THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
301 
For are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to 
minister to those who are the heirs of life? Through 
the agency of plants, the worlds of matter and of life 
are linked together; and the three kingdoms—the vege¬ 
table, animal and the mineral—are united in bonds 
closer than those of holy matrimony. They clothe the 
invisible air, and the wondrous light, heat, chemical 
force, and euergia of the sun, with bodies of marvelous 
symmetry, beauty, sweetness, and glory. As we try 
reverently to look through the mist that hides the life 
and the work of plants from our eyes, the veil of dark¬ 
ness is partly rent asunder, and we exclaim as we catch 
a glimpse of the wisdom that plans, the goodness that 
guides, and the power that governs all, that Nature is 
indeed, and in truth, the outer fringe of the glorious 
garment of God! 
BEGONIAS AND GERANIUMS. 
TnE numerous species and ^varieties of Begonia, espe¬ 
cially some more recently introduced, are so highly dec¬ 
orative and so well adapted to the warm, dry atmos¬ 
phere of the ordinary sitting-room, whether heated by 
steam-radiator, furnace or stove, that they are highly 
valued, and being readily propagated from seeds, cut¬ 
tings or by division of the root, are found in nearly 
every collection of house-plants. They are of easy cul¬ 
ture, do not even demand sunshine ; but with warmth, 
light, cleanliness and fresh air, they droop from a bracket 
or hanging vase, or climb a wire, or stand erect on a 
window-seat in gorgeous or elegant bloom for eight 
months of the year. The panicles of flowers so steadily 
succeed each other, it is scarcely noticeable that any 
wither and fall. Indeed some are so conformable to our 
desire for “fadeless flowers,” blooming “immortal,” 
they seem in a measure to indicate that sometime we 
shall be satisfied with all the good things we long for. 
Of all the kinds none are more truly regal than the 
Begonia Rubra and its varieties. They leave nothing to 
be desired for grace of form, freshness of foliage, or 
beauty of coloring. A young plant procured in the 
early summer was so well grown by fall that when well 
established on a bracket in a bay-window of Brightside, 
perhaps in January, coral-like buds began to form 
among the long, cool, glossy leaves, which rapidly de¬ 
veloped into heavy, pendulous panicles of large scarlet 
rose, waxen flowers, and these grew more abundant as' 
the season advanced until the plant could only be looked 
upon as a marvel of beauty. It was repotted the next 
summer, but not cut back, and perhaps, therefore was 
not so fine the second winter ; but a seedling sport from 
the Rubra, having very ornamental leaves, green with 
reddish veins and spotted with white, unexpectedly 
gave us an abundance of the same scarlet flowers. An¬ 
other spotted-leaf kind has clusters of white flowers, and 
a scarlet-flowered variety, that if trained will cover a 
trellis, is said to be the finest of all. 
Having no gardener this year, and desirous of doing 
our best by these petted plants, we wrote to a dear 
friend whose beautifully decorated windows attest un¬ 
usual skill, to give us directions for treatment in prepa¬ 
ration for another winter, aud we take pleasure in pre¬ 
senting her reply to our flower-loving readers. The 
kinds of Begonias referred to by her are those we in¬ 
quired about, but we are not able to give the specific 
names of all. One has large, thick, kidney-shaped 
leaves, glossy aboye, hairy and red beneath, with clus¬ 
ters of small, pale flowers on long, erect foot stalks; and 
another with large, pink flowers, has rough, wine-red 
leaves that rival stained glass when seen in the light of a 
sunny window. The lady writes: 
With regard to Begonias, the most important thing to 
be considered is the soil. Not a particle of manure must 
enter into it. Make up a composition of leaf mould, fine 
sand and a little fresh common earth, such as you would 
find in the fence corner or by the roadside, to help bind 
it together and give it solidity and firmness of texture. 
When my plants are taken from the windows, I have 
ready a box of prepared soil on a potting bench, and 
the pots washed in soap suds and rinsed with scalding 
water, each with plenty of charcoal in the bottom for 
drainage. I also sift in a trifle of the charcoal dust with 
the potting soil to keep it sweet and give finer color to 
both flower and leaf. Then I treat each plant in what¬ 
ever way seems to suit it best. The dark red one and 
all the small-leafed ones as a rule I cut back, sometimes 
taking the soil off the surface and supplying pew earth; 
or if the plant seems to need more room, I shake some of 
the earth from the roots, gently separating them, and 
repot. Those with large leaves, particularly if the leaf¬ 
stalks spring from the earth, I divide. For instance, I 
took from a round, glossy-leaved one that had grown 
very much to one side, two fine young plants and potted 
them separately. Then for the old one with bare crooked 
stem, I prepared a larger pot with soil and planted it so 
it looked straight in the pot and it really promises to turn 
out a very respectable plant. Nobody but myself knows 
what an ugly stalk is concealed in the earth, and I can 
assure you I packed the soil well around it to keep it in 
place. When I have a pretty large plant and there are 
several vigorous young shoots on the root, I cut off the 
old stalk, and the young growth soon fills the pot beau¬ 
tifully. I fancy the Begonias do best in a shady spot 
well sheltered from the wind and where the drip from 
the trees cannot touch them. I find the thick, fleshy- 
leaved ones do very well under a shed if they get plenty 
of air day and night, and a thorough soaking with rain¬ 
water occasionally. 
These may not seem very scientific directions to real 
florists, but they are practical. My plan insures vigor¬ 
ous growth, fine, strong, glossy leaves and plenty of 
room. I sincerely hope you may be successful with 
yours. . 
Another lady who has most remarkable success with 
Geraniums, instead of heeding the advice of gardeners 
to turn out into the border the plants that have bloomed 
through the winter, and throw them away in the fall as 
so much rubbish, leaves them all pot-bound as they are, 
but in pretty good-sized pots if they are large, sets them 
on a piazza or in a sheltered border with plenty of coal- 
ashes under them to keep out the worms, and Haves 
them in most wholesome neglect until time to bring them 
to the window again, no matter if the leaves grow small 
and beautifully less, and the stalks shrink a little. She 
takes off the top soil and fills the pot again with very 
