THE TUBEROUS BEGONIAS. 



27 



few plants that have improved as much in the past few 

 years at the hands of the hybridizer as the tuberous 

 rooted section of the popular begonia family, and fewer 

 still that present more just claims for admiration, and a 

 more extended cultivation. They have been grown in 

 Europe for several years ; so much so that a few pro- 

 minent houses in England and elsewhere have made a 

 specialty of them, and plants are raised in large quan- 

 tities for the home market as well as a large export 

 trade. Their great 

 range of color and 

 general usefulness 

 have within the 

 past few years 

 made them favor- 

 ites in this coun- 

 try, and their cul- 

 tivation is annu- 

 ally on the in- 

 crease. 



Amongthis class 

 of plants the hy- 

 b r i d i z e r has 

 achieved the ut- 

 most success, the 

 result being flow- 

 ers of both double 

 and single varie- 

 ties o f innumer- 

 a b 1 e shades o f 

 color, from pure 

 white through rose 

 and pink, to in- 

 tense crimson and 

 fiery scarlet, and 

 from the deepest 

 yellow t o tawny 

 brown and bril- 

 liant orange, pre- 

 senting in all a 

 bewildering vari- 

 ety of the most 

 beautiful tints and 

 shades. 



The tuberous 

 begonias are desir- 

 able either a s a 

 summer beddi n g 

 plant or for green- 

 house and conser- 

 vatory decoration through the summer months. If in- 

 tended for out-door cultivation a position where the plants 

 will receive partial shade from the mid-day sun should 

 be selected, also where they will have an abundance of 

 moisture. They succeed well in a rich loam of a loose, 

 friable nature ; if the soil is stiff and clayey a liberal 

 amount of leaf mold and sand should be added. In the 

 northern states it is desirable to start the tubers in pots 

 in the greenhouse and transfer them to the beds in the 

 open ground at the same season as all other tender bed- 



FiG. 3. Double Tuberous Begonia. 



ding plants are set out. We have, however, in this lati- 

 tude, obtained excellent results by planting the tubers in 

 the beds where they are to bloom, after all danger of 

 frost is passed. The tubers are planted not more than 

 three inches below the surface of the bed. Avoid over- 

 watering until they have started into a vigorous growth. 

 A slight mulching of fine manure or other material to 

 prevent the ground from becoming hard, as well as to 

 check evaporation through July and August, will greatly 



benefit them. 



If desired to be 

 grown in pots for 

 the summer decor- 

 ation of the porch 

 or conser v a t o r y 

 the tubers may be 

 started any time 

 after January. 

 Pots just large 

 enough to contain 

 the tuber are suffi- 

 cient for this pur- 

 pose. A little mix- 

 t u r e of fibrous 

 loam, leaf-m o 1 d 

 and sand makes an 

 excellent compost 

 to start them, but 

 a s they advance 

 i n growth more 

 loam should b e 

 used for the final 

 potting, taking 

 care to secure com- 

 plete drainage and 

 never shift into a 

 larger size pot until 

 the growth and 

 vigor of the plants 

 demand it. Liquid 

 manure may b e 

 given to advantage 

 when the plants 

 have received their 

 final shift and the 

 pots become well 

 filled with roots. 

 Keep up a vigor- 

 ous growth when 

 once started; never 



let them get a check from any cause, and remove all 

 old blooms, as soon as they fade, to insure continued 

 flowering. 



Water must be withheld when the plants cease flower- 

 ing, gradually at first, and as they begin to turn yellow 

 it should be withheld altogether. The tubers keep well 

 if packed in sand under a greenhouse bench if not placed 

 too near the pipes. A cellar or closet where frost does 

 not enter will keep them equally well. If by any chance 

 the tubers become shrunken they will regain their former 



