August 29, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
555 
: oliage Begotpias. 
Culture and 
Propagation. 
legonia Rex, from which many beauti- 
jly marked and highly decorative foli- 
L ; Begonias originate, was introduced 
id this country from Assam, and forms 
most useful subject for ornamental pur¬ 
ges. This class of Begonia does not 
uire much heat, from 60 to 65 degrees 
king summer, and from 50 to 55 de- 
> es during late autumn and winter 
: ng sufficient. 
Although many foliage plants require 
undance of sunshine to bring them to 
fection, foliage Begonias must be 
own in partial shade, as any great 
ount of direct sunshine quickly injures 
: leaves, and gives them a shrivelled 
oearance. The plants do well either in 
:s or planted out on rockwork, but per- 
t drainage must be provided in any 
;e, whilst a free, open, and gritty soil 
necessary, compost consisting of equal 
rts loam and peat pulled to pieces by 
ad, half a part of good leaf soil, half 
a part of thoroughly decayed manure, 
and a sixth of a part of silver sand and 
charcoal being suitable. 
Whilst growing, foliage Begonias re¬ 
quire plenty of moisture at the roots, and 
periodical doses of liquid manure after 
the plants become well established are 
glsq,i>eneficial during the summer; during 
the winter the roots must be kept com¬ 
paratively dry, very little water being 
necessary. 
Begonia Rex, the parent plant, has 
leaves of dark green of metallic lustre 
ornamented by a zone or ring of silvery 
white. The following forms a brief list 
of other really good varieties of foliage 
Begonias:—Princess Charles of Denmark 
has leaves which, when fully developed, 
are a brilliant carmine with silvery horse¬ 
shoe and . carmine margin. Louise 
Closon, a handsome and distinct type of 
Begonia has dark foliage, the leaves being 
a very dark maroon, with crimson horse¬ 
shoe markings. Begonia Eudoxa is a 
very pretty plant, having bronze leaves 
freely spotted with pink and white. B. 
Charles Hovey has dark green leaves, 
marbled with white, whilst B. Comtessc 
de Louise Erdody has silvery leaves 
veined with green and margined with 
purple-lake. 
The most usual methods of propagat¬ 
ing foliage Begonias are by division of 
the plants and propagation from the 
leaves. Division of the plants is most 
conveniently carried out at potting time, 
March being the best month, the fleshy 
stems being carefully separated, and each 
potted up into a 4 or 5 inch pot. August 
is one of the most suitable times to pro¬ 
pagate Begonias from leaves, the opera¬ 
tion being most interesting and instruc¬ 
tive. Sound, fully matured leaves should 
be selected, and be prepared by turning 
the underside upwards and making a cut 
half through the main or thicker ribs or 
veins just below where the smaller and 
the main ribs form a junction, as shown 
by the black lines on Fig. 1 of the ac¬ 
companying sketches. Several cuts may 
be made in each leaf, and from each cut 
the ripe sap in the ribs will form a callus 
or foundation for the formation of roots. 
A well-drained shallow pan should be 
prepared and filled with sandy compost 
consisting of equal* parts peat, loam and 
sand, the surface being made firm and 
level, and then watered, allowed to drain, 
and afterwards covered with fine sand. 
The prepared leaf or leaves should be 
laid on the surface, the cut or underside 
downwards, the leaf stalk being inserted 
in the soil as shown in Fig. 2. Each cut 
portion of the ribs must be in contact 
with the soil, and to ensure this the leaves 
must be pegged or pinned into the soil 
with wire pins or small pebbles may be 
placed here and there on the leaf to keep 
it in position. Plunge the pan in cocoa- 
nut fibre refuse, cover with a sheet of 
glass, and place in a temperature of not 
less than sixty-five degrees. The leaves 
must be well shaded from the sun, and 
the soil be kept nicely moist and, in 
time, young plants will be produced at 
each cut made in the ribs of the leaves, 
and when ?hey are large enough to 
handle, as Fig. 4, they should be care¬ 
fully lifted and separated, and potted 
singly into small pots. 
ORTUS. 
- +++ - 
Gardening and the Artisan Class. 
One of the most gratifying circum¬ 
stances in connection with floriculture as 
a domestic institution is, remarks ' The 
Field,’’ its progress among the operatives 
in our great towns. To these classes 
flower growing proves an antidote to less 
inviting attractions. Men who toil hard 
must have recreation. How much better 
to find it at home, and how much better, 
when they feel the want of society, to 
find it among those of their own order in 
intimate association with the green herb 
and the radiant flower. Thousands of the 
artisan class are engaged all day in occu¬ 
pations that sap the health and strength, 
in factories and among the fumes of 
metals and chemical works, and certain 
it is that the assiduous culture of a gar¬ 
den does much to neutralise the evils, 
and keep them in possession of that 
greatest of earthly blessings, a sound 
mind in a sound body, both enjoyed m 
contentment and domestic peace. 
3 . 
Propagating Foliage Begonias. 
1, The underside of a leaf with the main ribs marked for cutting; 2, section of a 
fan with the leaf pegged down and plantlets growing from the cuts; 3, the 
leaf laid on the pan surface and plantlets forming; 4, plantlet ready for potting. 
