;90 



THE GAKDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



much grown for the purpose as formerly. There are 

 several dwarf Asters of mixed character which are re- 

 commended for massing in beds. The original wild form 

 has recently been introduced from China, and has found 



Fig. 488.— CalliBtephuB chinensia 



general favour because <>f its vigorous free habit, and the 

 elegance of its single flower-heads, which are bright mauve- 

 purple witli yellow disc. Seeds should be sown in pre- 

 pared beds in a frame or house, or in pans or boxes, in 

 March and April, in a compost of finely-sifted loam, leaf- 

 mould, and sand, which should be well watered before 

 the seeds are sown. If glass can be laid over the tops of 

 flu- pans germination is much hastened. Should the sur- 

 face become dry, water is best administered by placing 

 the pans, &c, in a vessel of water where it can gradually 

 soak to the surface, instead of sprinkling overhead. As 

 soon as the seedlings are large enough, they are pricked 

 into boxes or a prepared bed in a frame, and hardened 

 off for planting in the open ground. Some of the dwarf- 

 gro^ in- Bouquet and other Asters are admirably adapted 

 for pot culture, and are employed in this way for the 

 decoration of the greenhouse. Well-tilled and rich soil is 

 indispensable for the production of a fine head of bloom 

 in the open air. 



CAMPANULA. — This genus comprises annuals, biennials, 

 and perennials. C. macrostyhi is a very distinct, com- 

 paratively new species, about a foot high, of loose growth, 

 producing large white flowers, with blue reticulations of 

 great beauty. It is. however, not always happy under 

 cultivation. C. Lafflingi, purple; C. Lorezi, purple, are 

 also worth growing. 



Centaurea.— A large genus of annuals or biennials, 

 the most useful of which is the blue Corn-flower of the 

 fields, C. Cyan us, improved by cultivation and selection. 

 In addition to blue there are white, gray, pink, and rose 

 colours, and also a double form. They are tall, and will 

 thrive in an}' out-of-the-way position. The blue-flowered 

 forms are largely cultivated for cutting purposes. C. rnos- 

 chata includes the blue and white Sweet Sultan, and 0. 



suaveolens, the Yellow Sultan, all most useful for cutting 

 purposes. They are also serviceable when grown in pots 

 for the conservatory in early summer. 



Chrysanthemum (fig. 489).- — The annual species are 

 numerous and very useful. C. coronarium, with its 

 numerous large single white, yellow- eyed flowers, erect 

 m habit, and 2 J feet high; the double white and double 

 yellow varieties are of great value for cutting purposes. 

 0. carinatum (tricolor) and its several varieties are very 

 handsome and single -flowered. There is a double -flowered 

 strain of this, larger and more varied in colour than the 

 double forms of coronarium, but not nearly so symmetrical. 

 C. multicaule is a dwarf, single-flowered yellow variety. 

 C. segetum, the yellow Corn-flower of the fields, is repre- 

 sented by improved garden forms. C. viscosum (Sibthorpii) 

 is similar to the last-named in growth and flowers. The 

 seeds of annual Chrysanthemums may be sown in the 

 open air in thoroughly good soil, and the plants thinned 

 out to admit of ample development. Within the last 

 few years a race of single-flowered forms have been ob- 



Fig. 489.— Chrysanthemums. 



tained by crossing the single forms of coronarium and 

 carinatum. 



Clarkia. — Of the numerous varieties of C. elegans and 

 C. pulchella that have originated in gardens, those of the 

 former are now but little grown. They comprise tall and 

 dwarf, double and single flowered forms, with white, 

 pink, red, or variegated flowers. Tom Thumb is dwarf 

 and showy, but of short duration, and has flowers in 

 which the segments have become roundish and entire. 



Clintonta {Downingia). — A genus of Californian an- 

 nuals allied to Campanula. Two species, C. pvlchella, 

 blue, and C. elegans, white to purple, are cultivated both 



