March. 1 i) 1 i 



THE G A II D E N M A G A Z I N E 



85 



Some Troubles of the Aster 



By L. B., New York 



THE blue root aphis is one of the worries 

 of the aster grower. It seems to be 

 almost inseparable from growing asters and 

 may be found equally on strong growing 

 plants and on those that are sickly and 

 weak. It undoubtedly weakens the plants 

 on which it is found in any quantity. The 

 point of attack is around the stem just at 

 the union of the stem and root, and slightly 

 below the ground level. Heavy dressings 

 of wood ashes seem to make the ground 

 uncongenial to the pest and mulching with 

 tobacco stems is also recommended. The 

 liability of attack is much more marked 

 on hot, dry ground than on moist, wet 

 soil. 



Another trouble all too familiar is the 

 aster blight, the exact nature of which is 

 not recognized. Its effect on the plant 

 is too well known. This has been called 

 the yellow blight because of the general 

 appearance of the plant which makes a 

 bright yellow, straggling growth. The 

 parts affected do not die or wilt but the 

 flowers are affected and the growing tip 

 becomes greenish yellow instead of dark 



green. The flowers are imperfectly formed 

 and the color becomes yellowish like that 

 of the affected leaves. It seems the only 

 thing to do is to pull up and burn the 

 diseased plants, for when once the trouble 

 appears it seems to be likely to crop out 

 here and there from time to time among 

 otherwise healthy plants. Good sturdy 

 growth in the beginning and proper atten- 

 tion to cultural details will almost ensure 

 plants against attacks of this disease. 



The stem rot or wilt is another trouble 

 occasionally appearing and this is due to a 

 fungus which enters the plant near the 

 ground line and cuts off the water supply. 

 At the ground line the stem is plainly 

 rotted so the trouble is easily recognized. 

 Here again the normal color of the flower 

 changes to yellowish green and the plant 

 shows a fading or blighting over a portion 

 of it, usually one side. Pull up and destroy 

 any affected plants as soon as the appear- 

 ance is recognized. 



A sudden wilting of the entire plant is 

 often due to the appearance of the common 

 white grub, the immature form of the May 

 beetle. Of course, if the plant is pulled 

 up and the grub is seen at work, there is 

 no doubt as to the source of the trouble. 



Here again the tendency to attack is more 

 marked on dry soils. The remedy that 

 has been successfully used of late with 

 the same grub where it attacks straw- 

 berries may be used — that is, pouring a 

 teaspoonful of bisulphide of carbon on to 

 the ground right in contact with the collar 

 of the plant. 



The aster beetle, dull black with hard, 

 shell like wings about an inch long and 

 rather narrow, is, it must be confessed, a 

 terrible pest in some localities. It does 

 not trouble the plant until the flowers 

 appear and then, if it is not shaken off, it 

 devours the petals by wholesale. I have 

 tried all the insecticides in general use 

 without any good result. The only way 

 to avoid this attack is to go over the plants 

 every day, knocking off the beetles into a 

 vessel containing a small quantity of 

 kerosene. The attack ceases as suddenly 

 as it commences and may be dodged some- 

 what by getting the flowers extra early or, 

 on the other hand, late. 



None of these diseases should be regarded 

 as so serious as to cause the abandonment of 

 the cultivation of the China aster. Rather 

 their possibilities should urge us to thor- 

 ough attention to proper cultural methods. 



A typical plant of the branching type (Semple). 



The branching asters are most useful for cutting because they have long stems and bloom freely, 

 early, dwarf, and late kinds which are effective for borders, etc. 



There are 



