8 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
while being beneficial to the plants, will do 
no harm. They should, at all times, be 
shaded from the direct sunlight, and during 
the hottest part of the summer, in addition 
to the wash upon the glass, a lath screen, 
or cloth shade will be desirable. Ventila- 
tion should be given in good weather, but 
strong draughts of air should be avoided. 
In case anyone desires to raise the 
BEGONIAS., 
Having been a successful Begonia grower 
for some years my experience may be of 
some interest to your readers. In my 
opinion, Begonias are far in advance of a 
good many other kinds of bedding plants in 
many ways. Firstly, in the simplicity of 
their cultivation ; secondly, in their beautiful 
foliage, and, lastly, in the beauty and 
variety of their blossoms, and their long 
flowering season. Begonias are more easily 
cultivated than some people may think. Of 
course, the bulbs are obtained from seed, 
but for a cottager, such as 1 am, the easiest 
way is to obtain a couple of dozen of good 
bulbs from a nursery—doubles and singles 
for preference—and propagate from cut- 
tings; in a few seasons you will have a 
good stock. You should obtain your bulbs 
during the winter, from a reliable man, and 
store them in a cool, dry place, in silver 
sand. They should be looked at occasion- 
ally to see if there is any dry-rot among 
them, and if uny is found they should be 
removed, for fear of infecting the others. 
In the spring, as soon as any growth is 
detected, the bulbs should be removed toa 
‘‘bulbs” from seed, the following brief 
directions way be of value:—Sow the seeds 
in August in pans or in pots drained as 
above; the soil should be the same as for 
the bulbs, except that no manure should be 
used ; cover lightly, and, after syringing, 
shade and place in a room with a tempera- 
ture of 65° or 70°. The seeds will germi- 
nate in about two weeks, and the plants 
GLOXINIA HYBRIDA ERECTA. | 
cold frame and placed about four inches 
apart in a nice, sweet, loamy soil, with the 
crowns just below the surface. Of course, 
the frame should be covered at night to 
prevent any harm from frost. I have tried 
starting Begonias in both cold and hot 
frames, and I have got the best results from. 
those started in the cold frame, for although 
longer in starting they are not checked 
when they are bedded out. 
During the period they are in the frames 
water must be given carefully, the soil being 
kept just moist, but not wet, or they will 
rot; they must be kept in the frame till all 
fear of late frosts is gone and the bulbs are 
well started, and then it is time to bed them 
out. Now is your chance to take cuttings. 
When you take them out you will find some 
of the bulbs carrying as many as four or 
five, or even six, shoots apiece. I never bed 
out a plant with more than two or three 
shoots on the largest bulbs, aud the smallest 
I only allow to carry one. The remaining 
shoots I break off, taking, of course, the 
weakest, and letting the strongest remain, 
taking care to have a heel on each cutting. 
These shoots I stick in a shaded border 
(facing south, for preference), about three- 
to pots. 
August 1, 1904 
-will then need careful. attention to prevent 
damping off. When large enough, they 
should be pricked out in flats, placed in & 
brisk bottom’ heat, and later on transferred 
s. Repot finally to the three-inch 
size, and give the same care as large 
plants; by the end of January they should 
come into flower. When growth is over they 
should be dried ofl and stored for winter. 
parts of the shoot being buried in light soil,. 
and watering rather often in dry weather, 
and I have never had one single shoot die, 
which shows there is not much difficulty in 
striking Begonia cuttings. 
The best place for a Begonia bed is on a 
southern aspect, in a spot that gets very 
little sun. The soil must be very rich—E 
don’t think you can easily put in too much 
manure, for they are rank feeders. Then 
the plants must be bedded out about 18 
inches apart—no nearer for good resulft— 
and before the plants grow largeI get a 
little moss-litter manure from some stables 
and mulch all over the bed, so as to keep 
any sun from the roots, and the soil moist. 
When the plants are flowering care should 
be taken to pick off all the blooms as soon 
as these show signs of being over, as this 
prolongs the season, and the plant carries 
more and finer flowers, which ought to last 
till the frost comes, when the bulbs should 
be taken up and dried. Care should be 
taken in drying, as on this depends the 
safe storage of the bulbs. The cuttings 
will by this time have formed small bulbs, 
which should be treated in the same way as 
the larger bulbs, only keep them separate 
