THE CULTIVATED SPECIES OF BEGONIA. 



169 



and afterwards became the property of Messrs. J. Veitcli & 

 Sons. The beautiful and extremely valuable hybrids obtained 

 by Messrs. Veitch by crossing this species with the Andean 

 tuberous-rooted kinds are another addition to the many suc- 

 cesses in hybridisation achieved by them. How important a 

 part B. socotrana is destined to play in the production of new 

 races of Begonias it would not be easy to say. It has crossed 

 freely with the tuberous-rooted kinds, and we have seedlings at 

 Kew raised from it crossed with B. geranioides, and others which 

 combine it and B. Frcebeli. The great desideratum now in the 

 way of a Begonia is a plant or race which will combine the 

 evergreen shrubby habit of the one section with the large flowers, 

 beautiful colours, and the other good qualities of the tuberous- 

 rooted kinds. No one has had any success in that direction yet, 

 and it may be that a direct cross between the two cannot be 

 obtained. There may, however, be other ways than the direct 

 one. By paying attention to the characters of the genus 

 generally, and crossing those species which are nearly affined, 

 the breeder may ultimately succeed in so mixing up and fusing 

 together the various characters of the genus as to win at the 

 same time the anathema of the botanists of the old school and 

 the eternal gratitude of the horticulturists of to-day and of all 

 time. I am disposed to believe that the cross-breeding of plants 

 will develop into a science which, instead of depending as it 

 does to a large extent now on haphazard shots, will work upon 

 scientific lines. Cross-breeding among plants is at the present 

 time receiving attention from horticulturists of every descrip- 

 tion, from the beginner who tries to get a scented Dahlia by 

 dusting it with Rose pollen to the skilful worker who produces a 

 hybrid between two Cattleyas, or a new race of Gladioli. If 

 anyone wishes to gauge the value of such work he cannot do 

 better than compare the beautiful, wonderful Begonias here to-day 

 with those six species from which in the course of twenty years 

 they have been developed by the horticulturist. 



May I be allowed to make one suggestion to those who breed 

 from species or contemplate doing so ? The names of the parents 

 of every true hybrid should be recorded at the time the cross is 

 made, and if the progeny is too good to destroy, then it should 

 be described and its parentage set down in some horticultural 

 periodical. n 



