34 



THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



flower garden with a few clumps of such vegetables, for the 

 sake of enjoying their charm in a state few people but growers 

 of seeds ever witness. — C. F. SaiDidcrs. [The sea-kale, a com- 

 paratively unknown salad plant in this country, but well known 

 abroad, is another of the garden vegetables that deserves a 

 place among the flowers. Its creamy-white flowers are borne 

 in profusion and make a very attractive sight. — Ed.] 



Asters Turning Pink. — Several years ago wild flowers 

 were introduced into our garden with an idea of preserving a 

 few of these fast disappearing annuals. The wild purple asters 

 soon appeared in various parts of the acre devoted to horti- 

 culture. Quite a bunch made its appearance under an apple 

 tree. Last year this tree was loaded to breaking with fruit. 

 Some was shaken off to preserve the tree but many bushels 

 were allowed to come to full maturity. The apples are large 

 and rather sour being excellent for cooking. The fruit ripened 

 all through August and wdien the asters bloomed in September 

 all others, save those under the apple tree were the usual rich, 

 dark purple while those under the apple tree w^ere a dark rose 

 red and the blossoms were slightly larger in size than the 

 others, some of which were only ten feet away. Did the large 

 quantities of apples which all through July and August were 

 left on the ground to spoil and return to the soil change the 

 color of the asters? [It is not likely that the apples had any 

 effect on the asters. Pink asters often occur among- purple ones 

 and are usually regarded as color sports. It may be said, how- 

 ever, that acids may turn blue and purple flowers pink, and it is 

 possible that this may have been the case in this particular in- 

 stance, but it is more likely that the flowers were mere sports. 

 —Ed.] 



PuFFBALLs. — I havc bccu told that the value of puffball 

 spores in arresting bleeding lies in the remarkable absorptive 

 power they possess, causing them to swell rapidly and form a 



