The Garden Under Glass

THE BEST FLOWERING PLANTS 43 soot-water and a fortnightly sprinkling with Clay’s fertiliser. For three days water with liquid manure and for the next four days with clear water. As growth advances it will tend to greater sturdiness to remove the plants to cooler quarters, where they can stand clear of one another over a bed of moist shingle. Short stakes set so as not to injure the corm will prevent the growths from being broken off at their base. When flowering is over drier conditions should prevail, for the plants will be eventually dried off. When thoroughly dried they may be set on a shelf or beneath the staging. A very good method of increasing these begonias is by cuttings taken in the summer. They will root in a cool propagator and will form a corm by the end of the year. A good policy to pursue is to buy seeds from a reliable source, grow along the seedlings quickly to their flowering stage and then take cuttings of the most desirable kinds ; besides growing these selected plant on for another year. The Begonia Lloydii is a very fine type of plant which can be raised from seed but does not come true to colour. It admits, however, of selection by cuttings and tubers as mentioned above. If varieties are to be bought, a good selection would be got from Messrs Blackmore & Langdon, who make a speciality of this subject and grow the finest in the country. A polite post card will bring along a list of the latest introductions. WlNTER-FLOWERING BEGONIAS With this title is ever associated that beautiful variety, Gloire de Lorraine, which is one of the hybrids which have come to us by means of Begonia socrotana. Even this brilliant variety seems likely to be ousted from first place