684> On the Genus A'ster. 



and bent into a regular form, are fixed over the bed. These 

 bearers are kept in place by the upright parts of them being 

 inserted into two staples, one above the other, driven into the 

 side boards at distances of 2 ft. 6 in. apart, the first being fixed 

 at the end. These bearers rise from the ede*e of the bed to 

 what may be called the eaves of the awning, 2 ft. 6 in. ; and 

 then slopingly upward and over, forming an obtuse angle like 

 a ridge over the middle of the bed. To connect these bearers, 

 fillets of thin deal are fixed along the eaves and on the top or 

 ridge, and thus a frame is formed sufficiently strong and steady 

 139 ^%. to su PP or t an y covering of mats or 



canvass which may be necessary for the 



safety of the plants. 



The annexed sketches of the frame 

 {[iti| I {fg- 139. a) and the strike (b) will 



1M 



B=- 



i right idea of the 



construction of the former and the form 



of the latter. 



This frame and covering is only 



intended to preserve the tulips till they 



begin flowering ; after which, Mr. 

 Groom advises that they should be shaded and sheltered by 

 a larger and loftier awning, as is his own practice. 



Art. XV. On the Genus A'ster. By T. Rive're, Esq. 



Sir, 

 I do not recollect seeing in any of your Magazines a trea- 

 tise on the A'stex ; perhaps many readers will say it is not 

 worthy of it, being so common, and to be found in almost 

 every cottager's garden. However, I will endeavour to point 

 out such beauties of the flower as have fallen under my prac- 

 tical observation. Asters which bloom in August, perhaps, 

 may not be worth attention, being eclipsed by a host of showy 

 herbaceous plants and annuals, and above all by the splendid 

 Qeorgma : but even then they have their own beauties, in 

 which they at least equal most of the flowers at this time in 

 bloom. Their extreme hardiness, their facility of propagation, 

 and their thriving in almost any soil, however poor, are cer- 

 tainly inducements for their introduction into gardens, where 

 the occupiers cannot bestow much attention on the cultivation 

 of flowers : but where cultivation and taste are combined, the 

 .^'ster, as in other flowers, can hardly be deemed the same, 

 either in the strength of the plant or size of the blossoms ; for 

 instance, I have one in my garden, Lacteus altissimus, or 



