142 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 



the bouquet, etc. All these varieties, as now cultivated, 

 have full double-flowers. No others are tolerated. The 

 improvements that have been made in this flower within 

 the last dozen years, are wonderful. The French call the 

 China Aster la Reine Marguerite, which has been render- 

 ed in English, the Queen -Margaret. By this name they 

 are sometimes called ; also the German Aster, from the 

 improvements which have been made by the florists of 

 that country. Some of the very finest are called French 

 Asters or the Truffaut Paeony Aster, from a Mr. Truifaut, 

 a celebrated florist at Versailles, who has produced some 

 of the most superb varieties, nearly the size of Dahlias, 

 of most brilliant colors, and very double and full. 



These varieties* cannot be too highly recommended. 

 No class of Asters surpasses them in splendor, perfection, 

 softness, brilliancy and variety of their colors. It would 

 seem hardly possible that such a wonderful transforma- 

 tion could be made from the original, inferior, single flow- 

 er; but Mons. Truifaut has made this a specialty, and 

 his perseverance and skill have been crowned with com- 

 plete success ; he has the honor of introducing a class of 

 flowers which must stand in the first rank among the or- 

 namental plants of the flower-garden. His packages of 

 these grand Asters embrace from ten to twelve varieties. 

 The flowers are so full and double that they produce very 

 few seeds, hence they will always command a high price. 



The double German Globe Aster forms another distinct 

 class, embracing all the variety of colors found in the 

 Paeony Aster. The flowers are large and very full, of a 

 globular shape ; plants about two feet high. Boltze's 

 Miniature, or Pigmy Dwarf Bouquet Pyramidal Asters, 

 are a great curiosity as well as very beautiful. A bou- 

 quet of Chrysanthemum-shaped Asters, of five to ten 

 finely shaped flowers, with very rich colors, and of good 

 size, spring directly from the ground, not more than six 



