The China Asters. 



221 



The Jewell aster known as Apple Blossom, has no superior amongst 

 the delicate shades of blush or pink. For the third place, I should 

 hesitate between the Washington and Chrysanthemum-flowered 

 types. The Victorias are generally given a very high rank, and 

 they are one of the most popular strains in England, particularly 

 for pot culture, but they have not behaved so well with me. They 

 seem to be untrue and mixed in type, and last year many of them 

 gave flat open " eyes " or centers. Yet I should place the Victorias 

 fourth or flf th in my list. Beyond these types, it would be diflicult 





V^^ 



41. — Truflfaut's Peony-flowered aster. 



to single out one strain as superior to others for purposes of general 

 cultivation. All of them have particular merits. The Queen of 

 the Market is desirable for earliness, long stems and graceful habit, 

 and it is popular with florists. The quilled asters are now so far 

 outnumbered by the flat-rayed section that they may almost be 

 classed with the curiosities. They are always useful for variety, 

 and many persons admire their prim form. One of the best of 

 these is the Victoria Needle (Fig. 42), a variety which distinguished 

 itself on our grounds last year by giving the latest blooms of any 

 aster. The Lilliput, — a slim-growing sort with small stifl-petalled 

 flowers — is also one of the favorites of the quilled section. Read- 

 ing Beauty is also an excellent quilled aster. 



