l6o Aster Chiiioisis. 



and shallow, it should be made deep by adding compost made of good 

 virgin loam, or sods from a pasture or roadside, and leaf-mould. To enrich 

 the soil, give a good supply of almost any sort of well-rotted manure. It is 

 a good plan to have a compost-heap always on hand, made up of fresh 

 turf and leaf-mould from the woods, to which soap-suds and other slops 

 maybe added from day to day, and the heap turned over occasionally : 

 thus a valuable compost will be in readiness for dressing or deepening the 

 flower-beds when wanted. If the soil is too heavy, add sand. If the sub- 

 soil is poor, do not bring much of it to the surface when trenching : there 

 is such a thing as over-doing a good thing, as I once found out by experi- 

 ence. My gardener brought so much of the poor subsoil to the surface 

 on one lot, that a number of years had passed, and frequent coatings of 

 manure had been applied, before the soil regained its original fertility. 



Time of Sowing. — It is not necessary to force aster-seed, to have the 

 plants in season to bloom the last of August and September ; but it may be 

 sown in the open ground any time in the first part of May : but, in all 

 cases, the seedlings should be transplanted, when of suitable size, into beds, 

 in masses or singly. I have been accustomed to sow the seed in March 

 in a cold grapery : it may also be sown in a cold frame if strong plants 

 are wanted ; but, if forced and brought forward too early, the plants flower 

 when the weather is so hot, that the bloom is sometimes scorched, and 

 continues but a little time. When -the seed is sown in March in the cold 

 grapery, I have strong plants to transplant the first of June. I thought my 

 display of asters could not be exceeded two seasons since : gardeners who 

 called said they had not seen any thing like it. An amateur who resided 

 a few miles distant saw them, and pronounced them splendid, but said he 

 could beat them, which I doubted. Thereupon he invited me to call, and 

 judge for myself; which I did the next week. It was rather hard to own 

 beat; but I had to confess it. I inquired of the gentleman where he obtained 

 the seed : he replied, " At your own store." I found that he sowed the seed 

 in the open ground in May. He had transplanted into cool, airy places, in 

 masses, in beds in grass ; while mine were planted in a grape-border, veiy 

 much exposed to the sun. His asters were more than a fortnight later, 

 consequently more brilliant and perfect if possible. The varieties of seed 

 he had sown were those I have described in cases No. i, 2, 3, 4, and 11. 



Joseph Brcck. 



