492 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered, one of the most useful kinds, both 

 of which produce handsome and symmetrically-shaped flowers ; and the 

 Crown-flowered, so named because of having a large disc of white in 

 the centre of the blooms. These four I now rely on to furnish me 

 with collections of flowers for the annual struggles in our district in 

 the month of August. 



Truffaut's Aster is tall in growth, and frequently ungainly in habit, 

 but I like it because it is so certain. One can always cut plenty of 

 good flowers from plants that have not had special attention. It is 

 an Aster that affords as much variation in colour as any kind I know 

 of. I grew this season the seed from a collection of Truffaut's Aster 

 in eight varieties, and at any time I could have cut as many as 

 twelve blooms differing materially in the hue of colour, saying noth- 

 ing about softer and heavier shades of apparently the same variety, 

 and the difference in the flowers from the same plant occasioned by 

 their relative age. The flowers also vary in form, but by far the 

 greatest number are raised in the centre, the petals folding over from 

 the outside towards the centre, and they are then known as "in- 

 curved " flowers. In this form they are very handsome when staged 

 for exhibition. Another form is the " reflexed " flowers — in these the 

 petals are thrown back from the centre to the circumference of the 

 blooms. In this way they are also very handsome ; but the difficulty 

 is to get the centre full and raised, and of a uniform hue of colour 

 with the other portion of the flower. I had two kinds of the Chry- 

 santhemum-flowered Aster — one as tall-growing as Truffaut's, the other 

 the ordinary form of the dwarf-growing kind. Both are very hand- 

 some and varied in colour, though not so varied in form, but some- 

 what late in flowering ; and the grower does not get the best flowers in 

 time for the early Aster shows. The flowers are of large size, and 

 very full. The dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered is very compact in 

 habit of growth ; and I often wonder beds of this variety are not more 

 frequently planted out in large flower-gardens. The Victoria Aster is 

 a splendid and sure kind for exhibition purposes, and without excep- 

 tion the finest Aster grown. The habit of growth is erect, and reaches 

 a height of about 12 inches. It does not present so many dense hues 

 of colour as Truffaut's, yet the flowers are large and full, and of 

 considerable depth. Year by year some new shade of colour 

 appears to be added, and a greater diversity of hue is thereby obtained. 

 I find, however, that some of the most decided colours to be obtained 

 in the Aster are found in the Victoria type — such as crimson, blue, 

 purple, rose, carmine, and white. This fine Aster simply wants rich 

 soil, plenty of moisture and room ; and I am persuaded the cultivator 

 will never abandon it when once he has made a trial of it. 



