THE TUBEROUS BEGONIA. 



29 



the future he should rely a great deal more on begonias 

 and violas than he had hitherto done. Of course it is 

 necessary to grow the plants on in a cool house slowly 

 and get them thoroughly hardened before planting out, 

 and to select situations where the soil is not cold and 

 heavy. The more the beauty and usefulness of both the 

 begonia and viola become known, the more generally 

 will they be used for summer and autumn decoration. 

 — Gardening World. 



Tuberous Begonias. — Just now tuberous begonias are 

 attracting the flower loving and flower buying public to 

 a greater extent than ever before, even though the half 

 is not known. The reason, however, is obvious to anyone 

 acquainted with these plants and their habits. A be- 

 gonia is one of the most gorgeous, prolific and persis- 

 tent blooming plants we have. It blooms from seed 

 in four months, and continues smothered with flowers 

 for months. A few remarks on growing them from seed 

 may be in order. 



Get good fresh seed from a reliable firm. Do not buy 

 it until January 20, because you will be more likely to 

 obtain new seed at this time than earlier. Sow about 

 February 15, when nature is awakening for the new 

 year. Sow one or two packets in a five or six-inch pot, 

 filled to within half an inch of the top with good, fib- 

 ous, peaty soil, nearly one half sand ; some pulverized 

 moss, say one eighth by bulk, will help it. Mix all 

 thoroughly, and run through a coarse sieve if you have 

 one. Scatter the seed evenly over the surface and 

 press the surface down evenly with a small piece of 

 of wood. Sprinkle thoroughly with a hand sprinkler, 

 without washing, and set in a warm place with a pane 

 of glass over the pot. The glass should be raised about 

 an inch on one side during the day. At night put it 

 down close. In the morning wipe off all the moisture 

 that collects on the glass over night. Keep the soil 

 always moist ; do not let it get perfectly dry for a mo- 

 ment. 



Two weeks after the seed comes up is the most crit- 

 ical time for damping or drying off. When the little 

 plants are about the size of the end of a lead pencil, hav. 

 ing two leaves and the third one just starting, take the 

 point of a stick and prick them out about half an inch 

 apart in other pots, filled with the same kind of soil. 

 After the leaves are hardened and about half an inch 

 in diameter, put one plant in a three-inch pot. When 



this plant has grown so that it nearly covers the top of 

 the pot, shift it into a five-inch pot, if you want it to 

 flower in that size. 



If wanted to grow in a frame or bed outside, trans- 

 plant directly from the three-inch pot into soil well pul- 

 verized and well manured. Raise the beds a little so 

 the water will not stand around the bulbs. Buy your 

 bulbs any time from February to May ist for bedding ; 

 plant outside about May 15 in beds slightly raised, well 

 manured, and thoroughly pulverized. The bulbs should 

 be set about three inches deep and six inches apart. 



If you want an early display of flowers start the 

 bulbs in pots about April i, planting from the pots 

 about May 20, as foliage will be a little tender. The 

 plarits will soon begin to flower and will continue cov- 

 ered with bloom until touched by frost. They can be 

 taken up in pots before a heavy frost and will continue 

 to bloom inside for some months. The bulbs must be 

 rested a few months each year. When dug up from the 

 beds after the frost has killed the foliage, spread them 

 out in dry boxes in a dry place, cutting the stem off 

 close to the bulbs. After the ground and roots have 

 become powder dry, the bulbs should be rubbed and 

 made perfectly clean. The stem should be cleaned off 

 close, or the moisture from its decay will sometimes 

 start the bulb to rot. After the bulbs are clean, store 

 them in sawdust or dry sand, in a dry cellar or any 

 other moderately warm place. 



The value of tuberous begonias may be seen at once, 

 not only because they yield an immense number of flow- 

 ers, but they can be used for so many purposes ; and at 

 any time you wish to have flowers, by a little care you 

 can have them in full glory. The bulbs are very easy 

 to keep and to grow, they last a length of time, and 

 improve for many years. The plants are at once showy, 

 easy of cultivation, and cheap. They can be gotten 

 from most any good dealer at very moderate prices. 

 Try a dozen or more of single mixed varieties first. Next 

 season try some singles under color ; they make a beau- 

 tiful contrast for bedding. Then further try the double 

 varieties. These are much more expensive, but really 

 not beautiful enough to be worth the higher price usu- 

 ally charged. Still, some of the named varieties are won- 

 derful to behold ; but these sorts cost to-day from fifty 

 cents to a dollar each ; for specimen plants they are 

 really worth it. — E. V. Hallock, Long Island . 



