PROPAGATING REX BEGONIAS. 



291 



as advised in the case of the semperflorens section. Gentle heat and a comparatively 

 dry atmosphere suit them best during the winter. 



Begonias with a fleshy root-stock, of which the old B. weltoniensis is a good 

 example, may be increased by division or by cuttings of young shoots obtained from 

 the root-stocks in March or April. A few species form annual stems, at the base 

 of which a cluster of bulbils are produced. The best of these kinds is B. socotrana. 

 The summer is the resting period for these, and if the bulbils are started into growth in 

 heat early in September, plants strong enough to flower freely during the winter 

 should result. 



Varieties of the Eex group are, as a rule, stemless, and can be increased by division 

 just when they are commencing to form new leaves, but the better way to propagate 

 them is by leaf cuttings. Select sound, 

 fully - matured leaves, and prepare 

 them by cutting through the thicker 

 parts of the ribs to be found on the 

 underside (see Fig. 134 a), doing this at 

 six or seven places. Fill shallow pans 

 with sandy soil, surfacing this with 



silver Sand. InSGl't the Stalk SO as to Fig. 134. Raising Begonias from Leaves. 



bring the leaf close down to the Sand, References: a, leaf with ribs marked for cutting; b, 



7 resulting plantlets ; c, young plants separated. 



and either place small pieces of pot- 

 sherds, or insert pegs close to each point where a cut has been made, as shown at b. 

 Place the pan in a temperature of 65° to 75°, shade the leaves from the sun, and 

 keep the soil moist. If these instructions are carefully observed, plantlets will form 

 where the cuts were made and also at the point, where the leaf joins the stem. When 

 these, one of which is represented at c, Fig. 134, have become well rooted, they should 

 be lifted out of the soil and placed singly in small pots, shifting them into larger sizes 

 as they need more root room. The plants succeed in a warm greenhouse, and are effec- 

 tively employed with ferns in furnishing walls of ferneries and conservatories. 



BEGONIA SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 

 As already pointed out there are a largo number of Begonia species and hybrids in 

 cultivation, while the number of varieties is also greatly on the increase. Brief notes on 

 some of the more popular representatives are appended. 



p p 2 



