FLORICULTURE 
transfer them to thumb pots or to other 
boxes, setting the plants about two 
inches apart each way. After all dan- 
ger of frost is past transplant the plants 
so treated to their permanent home, 
where they should stand about 18 inches 
apart each way in well prepared beds. 
Fresh manure or manure used in too 
large quantities sometimes proves injuri- 
ous to asters. Only thoroughly composted 
manure mixed with the soil is safe for 
these plants. Small quantities of air- 
slaked lime, or of fresh wood ashes, 
stirred into the surface of the aster beds 
prove beneficial to the plants. When giv- 
en plenty of water and rich, fine soil 
asters can be grown into beautiful pot 
plants. 
In some localities and during some sea- 
sons the aster is seriously attacked by 
the so-called black potato beetle or blister 
beetle (Epicauta pennsylwanica), an in- 
sect which feeds upon the partly devel- 
oped buds, causing them to develop, if at 
all, into deformed, irregular blossoms. 
In such localities asters can be success- 
fully grown under screens of mosquito 
netting or other thin cloth. 
BACHELOR’S Buttons. See Coreopsis. 
Balsam 
Impatiens balsamina 
A native of India, the garden balsam 
loves a hot sun, rich soil, and plenty of 
water. The young plants are quick, sure 
growers, and from seed sown in the open 
ground in May soon form handsome 
bushes thickly massed with large, rose- 
like flowers. Transplanting two or three 
times has a tendency to dwarf the plants 
into better shape and to make the flow- 
ers more double. Balsams are not often 
given room for perfect development; they 
will easily cover 12 to 18 inches of space 
each way. For the finest flowers choice 
seed is more than usually essential, for 
cultivation and selection have wrought 
wonders with this plant. The one objec- 
tion to the balsam is its habit of produc- 
ing its flowers, as it were, on the under- 
side of the leaves, or inside the plant. 
While the individual flowers are beauti- 
ful, the obscure manner in which they are 
borne detracts considerably from the value 
987 
of the plants. When used at the margin 
of groups or to crown a terrace they are 
shown at best advantage. 
For early bloom the seeds should be 
sown about the middle of March in a 
gentle hotbed or in the dwelling house. As 
soon as the first true leaves have de- 
veloped the young plants should be trans- 
planted to thumb pots or to boxes where 
they will stand about two inches apart 
each way. An abundance of light and 
water is at all times necessary for suc- 
cess with these plants. Care should be 
exercised to prevent them from becoming 
drawn, as stocky, symmetrical plants 
produce the best flowers. 
Calendula or Pot Marigold 
The calendula or pot marigold is a 
hardy annual about a foot high. A mod- 
erately rich, light soil is most congen- 
ial to these plants, which should be 
placed about 8 or 10 inches apart, if 
planted in mass or in borders. The seed 
may be sown in the open ground quite 
early in spring, and the plants will be 
in bloom early in summer and continue 
to bloom until late in the autumn. The 
coloring of the flowers ranges through 
all shades of yellow from ivory to deep 
orange. The plants bloom freely and 
earlier than the marigold, and are use- 
ful in beds, borders, or backgrounds. The 
dried flowers are sometimes used for 
flavoring soups and stews. There are 
both single and double forms of the pot 
marigold. One of the most satisfactory 
methods of propagating this plant is 
from seeds sown about April 1 in the 
North in spent hotbeds or cold frames. 
After the middle of May, in localities 
north of Washington it will be safe to 
transfer the young plants to their per- 
manent summer quarters. 
California Poppy 
Eschschottzia 
The eschscholtzia is the state flower 
of California, and an annual of striking 
character both as regards the form and 
color of its flowers, which are bright and 
rich in their tints of yellow and orange. 
The plants average about a foot in height, 
have attractive silvery foliage, and pro- 
duce their large poppy-like flowers quite 
