316 W. Chew St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Remove the seed pods immediately after the 
petals have dropped from the bloom unless you 
wish to gather the seed, as the vitality of the 
plant is thereby much increased. Begonias thrive 
in a humid atmosphere, but it must be well venti¬ 
lated. In a greenhouse, conservatory or muslin 
inclosed house, there must be plenty of ventilation 
with the humidity, otherwise foliage and stems 
will start to decompose. In addition to the humid 
atmosphere, the location as to light has much to 
do with their being happy. Give them all the 
direct light you can. In your window garden 
as well as the outdoor garden, they appreciate 
filtered sunlight—this means a larger plant in 
front of them in the house and outdoors where 
the sunlight filters through the foliage of a tree. 
Begonias solve so many outdoor garden and 
window garden problems. Take that shady spot in 
the outdoor garden that never was satisfactory— 
it is no doubt the ideal spot for a Begonia bed or 
the place to sink your potted Begonias for the 
summer. A beautiful bed of tuberous rooted in 
the pots would no doubt thrive there. Your per¬ 
ennial Begonia Evansiana would give you so much 
joy and pleasure in that shady spot. Be sure 
that it is well drained, sand added to the soil will 
assist greatly in drainage. If you are building up 
a bed, place your coarse gravel or stone on the 
bottom and add your soil which must of course 
always drain quickly, but hold moisture. Peat is 
helpful worked into the soil, but not too much, as 
it water-logs. 
Don’t overlook the fact that all Begonias will 
show a rest period during the year, this is more 
pronounced with some than others, when they 
display this tendency encourage them for at least 
4 to 6 weeks until they show signs of new growth, 
and after this, when growing activity is well 
pronounced, fertilize them with liquid cow manure. 
Very little evaporation takes place when the plant 
is resting, so water sparingly during this time. 
Keep your plants shapely. The sharp fingernail 
of your thumb against the forefinger is an ex¬ 
cellent appliance for pinching out the top of your 
plant. This will encourage the foliage to grow 
down the stalk and improve the appearance of 
your Begonia, generally making a stronger and 
bushier plant. Should they get leggy during their 
blooming period, cut them back sharply into a 
well shaped plant when through flowering. 
Never cultivate the soil in the top of a pot of 
a Begonia plant. Begonias send hair like roots 
toward the surface, and the root system is dis¬ 
turbed by cultivation. This applies to your tub¬ 
erous rooted, your perennial Evansiana, your 
potted Begonias, also your bedding Begonias, add 
leaf mold to the top of potted Begonias and moist 
mulch in your outdoor beds. 
The same variety will differ somewhat accord¬ 
ing to its location, soil condition, etc. 
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