STOCKS, CHINA ASTERS. 123 



The Brompton Stock is a splendid plant when it is 

 well grown. It is a biennial; the seed should he sown 

 far apart, in a rich light soil, early in May, not in too 

 hot a place. As the young plants grow, water them 

 every evening with a fine rose ; they should he as much 

 as six inches apart. When a month old some should be 

 removed with good balls of earth to the roots, and care- 

 fully planted, so that all may be quite a foot apart. If 

 the tap-root be disturbed in the removal the plants will 

 not do after. In the following March or April make in 

 the borders, where the stocks are to be planted, beds 

 two feet deep, and two feet every way, of rich sandy 

 loam, enriched with leaf-mould or the remains of an old 

 hot-bed, and transplant the stocks with large balls of 

 earth, undisturbed. They should be shaded for a little 

 time, and watered every night until they flower. 



China Asters, which are increased to an almost endless 

 variety of Chinese, German, quilled, globe-flowered, 

 pyramidal, French bouquet, dwarf, &c., are valuable 

 from producing a gay abundance of rich-coloured bloom 

 when flowers begin to get scarce, in September and 

 October. You can hardly give them earth which is too 

 rich, and from the seed-pans onward they must have 

 plenty of air and room. The seed may be sown on a 

 hot-bed in February or March, the young plants pricked 

 out when they have a few leaves each, and planted out 

 in May. Seed maybe sown, not too thickly, in the open 

 ground in April. First-rate seed may be bought. Those 

 who save seed themselves should take it only from the 

 best flowers. Self coloured should be clear, distinct, 

 and bright, and the flower should be fine in shape, very 

 double, regular, and well quilled. The striped flowers 

 should have the colours well defined and sharply 

 marked. 



I have made my list of hardy annuals (from a few 

 Inches to two feet high), rather encroaching on the space 

 allotted to the chapter on annuals, because it is they 

 which are needed in the greatest number and variety in 

 filling the flower garden ; and the tenderer kinds are of 

 much less general utility. For hardy annuals of tall 



