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CULTIVATION OF ASTERS. 



The improved Asters which, have 

 been introduced during the last few 

 years have completely vindicated 

 annuals from the charge of weedi- 

 ness of appearance which has been 

 so often urged against them ; and as 

 the time is near at hand, when it will 

 be advisable to sow the seed, our 

 readers will, perhaps, not object to a 

 few hints concerning them. 



To begin at the beginning, it is 

 very important to get good seed, and 

 in order to do this, it is necessary to 

 pay a good price, and to have it from 

 a respectable house, which will be a 

 guarantee for the genuineness of the 

 article purchased. Much, however, 

 of the want of success with asters 

 arises from sowing too early, and 

 neglecting to give them sufficiently 

 generous treatment, so that the seed 

 often gets blamed when it is the 

 management wbich is at fault. Asters 

 should not be sown before the latter 

 end of April or the beginning of 

 May ; nothing, whatever, can be 

 gained by sowing earlier, but much 

 is likely to be lost ; for if they re- 

 ceive a check during growth from a 

 few days' extra cold weather, it 

 renders them very liable to the 

 attacks of green-fly, or any other 

 i kind of vermin ; and after a sudden 

 severe check of this kind, it is almost 

 impossible ever to get them up to 

 their standard of beauty. We have 

 on an average of seasons, found the 

 20th of April the earliest date at 

 which it was safe to sow, and thence, 

 to the 10th of May, to follow with 

 successional sowings, so as to extend 

 the blooming period over the largest 

 possible space of time. Those sown 

 after the 10th of May, generally 

 flower before they have acquired 

 sufficient strength. Therefore, re- 

 member first of all, that moist warm 

 weather is most favourable to this 

 tribe of plants. Many among our 

 amateur friends look at the pictures 

 of the beautiful varieties lately 

 brought out, and then heave a half- 

 sigh, as much as to say, " Ah, that is 

 all very well in a nursery or in a 

 picture, but it is quite out of the 

 question for me to produce such 



flowers as those." Now, my dear 

 friend, this is not by any means the 

 case ; and if you will only give a 

 moderate amount of care and atten- 

 tion, you will have flowers this year 

 which will be both a credit and a 

 pleasure to you. 



They should be sown on a spent 

 hotbed, or in pans or pots placed in a 

 close pit or frame ; the plants will 

 make their appearance in a few days, 

 when you must give them plenty of 

 air. When they are about an inch 

 high, spread some fine soil over the 

 surface of a slight hotbed, into which 

 transplant your seedlings at a little 

 distance apart, and let them remain 

 there till they are three or four inches 

 high. Now that asters are so per- 

 fect in shape and quilling, and on 

 every variety of colour, from white 

 to a deep crimson and purple, a well- 

 arranged set of them would have a 

 fine appearance on a ribbon border 

 or in a geometric garden, and would 

 remain gay from the 1st of August, 

 until cut down by frost. If, there- 

 fore, you desire to grow them either 

 in ribbous or masses, prepare the 

 soil generously with old dung ; that 

 which suits tliem exactly is a mixture 

 of light sandy loam and rotten dung. 

 When the ground is in good order, 

 wait for a favourable opportunity, 

 and after some nice showery weather 

 transplant them into the border, and 

 water them for a few days; should 

 the weather prove very hot and dry, 

 the watering must be continued, for 

 if they get the least check through 

 drought, the insects (which seem as 

 though they were always waiting in 

 ambush) will pounce upon them and 

 claim them as their own. Should 

 this misfortune occur, it will be ad- 

 visable either to syringe or sprinkle 

 with tobacco-water, taking care that 

 some of it goes into the centre of 

 each plant, when the enemy will be 

 effectually dislodged. 



Supposing that it is desired to 

 grow them for exhibition, the plants 

 should be finally planted out for 

 blooming in well-manured soil, in 

 rows ten inches from each other. 

 Keep them well watered during dry 



