410 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



native plants in North America. The commonly cultivated 

 aster (Fig. 75), however, is not an aster, but is a near relative, 

 whose fuller name is " China aster." As the name suggests, 

 it is a native of China, and is perhaps the favorite fall- 

 blooming flower. It has been developed into " double " 

 forms of various kinds, such as the chrysanthemum, and its 

 original blue has been extended into a series of colors, in- 

 cluding red, pink, and purple. 



The seeds are sown early in spring, in a well-tilled bed, in 

 shallow rows and covered with fine dirt. When the plants 



appear, they are thinned out 

 as necessary, and the soil is 

 cared for by the usual tilling 

 to retain moisture in dry 

 weather. A bed of fall- 

 blooming asters in the late 

 autumn, when all other flow- 

 ers are gone, well repays the 

 little care it involves. 



119. Suggestions for work. 

 - The very few flowers de- 

 scribed in this chapter are 

 intended to be only samples 

 of the more commonly seen 

 flowers, and the list should be 

 much extended by observing the various flowers in common 

 cultivation in the neighborhood, both in home gardens, and 

 by florists. A visit to some florist's establishment will give 

 some idea of the kinds of flowers that are being cultivated 

 for the market at a given time. 



In addition to these observations of flowers in cultivation, 

 some of the more rapidly growing forms should be propa- 

 gated as a part of the laboratory work, and other represen- 

 tative forms should be brought from the florist's in pots, and 

 not only observed, but also cared for. 



FIG. 75. China asters. After BAILEY. 



