A BEGONIA AFTERMATH. 



223 



the tuber, shake them out, cover with dry sand and place 

 in a cellar that will keep a potato in good condition, and 

 I guarantee you will not lose one in a hundred. 



This class of begonias is increased by cuttings very 

 slowly, as the only good cuttings are those produced 

 from the crown of the tuber. Sometimes there may be 

 a few good shoots for cuttings produced from the axils 

 of the leaves below the flower buds. I have a tuber of 

 Prince of Wales, three years old, four inches in diame- 

 ter, which has produced but one shoot each year. My 



carnations reach the sizes of double begonias, Mr. 

 Thorpe's standard of four inches for the ideal carnation 

 will have been passed ! No carnation yet produced 

 equals them in size. None of the writers give any list 

 of named varieties, so I will give a brief description of 

 the best varieties, all of which I have grown and flow- 

 ered : 



Alba Fiiiibriata. (Laing.) Pure white, fully fringed 

 Alba Rosea. (Laing.) Beautiful rose-white center, 

 grand 



Begonia Sch.\rffii, one of the best new "foliage" Begonias. 



practice is to take the cuttings when about three inches 

 long, cut close to the tuber, and put directly into two- 

 inch pots, in sound, leaf-mould and sifted sphagnum in 

 about equal quantities. As soon as the roots fill the 

 pot, shift on as required. Tubers produced from cut- 

 tings are very small the first year, but as long as there 

 is the foundation of a tuber the size of a pea it will make 

 a strong plant the second year. 



One writer speaks of individual flowers of double va- 

 rieties being often as large as carnations. Well, when 



B la III he Duval. (Arnault.) Creamy white, guard 

 petals pink. 



Cardinal Lavigene. (Lemoine.) Rose, shaded sal- 

 mon : have had flowers four inches in diameter. 



Dr. Franz Muller. (Van Houtte.) Rose ; enormous 

 flowers formed of small individual florets. 



Dr. blasters. (Cannell.) Cream, delicately shaded 

 blush ; perfect. 



Felix Crotisse. (Crousse.) Orange scarlet, large 

 flowers. 



