DCCBMBEB 10, 1914. 



The Rorists' Review 



49 



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The Lorraiae Begonia Never Loses its Popularity With the Better Class of Christmas Flower Buyers. 



the meeting in Boston of the Society of 

 American Florists. The lists were sim- 

 ply to show where the plants wore lo 

 cated and were prepared for the infor- 

 mation of donors and the use of inter- 

 ested persons visiting the garden. 



• The arrangement of beds, as yellow 

 tea, pink tea, etc., was tentative, but 

 promises to work satisfactorily. The 

 assignment to the beds was ma<le en- 

 tirely from catalogue description. This 

 was taken from the donors ' catalogues 

 where practicable, and where not, from 

 catalogues of other reliable firms. The 

 breaks in the beds were caused bv the 

 inability of some firms to supply all the 

 plants they had expected to send. The 

 varieties with what might be called 

 mongrel descriptions were distributed 

 with the color to which they were most 

 nearly akin, as far as descri})tions would 

 suggest and space permit. 



Places were only provided for teas, 

 hybrid perpetuals and climbers, and 

 other sorts were placed just wherever 

 there happened to be room, as, for ex- 

 ample, dwarf polyanthas, which are 

 planted at several points. It is intended 

 to transplant varieties as soon as prac- 

 ticable after it is found they are not 

 properly placed in the scheme adopted. 



The list must not be taken as a rec- 

 ommendation by the Department of Ag- 

 riculture, either as to adaptability or 

 color, but merely as a record of where 

 the different varieties are growing. The 

 rose garden has not yet been under way 

 six months, and so, of course, the studies 

 have hardly begun. It will require sev- 

 eral seasons' observations before any 

 conclusions can be reached. Sugges- 

 tions are at all times most welcome, as 

 it is desired to arrange the garden so as 

 to be as instructive as possible. 

 P. L. Mulford, 

 U. S. Dept. of Afrriculture. 



BEGONIA SOIL UNSUITABLE. 



Will you telK me what is the mattei 

 witli my Lorraine and Cincinnati Ire 

 goniasf 1 bought .i-inch stock in the 

 last part of September and they were 

 fine, healthy looking plants. 1 planted 

 them carefully in soil containing equal 

 parts of clay, leaf-mold and sand, with 

 a little sheep fertilizer and bone meal. 

 They ha>e not grown a bit and the 

 leaves are now getting broWn' spots al! 

 over them. .\ few of them are begin 

 niiig to show bloom. The Chatelaines 

 bought and potted at the same time are 

 doing well. The plants are all in a 

 north bench. I shall be glad to know 

 what to do, as 1 am anxious to Ka\ e 

 them if possible. C. D. .1. 



The comi)ost selected for your be 

 gonias was not suitable. Equal parts 

 of clay, leaf-soil and sand are ba<i 

 enough, but the bone meal is worst of 

 all. The soil the Cincinnatis and Lor 

 raines thrive best in is a light one. 

 If you had made it equal parts of flakj- 

 leaf-mold, which means leaf-soil not 

 too much decayed, loam and dried cow 

 manure, with a dash of sharp sand,' you 

 would have had an ideal compost. If 

 you had no cow manure, the sheep ma 

 nure would have answered, provided 

 vou used not over six quarts of it in a 

 bushel of compost. You do not say how 

 much of a shift you gave the begonias. 

 This and the watering would have much 

 to do with their condition. The plants 

 now should have the fullest sunshine 

 and ought to have had it for some 

 weeks back. I doubt whether, at this 

 late date, you can do much toward im- 

 proving your plants. 



The fact that Gloire de Chatelaine, 

 a purely fibrous-rooted begonia, grew 

 satisfactorily is not surprising. This 

 particular sort, in common with forms 



(if Erfordii, W'tuou and iiniiinosa, will 

 grow in almost any soil. It is a much 

 hardier and tougher variety than Lor- 

 raine or ("incinnati, both of which have 

 some H. Socotrana blood in then'. 



C. VV. 



GERMINATING MAGNOLIA SEEDS. 



I should like to know how to start 

 the seed of Magnolia grandiflorju How 

 do you get it to germinate, by filing? I 

 have tried to start these seeds several 

 times, but have failed to do so. G. T. 



Pick th^ seeds as soon as they are 

 ripe. Put them in dry sand until Feb- 

 ruary, then in moist sand for a fort- 

 night. The resinous covering can then 

 be washed off. Sow the seeds in Hats 

 or any ordinary greenhouse, and pot 

 otr singly when they have made their 

 second leaves. Shift to larger pots as 

 required. Follow these instructions and 

 you should have no trouble in germi- 

 nating your seeds. C. W. 



BEGONIA LEAVES WITHERING. 



I have a Rex begonia the leaves of 

 which are dry at the edges and I am at 

 a loss to know what to do for it. I 

 have given it new soil and the needed 

 moisture and warmth. If there is a 

 remedy for this, I should be glad to 

 have you tell me of it. H. A. C. 



Since Rex begonias are of such easy 

 culture, it seems evident that either 

 the plant has been allowed to become 

 too much potbound and dried out at 

 the root, or has been subjected to a 

 drying, arid atmosphere. Give the plant 

 a position in a warm, moist house and 

 it should soon improve. C. W. 



