Three Essentials in Aster Growing 



C. M. Bezzo, Berlin, Ontario 



TO grow asters successfully, there 

 are three things that are abso- 

 lutely necessary: i, Good, rich, 

 mellow soil ; 2, kept loose and mellow by 

 constant cultivation ; and, 3, moist by 



Oajbreak Asters and Dahlias 



At " Flora Villa " tho home of Mr. C. M. Bezzo. 

 Berlin, Ont, 



frequent waterings in dry weather. Of 

 course we are assuming that the grower 

 has good seed to start with. 



Aster seed may be bought for two 

 cents a packet up to twenty-five cents 

 a packet. In the majority of cases the 

 higher priced seed is the cheapest. But, 

 in order that this article may not be 

 unduly long we will confine our attention 

 as far as possible, to the above mentioned 

 three essentials, and deal with them in 

 their respective order. 



KIND OF SOIL 



Good rich soil — by this we do' not 

 mean ground that has been heavily ma- 

 nured regardless of method or quality. 

 An aster bed, to be in best condition, 

 should be well fertilized the year pre- 

 vious. Soil that has been well enriched 

 for dahlias should grow good asters the 

 following year. But it would be ad- 

 visable after the dahlias have been re- 

 moved to dig in a good dressing of well 

 rotted manure. If this is not obtainable, 

 the bottom of the manure pile that has 

 been accumulating since last spring will 

 answer. Then, in the spring, as soon 

 as the ground is dry enough to cultivate, 

 and long before the plants are ready to 

 plant out, it should be dug over again ; 

 dig it with a fork, and dig it well, thor- 

 oughly incorporating every particle of 

 manure with the soil. When the time 

 arrives for setting out the plants, dig 

 the bed once more, this time, merely to 

 loosen up the soil to a depth of eight or 

 ten inches. 



The next two essentials are so inter- 

 woven that they ought to be treated 

 under the one head. As soon after each 

 rain (or watering with the hose or water- 

 ing-pot) as can be done without the soil 

 sticking, the surface of the ground 

 should be loosened with the hoe or small 

 rake, to a depth of one and one half 

 to two inches. Care should be taken, 

 not to hoe too closely to the plant at this 

 depth as the aster throws out roots very 

 close to the surface of the soil. This 

 constant loosening of the surface soil 

 not only prevents the formation of a 

 crust which would exclude the air and 

 smother the roots, but by forming air 

 spaces between the particles of earth 

 enables them by capillary attraction to 

 draw up, in dry weather, moisture from 

 depths far below. It also enables the 

 roots to strike down deeper, reducing 

 the danger of uprooting by the wind, 

 while cutworms, wireworms and other 

 like enemies can find no abiding place 

 in ground that is constantly stirred. 



PLENTY OF WATER REQUIRED 



Asters should never be allowed to 

 suffer in the least from want of water. 

 Water in the evening unless the nights 

 are very cool, in which case, if the hose 

 is used, the watering had better be done 

 in the morning. But water any time, 

 morning, noon or night, in any kind of 

 weather, rather than have them suffer 

 from thirst. The plants when watered, 

 should never be merely sprinkled, but 

 should always be thoroughly soaked. 



If the plants are massed and have be- 



moist and cool. Water is the enemy of 

 the red spider and the aphis. Those 

 who use the hose liberally on the foliage, 

 sprinkling underneath and all around, 

 will experience very little trouble from 

 these pests. 



Chrysanthemums at Guelph 



The display of Chrysanthemums at the 

 Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. 

 this year, probably excelled those of any 

 previous year. This was the general 

 consensus of opinion expressed by the 

 hundreds of visitors who saw the collec- 

 tion this season. Not only was this true 

 in regard to the quantity and quality of 

 the blooms, but also from the fact that 

 the collection was thoroughly typical in 

 character, representing as it does every 

 known type of this gorgeous autumn 

 flower, from the smallest of the pompons 

 to the largest of the popular incurve and 

 loose style of Japanese blooms, in all 

 the many sub-types and' colors to be 

 found among these popular flowers. 



In this respect the educative value of 

 the collection was a prominent feature, 

 more particularly from the standpoint of 

 the amateur flower-grower, the habit 

 and type of plant as adapted for home 

 culture in pots being a strong point 

 considered. Quite a number of the new- 

 er varieties were tested. The Canadian 

 Horticulturist is promised a few notes 

 on these for publication in a later issue. 

 -See illustration on page 7. 



Mikado Asters at "Flora Villa" 



come so large as to render dangerous 

 the operation of hoeing, a two inch 

 mulch of straw, grass clippings or half 

 rotted manure shaken up finely will be 

 of great benefit in keeping the ground 



Interested in Lilies? 



Editor, The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist: I wish to know from you or any 

 of the readers of your magazine whether 

 the whole family of lilies is known to be 

 hardy in the greater part of southern On- 

 tario. Would it be safe to plant any or 

 all of them in our autumns for spring 

 flowering? If not, which ones are un- 

 safe and what would be required to pro- 

 tect them if so planted? 



How about the Japanese species, such 

 as Lilium auratum, L. Broivnii, and so 

 forth, and the whole species known as L. 

 speciosum, including rubrum, Melpomene 

 and others, and the species L. elegans? 

 If it is necessary to take them up in the 

 fall, how best can they be protected 

 during the winter? — B. Gott, Strathroy, 

 Ont. 



Note. — Readers of The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist are requested to give their 

 experiences in the culture and care of 

 lilies for publication. The lilies are 

 amongst the noblest of garden plants. 

 A discussion of their behaviour in Cana- 

 dian gardens will be of much interest.— 

 Editor. 



