THE FLORAL IVORLD 



5 



due to diseased roots coming from 

 poor or no drainage. It is a very im- 

 portant thing to have good drainage 

 for all plants. Begonia cuttings 

 should be rooted in clean sand, which 

 should be kept warm and moist. Also 

 give them a light, spongy soil, keep 

 them moderately moist and not in too 

 strong sunlight. They should be 

 turned about often, so the light can 

 get at all sides of them. 



The tuberous begonias do better in 

 the pots in which they grew during 

 the summer. Let them get quite dry 

 and keep them so until in March re- 

 pot and start into new growth. They 

 should have a rich soil composed of 

 sand and leaf mold, and should be re- 

 potted as often as the roots become 

 crowded. 



Pa. Mrs. Edna Janet Gray. 



SOME FINE PLANTS. 



Oh, those beauties! What are they, 

 and how do you make them so lovely? 

 First, they are the grand bangainnil- 

 liea sanderiana, begonias, coral gem, 

 ferns and palms, draceanea "S," and 

 the splendid hybrid geraniums. Sec- 

 ond, I take pots just a size larger than 

 the plants to be potted, provide plenty 

 of drainage, to two-thirds coarse sand 

 add one-third soil and a tablespoon of 

 fertilizer, mix well, set plants a little 

 deeper than at first, water well and 

 keep from sun and wind until plants 

 rebound, then give morning sun. This 

 is right for all but palms. They re- 

 quire a heavy soil, pack with a stick, 

 and do not cover bulb. And those 

 lovely asparagus! When two inches 

 iiigh they were transplanted to four- 

 inch pots and now you see such great 

 beautiful plants covered with bloom. 

 Palms and ferns grow better under a 

 shelter that the sun and rain can filter 

 through. 



Georgia. Mrs. Allan Mamble. 



"There is rest and sweet enchant- 

 ment in the shadow of a fern." 



A SPECIMEN BEGONIA. 



I like to grow a plant that I can 

 feel proud of — one that is handsomer 

 than everybody's else, and I must 

 write you about my pet, a begonia 

 Weltoniensis Rubra. It is now five 

 or six years old, but was no larger 

 than my finger when I got it. I potted 

 it in good garden soil, into which I 

 had worked some sand and well-rotted 

 manure, keeping it well watered and 

 sitting in a shady place during sum- 

 mer, and repotting whenever the 

 roots began to fill the soil. It now 

 fills a wooden tub holding about a 

 bushel of earth. 



When winter comes on I set it in a 

 well-lighted frost-proof cellar, water- 

 ing sparingly, and the leaves and part 

 of the stem fall off, showing a great 

 clump of knotted tubers on top of the 

 soil. Early in spring I cut off the rest 

 of the stems and bring up to the light 

 and heat, when it starts rapidly into 

 growth, sending the shoots out so 

 thickly that by early summer it is a 

 solid half sphere of silky green leaves 

 and waxy pink flowers, extending 

 way out over the sides of the tub. 



N. Y. Mrs. Nelson Pieff Jr. 



FERNS. 



Yes, ferns; you can have in your 

 windows if you wish. I have always 

 grown them, so why not you? I use 

 almost all pure leaf mold with char- 

 coal for drainage. You can also use 

 nearly all manure if it is old and well 

 rotted. They like a little sun also. I 

 keep a very large sword fern at the 

 south window in my bedroom, where 

 it gets full sun in winter, and it is 

 simply grand. Let me tell you what 

 varieties I have which are all good 

 and are easy to grow. Nephrolepsis 

 Bostoniensis, Forcans Compacta, As- 

 plenium with wedge-shaped leaves, 

 Ad'iantum Cuneatum, Gracillimum,. 



