in February. 



Like all other florists' flowers, the varieties of the 

 Tuberous Begonias have been, by crossing and recross- 

 ing, increased to a wonderful extent, so that the named 

 varieties first noticed have been lost sight of. The fol- 

 lowing species are parents of the now popular sorts, or 

 classes, both of the double and single varieties. 



B. boliviensis. Introduced by Messrs. Veitch & 

 Son, London, in 1864. It has small drooping flowers, 

 of a bright cinnabar-scarlet color. 



B. Pearcei So called in honor of Mr. Pearce, 

 the collector for Messrs. Veitch & Son; flowers about 

 one inch to one and one-quarter inches across, clear 

 yellow ; foliage beautifully marbled. 



B. Veitchii This was found in Peru at an eleva- 

 tion of 12,500 feet, and is one of the most beautiful of 

 the species. Its flowers are of an immense size, of an 

 inimitable, vivid vermillion-cinnabar red. 



B. rosseflora. A species of but little value, with 

 flowers of a pale red color. 



B. Davisii. A very dwarf-growing species, with 

 scarlet flowers, and smooth glossy foliage. This has 

 proved of great value to the hybridists, who have, by 

 judicious crossing of this species with other strains 

 derived from the Boliviensis and Yeitchii types, pro- 

 duced a vast number of varieties, both single and double 

 flowered, possessing the characteristics of a remarkably 



