ANNUAL FLOWERING PLANTS 75 



box with a pane of glass. When the seeds come up, remove 

 the cover and place the box very near a window. Any 

 schoolroom or home window where there is an abundance 

 of sunlight will answer the purpose. Give them plenty 

 of air and do not let the temperature go above seventy 

 degrees. Transplant to other boxes when the second leaf 

 appears, setting them two inches apart each way. 



Soil. Well-decayed manure may be mixed with the 

 soil. A small quantity of wood ashes will serve as a 

 tonic for the plants and keep disease and insects away 

 from the roots. Make the bed six or eight inches deep, 

 to give the roots room to reach down for food and mois- 

 ture. The subsoil must be well drained. 



Planting. After all danger from frost is over, set out 

 the plants twelve inches apart each way. If the leaves 

 are large, remove some of them. Shade the plants for 

 two or three days. 



Culture. Keep a dust mulch on the soil during the 

 entire summer. A top-dressing of rotted stable manure 

 will help keep the ground moist. An occasional applica- 

 tion of liquid fertilizer or manure water will help the 

 plant to produce large blossoms. 



To produce large flowers with long stems, allow only 

 five or six shoots to grow, and remove all side branches, 

 leaving only the terminal flowers. 



Window boxes. Asters are very decorative in window 

 boxes or in pots. If the ball of earth on the roots is not 

 disturbed, they may be lifted while in bud. Water lib- 

 erally and keep them shaded for several days. 



