316 W. Chew St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
and when this is moist, distribute your Begonia 
seed over it, either with a seed sower or by tap¬ 
ping the paper lightly. Place the container over 
a radiator where it will not be too dark nor very 
light, and keep the brick moist by keeping water 
in the container; this in turn will keep the soil 
moist and the fertile Begonia seeds should show 
signs of germination after about eight days. The 
small plantlets usually come up very close to¬ 
gether, so transplant on the third or fourth day, 
otherwise they will damp off. You will perhaps 
loose some of these, but if they damp off, you 
will lose them all. In about three weeks they 
will be ready to transplant again. You will have 
to be very careful that they do not become too 
moist, and that you have a humid atmosphere 
well ventilated. But no matter how great your 
success or how little, you will feel well repaid for 
your efforts as the plants begin to thrive. Two 
very important things to remember are to use rain 
water for moistening (hard water can be soft¬ 
ened by using oz. powdered alum to one gal¬ 
lon of water and allow to settle, using the water 
off the top), and never to let your seed bed dry 
out. 
If you are desirous of obtaining seed from a 
certain plant, remove the male flowers in bud, as 
this will enable the plant to have more fertile 
seed and the general growth of the plant will not 
be retarded as much. Seeds of tuberous rooted 
Begonias planted in February will bloom in late 
August and make excellent tubers for the follow¬ 
ing year. If you have a method of growing Be¬ 
gonia seed which is successful, no matter how 
unique or unusual it may be, don’t change it. 
WATERING 
' The kind of water used is of considerable im¬ 
portance in raising Begonias. Rain water is pre¬ 
ferable if one is fortunate enough to live in the 
suburbs or in the country so that a barrel can be 
placed to receive the dripp’ngs from the ro-of. 
This water is good for all of your house plants. 
In some of our Eastern cities, chemicals are used 
to purify the water supply, and this water is not 
to the liking of Begonias. If rain water is not 
available, use Vi oz. of super saturated alum to 
one gallon of water, stir well and let it settle, 
using only the water from the top. 
Spray your Begonias with clear water at room 
temperature every morning early, unless the day 
is damp and mucky. Do not spray until the water 
runs off the foliage, but only until you can see a 
mist over it. Keep the soil in the pots of your 
Begonia plants on the dry side, watering only 
when necessary. Moisture in the atmosphere is 
very helpful also. The fine spray recommended 
will not harm your paints or carpets. If you are 
using a deep window sill for your Begonia plants, 
it is suggested that a galvanized sheet iron or 
copper pan be made to fit the window, and a thick 
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