6 4 
A FEW FLOWERS 
kept well ventilated when in growth and not given too much heat. Use three- or four-inch pots, or place several tubers 
in shallow boxes or flats, such as are used for forcing bulbs. The soil should be light and rich. Water sparingly until 
the tubers start into growth, to avoid rot. The bed must be very rich—indeed I know of no plant that will stand more 
manure, provided it is well rotted ; and if the soil is heavy, it should be lightened up with sand, or leaf mould, or both. 
Set the plants about ten or twelve inches apart in the bed, and apply a mulching of light manure after a week or two. 
Although they will stand almost any amount of drouth they like moisture, and frequent watering in a dry time will secure 
flowers of greatly increased size. The tubers can be planted directly in the beds without starting, but will be longer 
coming into bloom. When dry tubers are set the planting should be done about May 10th. If the weather be hot and 
dry frequent and light watering of the surface of the soil will induce the tubers to make a quicker start. 
To grow tuberous-rooted begonias in the greenhouse or conservator) 1 , they should be started in March, in about four- 
inch pots, carefully drained and filled with light, rich soil consisting of turfy-loam, well rotted manure, leaf-mold, and 
sand. The tubers should be just covered, and the pots placed in a position where the temperature does not exceed sixty 
degrees, and kept slightly watered until growth has commenced. When the pots become filled with roots they require 
liberal watering, and, before they become stunted or checked in their growth, should be transferred to larger pots. 
Plight-inch pots will be large enough to grow quite fine plants. When they are repotted water must be given sparingly 
until the roots take hold of the fresh soil. When the pots are filled with roots weak liquid manure, made from cow or 
sheep manure, will prove beneficial and prolong the season of flowering. With skilful and liberal culture splendid 
specimens, three or four feet high, may be grown under glass. 
To keep the tubers over winter is a simple matter. Those out-doors should be left alone until the frost kills the 
tops, which should be cut off near the ground and the tubers dug up and brought inside. After a short time wdiat 
remains of the tops u'ill drop away from the tubers ; then the soil should be cleaned away and the tubers stored in 
any cool dry place, free from frost, that has a temperature from forty to fifty degrees. Many pack the tubers in dry 
sand, but commercial growers store them much as they would potatoes. When grown in pots water should gradually be 
withheld when the plants show signs of going to rest, and when the foliage is ripened the pots should be turned on their 
sides and no water given whatever. The tubers may remain in the pots all winter, or after two or three weeks can be 
shaken out and stored away in the same manner as if they were grown out-doors. 
These begonias are excellent for window and porch boxes, but care must be taken not to let the soil dry out. If 
this happens they are ruined beyond recovery. When they are to be used for this purpose they should be started in the 
same way advised for their treatment for growing in beds. 
Illustrations in this article were made from photographs taken with a Kodak camera. 
