The tuberous begonia, when better known, is destined to become one of our most popular flowers. Its free-blooming qualities and lovely shades of color cannot be excelled, if equalled by any class of plants, the costly orchids Dot excepted. The great strides that have been made by the hybrids since the introduction of B. Sedeni have quite eclipsed the expectations of the most sanguine, for now we have the single varieties with almost circular flowers and ranging in color from the darkest crimson, through all the intermediate shades of scarlet, pink and white, to the deepest yellow, and the substance of the flowers, together with the ease with which they can be grown and their freedom from insects, will command for them a foremost place in the near future.

The double varieties are indeed most lovely objects, for now we have them with erect stems and large flowers looking us in the face like hollyhocks and camelias, and such exquisite colors ! Those with slender stems have also their advantages, being well adapted for hanging baskets in a cool conservatory or elevated in a position where they can be seen from below. The fact of their not requiring attention in winter ought to commend them to those not possessing a greenhouse, for the bulbs can be stored away in a closet or any convenient place where the temperature does not fall below 500 F. They must not be put near a stove or hot pipes, as the heat is apt to cause them to shrivel.

To obtain new varieties necessitates their being grown from seed, which should be purchased from a good strain and be sown about January, or not later than February ; for to obtain best results the larger the plants are by May, the better chance they have of success afterwards. My system of culture follows. In the first place, prepare a clean seed-pan or pot by filling with crocks to within two inches of the rim, over which place some half-rotten leaves or rough material to prevent the soil from washing through and choking the drainage. Then prepare some finely sifted leaf-mould with about one-sixth of clean fine sand added, placing the rougher portions of compost over the leaves, and finally adding not more than half an inch of the fine soil; press it gently with a flat surface till it is perfectly level; water it through a very fine rose. After it has drained for an hour or so, it is ready to receive the seed, which should be sprinkled regularly over the surface, but on no account cover it with soil or the tiny seedlings cannot push through.

Place the pans in a temperature of about 700 and cover with a sheet of glass to prevent evaporation ; the glass should be removed at night and replaced in the morning. When the seedlings appear, which is usually in about ten days, they must be removed altogether, and not be allowed to get dry when germinating; yet great care must be exercised in watering, on account of the seed being so small and easily dislodged. When they begin to make the third leaf they must be transferred into other pans or shallow boxes well drained, and grown along in the same temperature but carefully shaded from bright sunshine. As they progress they need to be placed in boxes, the plants about two inches apart each way. Give sufficient air on all favorable occasions to keep them sturdy, and gradually inure them to the weather so as to have them ready for planting out in May, as soon as danger from frost is gone.

They should be planted out in beds in an open location for preference, where they can be shaded for an hour or two during the hottest part of the day, and be regularly supplied with water. Should the weather be hot and dry, a good mulching of manure from an old mushroom bed helps to keep them moist and prevents the soil, through frequent waterings, from becoming hard. About the middle of July they will begin to bloom and keep continuously on till frost cuts them down. They should then be cut off to within two inches of the ground and put in an open dry place. When the stems fall away from the bulbs, which is about ten days afterwards, they should be stored away until spring. By marking them when in flower, the best can be selected for growing in pots for conservatory decoration, and the inferior ones kept for bedding, which purpose they answer admirably, making larger plants and blooming earlier than seedlings.

T. Griffrn.