CULTURE OF THE ASTER. 25 



make room for the Hybrid Perpetuals. The display of these at the Rose 

 show was the most beautful feature of the exhibition, and it may be hoped 

 that it will lead many to reserve for them a prominent place in their gar- 

 dens. Messrs. Hovey & Co. exhibited the finest collection, taking the first 

 prize in each class. The varieties in the class for the best thirty, were, 

 Shakspeare, Boula de Nanteuil, Mad. Hardy, Mad. Legras, Venus, Geo. IV., 

 Mad. Plautier, Chenedole, Paul Perras, Chas. Fouquier, Amiable, Sir 

 W. Scott, Coupe d'Hebe, Vandsel, Painted Damask, Cynthie, Meteor, L'ob- 

 scuritie, Dauberton, Bizarre Marbre, Latour d'Auvergne, Kean, Edouard de 

 Colbert, Margaret, Mary, Fulgens, Marquis of Lothian, Gil Bias, Glorieux, 

 Thurette, Madeline. 



Of Moss roses, the best exhibited were Glorie des Mosseuses, Madame 

 Rochelambert, Marie de Blois, Alice Leroy, Celina, Duchess d'Abrantes, 

 Luxembourg, Old Moss, Etna, William Lobb, and Crested. 



Within a few years Perpetual Mosses have been introduced and bid fair to 

 become a great acquisition. I have grown but three varieties, viz., Alfred 

 de Delmas, Madam Ory, and Salet ; the last two are as reliable as any 

 perpetuals for fall bloom. 



THE CULTURE OF THE ASTER. 



BY THE CHAIRMAN. 



Almost all our cultivated species of this beautiful tribe are exotics, though 

 in our fields and meadows we have varieties which for delicacy of form, 

 fineness of petal, elegance of color, and grouping of flower, will vie 

 with any foreign species. In the point of size alone the imported varieties 

 are superior in the first place, for all the beauty of form and the choice 

 double flowers have been obtained by cultivation. 



The culture of our native asters has but seldom been undertaken, and 

 never, to our knowledge, with any decided results, for the simple reason 

 that too little has been done ; but we trust, before many years, to see these 

 beautiful natives transferred to our gardens and flourishing in our borders. 

 It is not in relation to these, however, that we intend to write, but to give 

 a few simple directions concerning the management of the well-known Gar- 

 den Aster, whether it be called Chinese or German, pyramidal or dwarf, 

 quilled or pseony flowered. This Aster is an old and popular flower, 

 though it is but comparatively recently that the new improved varieties 

 have been cultivated. 



China Asters were first sent from China to France about the year 1730, 

 and have since been generally disseminated. At first they were single and 

 of two colors, red and white. In Germany this flower is very popular, 

 great pains have been taken to improve it, and hence the so-called German 



