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EARLY ASTERS 



^ AMPLE EARNERS 



Most useful and profitable among summer flowers, asters have much to 

 commend themselves to florists. Those who wish to gather the extra profits 

 that the earlier crop brings may learn hoiv from the instructions contained 

 in this article. The time to sow seed is near at hand. 





STEKS are an exceedingly 

 profitable flower for the 

 florist during the summer. 

 They can be grown well in 

 almost all sections of the 

 country, they can be used 

 in a variety of ways, and 

 they give a large amount 

 of satisfaction to custom- 

 ers at a relatively low 

 price. The florist who has some land 

 adjoining his greenhouses will find this 

 •crop perhaps the most valuable of all 

 the flowers he might plant, in point of 

 easy culture, usefulness and profits. 

 Early asters, of which the seeds should 

 be sown in flats in the greenhouse dur- 

 ing March, are particularly profitable if 

 one can produce flowers of good quality. 

 This type is more exacting in its re- 

 quirements, demanding careful atten- 

 tion, but the returns are 

 proportionately advan- 

 tageous. 



Asters are most useful 

 in funeral work, that 

 summer stand-by of the 

 florist. They afford rich 

 results in design work, 

 white, lavender, pink 

 and purple being espe- 

 cially good for this pur- 

 pose. As flowers for the 

 home, in baskets or 

 vases, they give high 

 satisfaction, since their 

 keeping qualities are ex- 

 cellent, provided they 

 are given change of 

 water daily. 



For Vases. 



When flowers are cut 

 for vases, the foliage 

 on the lower end of 

 the stems should be 

 stripped off, for if it is 

 allowed to remain it will 

 be submerged in the 

 water, causing the water 

 soon to become foul. 

 The stems, when placed 

 in water, get slimy. To 

 prevent this, add for- 

 maldehyde to the water, 

 using it in the propor- 

 tion of four to six drops 

 to the gallon. Larger 

 quantities can be pre- 

 pared by adding one tea- 

 spoonful to twenty 

 quarts of water. 



The finer varieties of 

 asters may even be used 

 for w e d d i n g flowers. 

 Brides' bouquets of 

 ■white asters can be 



made exceedingly rich in appearance, 

 while pink flowers may be used for the 

 bridesmaids. The long-stemmed ones of 

 these two colors are most suitable for 

 house decorations. Indeed, the uses to 

 which asters may be put are manifold. 

 And their sliipping qualities are of tiie 

 highest. 



Sowing Early Asters. 



As stated before, seeds should be 

 sown in March in pans or flats in the 

 greenhouse if one wants early asters. 



A rich, sandy loam should be used for 

 filling the pans or flats. If this is not 

 easily obtained when wanted for seed 

 sowing, a satisfactory soil can be made 

 by piling alternately 4-inch to 6-inch 

 layers of manure and pasture sod in the 

 spring for use the following year. These 

 layers should be cut down and the pile 



Asters Are the Most Important of Florists* Summer Crops. 



occasionally turned during the summer 

 and fall, so that the manure and soil 

 may become thoroughly mixed. This 

 soil has plenty of fiber and does not 

 compact readily. The addition of a lit- 

 tle lime to the compost heap, when it is 

 made, will keep the soil sweet. For use 

 in sowing seeds in winter and early 

 s])ring, some soil must be placed under 

 cover in the fall, or the soil must be 

 brought into the house or greenhouse 

 far enough in advance so that it will be 

 free from frost and cold when used. 

 The soil should be sifted through a 

 screen with %-inch mesh. When the 

 flats are filled some coarser materials, 

 such as screenings or coal cinders, 

 should be placed in the bottom, and then 

 the flats filled with the prepared soil. 

 Press the soil into the corners and 

 against the sides so that the flat is filled 

 uniformly. 



If pans are used, the 

 seeds should be scat- 

 tered uniformly over the 

 surface and covered to 

 an even depth of one- 

 fourth inch with fine 

 sand or soil. If the 

 seeds are sown in flats 

 or boxes, it is more sat- 

 isfactory to sow the 

 seeds in rows two inches 

 apart. 



Transplanting. 



When the seedlings 

 liave made two true 

 leaves, they should be 

 pricked off into other 

 flats or pans. Tiie plants 

 should be spaced at least 

 one inch apart in the 

 row, and the rows two 

 and one-half inches 

 apart. Some growers 

 prefer to plant the seed- 

 lings two inches apart 

 each way. 



The best soil for asters 

 grown in flats is a rich 

 garden loam placed in 

 the bottom, with an inch 

 of ordinary loam on top. 

 The fungus which causes 

 (lamping-off of the young 

 plants does not thrive so 

 well in such top soil. 

 Consequently, there is 

 usually much less danger 

 if the seedlings are 

 planted in a soil contain- 

 ing a small amount of 

 vegetable matter. The 

 roots are down in the 

 rich soil, and possibly 

 better growth may be ob- 



