ANNUAL FLOWERING PLANTS 75 
box with a pane of glass. When the seeds come up, remove 
the cover and place the box very near a window. Any 
schoolroom or home window where there is an abundance 
of sunhght will answer the purpose. Give them plenty 
of air and do not let the temperature go above seventy 
degrees. Transplant to other boxes when the second leaf 
appears, setting them two inches apart each way. 
Soil. Well-decayed manure may be mixed with the 
soil. A small quantity of wood ashes will serve as a 
tonic for the plants and keep disease and insects away 
from the roots. Make the bed six or eight inches deep, 
to give the roots room to reach down for food and mois- 
ture. The subsoil must be well drained. 
Planting. After all danger from frost is over, set out 
the plants twelve inches apart each way. If the leaves 
are large, remove some of them. Shade the plants for 
two or three days. 
Culture. Keep a dust mulch on the soil during the 
entire summer. A top-dressing of rotted stable manure 
will help keep the ground moist. An occasional applica- 
tion of liquid fertilizer or manure water will help the 
plant to produce large blossoms. 
To produce large flowers with long stems, allow only 
five or six shoots to grow, and remove all side branches, 
leaving only the terminal flowers. 
Window boxes. Asters are very decorative in window 
boxes or in pots. If the ball of earth on the roots is not 
disturbed, they may be lifted while in bud. Water lib- 
erally and keep them shaded for several days. 
