ASTER 



ASTER 



421 



426. China aster of the 

 QuiUed type. ( X li"' 



The China aster is now grown largely for cut-flowers, 

 rather than merely for garden decoration. Commer- 

 cially, it is the most important of the cut-flowers that 

 are grown out-of-tloors. In the garden of the amateur, it 

 divides honors with the sweet pea. The commercial 

 value of aster seed sold by American seedsmen exceeds 

 that of any other flower. In addition to the large amount 

 of aster seed grown in southern California, New York 

 now produces annually twenty hundredweight of seed, 

 mostly in varieties u.sed by the commercial florist. 

 The principal reasons for the popularity of the aster 

 with florists, aside from its range of useful colors, are 

 its excellent keeping qualities as a cut-flower, its abil- 

 ity to stand rough handling 

 in shipping, and the ease 

 with which it may be grown. 



The past ten years have 

 been marked by a decided 

 increase in the use of the 

 artistic Comet type of flower. 

 Many asters of American 

 origin, adapted to American 

 market conditions, have been 

 widely disseminated. "Non- 

 lateral" strains of Branching 

 asters, devoid of side buds, 

 have been produced to meet 

 a need of the florists, and as 

 a result of careful seed-grow- 

 ing, the semi-double aster has 

 nearly disappeared from field 

 and garden. The frequent 

 accidental crossing and re- 

 crossing of widely differing types and a natural tendency 

 toward variation are constantly furnishing material 

 for improvement when asters are grown in quantity 

 and variety. Recent introductions of types of asters 

 show increased size and vigor of plant commonly attrib- 

 uted to a more or less remote Branching cross. Some of 

 the most valuable introductions, like the Rochester and 

 the Crego Pink, appear to be a combination of a Branch- 

 ing plant and a Comet flower. 



The Comet aster group has not taken the place, com- 

 mercially, to which its great beauty would entitle it, 

 because its very long slender petals make it less lasting 

 as a cut-flower than flowers with broader, shorter petals. 

 The slender stems usually correlated with this type of 

 flower, although attractive in cut-flowers, are undesir- 

 able in the field. Beautiful single asters have been 

 introduced from Europe, but so far have made little 

 headway against the American prejudice in favor of 

 double flowers. 



Classes of asters. 



The typical Branching aster is pjrramidal in form, 

 large and vigorous, with many lateral branches. It 

 blooms at the close of the season. The abundant 

 leaves are broad and large. The flower is large and deep 

 with the long, rather broad petals irregularly arranged, 

 giving it a soft appearance. The flowers bear well the 

 rough handling incident to ordinary shipping, and if cut 

 before fully mature will last for two weeks. The size 

 and vigor of plant enable the amateur to get fair 

 results with indifferent culture. Modifications of the 

 original type may now be had with flowers having petals 

 variously folded, incurved or whorled and with plants 

 varying to upright in growth and entirely devoid of the 

 many branches that gave the type its name. 



The Comet flower is characterized by having petals 

 that are long and narrow and strongly recurved. This 

 gives it a charming light feathery appearance. Origi- 

 nally it was of medium size and bloomed in midseason 

 on upright plants. Comet flowers may now be had 

 on every sort of aster plant. The sea.son includes the 

 earliest and the latest, and the largest aster flowers now 

 grown are of the Comet type. 



Queen of the Market was the first of the distinctively 

 early varieties and is still the most largely grown. The 

 plants are open and spreading and the flowers, while 

 smaller and flatter than those ot the Branching, have 

 the same general character. 



Victoria and Truffaut (or Paeony-flowered Perfec- 

 tion) were for many years the standard varieties and 

 are still grown to some extent. The plants are upright 

 and bloom in midseason. The petals of the Victoria 

 aster are reflexed at the ends; those of the Truffaut 

 aster strongly incurve, making a ball-shaped flower. 

 Both varieties comprise every shade of color known in 

 asters, and these are duplicated in Giant and Dwarf 

 classes. 



Cultivation. 



Asters thrive in any soil that can be kept in a good 

 mechanical condition. The large late asters are usually 

 the most satisfactory to the amateur. They may easily 

 be grown from seed sown as early as possible in the 

 open ground. Asters transplant readily. 



If the plants are started in boxes in the house, the soil 

 should be allowed to dry off on the surface as much as 

 possible between waterings to prevent damping off. 

 Midseason varieties may be grown successfully in this 

 way ; but the very earliest varieties need to be started in 

 a greenhouse or an early hotbed. 



For market, the e.vtra-early kinds should be sown 

 eight to ten weeks before the soil will permit planting 

 out. They should be kept growing thriftily with a 

 night temperature of about 50° and afterward be 

 thoroughly hardened off in coldframes so that they will 

 not be injured by late frosts after planting out. The 

 soil should be quite as rich as that used for profitable 

 crops of onions or celery; otherwise the flowers will be 

 too short-stemmed. Midseason varieties for market 

 succeed well when .started in 

 a mild hotbed. Give plenty 

 of air and avoid overwater- 

 ing. The last sowing of late 

 varieties is made in the 

 open ground. 



When growing in large 

 quantities, the seed is sown 

 with a garden drill in rows 

 a foot apart. A transplant- 

 ing machine, drawn by 

 horses, is used for setting 

 the plants in the field. 



The most destructive dis- 

 eases in the commercial 

 cultivation of asters are 

 various forms of stem-rot. 

 They are of fungous origin 

 and are induced by allowing 

 the plants to remain moist 

 too long at a time. The 

 infection usually takes place 

 in the seed-row, but often 

 no effect is noticed until 

 the plants are nearly full- 

 grown, when the3' suddenly 

 wilt and die. Covering the 

 soil in the seed-boxes with 

 ch^an sand, which can be 

 kept drj' between waterings, 

 is an effective aid in the 

 prevention of damping-off 

 and stem-rot. The "yellow 

 disease" causes the plants 

 to have a bleached appearance and to make a spin- 

 dling growth. It is a derangement of the functions of 

 plant-growth caused, so far as known, by irregularity 

 in the moisture-supply. Thorough cultivation of the 

 soil is the best preventive. The presence of "orange 

 rust" is shown by conspicuous orange-colored pus- 



427. China aster, Victoria 

 Needle type. ( X J 2) 



