68 
Lastly I want to mention Heart of 
France. I grew it first in 1919, clear at 
the back of the lot. It attracted atten- 
tion from every passer-by, and many 
pronounced it the best Aster they had 
seen. In color it is red; red with a 
sheen ; and when other red Asters are 
placed beside it, they pale by com- 
parison. It is branching in habit, very 
productive and vigorous, flowers large, 
of the regular petal type. 
Asters must be grown from seed to 
flower without a setback if full suc- 
cess is to be had. A freeze will not 
kill seedlings, but stunts them beyond 
recovery. Rich soil, but not freshly 
enriched is the prime requisite of 
growth. A little wood ashes in the 
soil before setting is advisable. Asters 
rarely do well in beds in the lawn. 
Give well dug soil and garden cultiva- 
tion if possible. They will be a failure 
in the shade. 
The black aster beetle which appears 
with the flowers is very destructive but 
can be quite easily controlled by knock- 
ing off into a can of kerosene once or 
twice a day until they disappear. The 
yellows, most dreaded of Aster dis- 
eases, has no cure. If your Aster plant 
turns yellow and the flowers are par- 
tially developed with no color, pull the 
plant and burn it. Never plant two 
years in succession on the same ground, 
nor Queen of the Market on the same 
ground for six intervening years. I 
quote the last from a large grower 
who tried to repeat in less than six 
years and always failed. 
Cultural Instructions 
for Hardy Chrysanthemums. 
Location— The later-flowering varie- 
ties should be planted in a sheltered 
location, where they will get the sun 
most of the day and yet be protected 
from the prevailing winds. It must be 
remembered that the soil close to foun- 
dations dries out rapidly ; so the plants 
will need water occasionally. A mulch 
of grass clippings will help a great deal 
in keeping the soil from drying out. 
Soil— Do not plant in stiff clay, or 
thin sandy soil. Dig a hole or trench 
about ten inches deep and twelve wide 
and fill it with any fair garden soil. 
Pruning— Chrysanthemums are liable 
to make a rank growth in May and 
June and the stems or stalks should be 
cut back at least once, but not later 
then the first of July. 
Winter Protection — The only protec- 
tion that I give is to cut the tops off in 
late November or early December and 
lay these over the plants. Do not apply 
the protecting material too early. Some 
years it would be best to wait until 
after the middle of December, for a little 
freezing will harden them. All the pro- 
tection that mums need is a light cover- 
ing to merely shade them. Too much 
covering material will smother the 
plants. Do not use leaves; any porous 
material like hay or coarse straw is 
better. 
Dividing — Plants should be divided 
every two or three years. 
H. W. Groschner. 
Zb Slower (Brower 
Tulip-time. 
BY BERTHA BERBERT-HAMMOND. 
[Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
“ And first the Snowdrop’s bells are seen, 
Then close against the sheltering wall 
The Tulip’s horn of dusky green.” 
— Oliver Wendell Holmes. 
So long as the aged miracle of the 
spring resurrection of plant-life touches 
a responsive cord in the human breast, 
early blooming flowers, whether wild 
or cultivated, will be more heartily wel- 
comed and more generally appreciated 
than those that bloom later in the 
season. 
Conspicuous among the favorite 
spring-blooming garden flowers are the 
radiant Tulips, whose gay and cheer- 
ful hues, after the long, sombre winter, 
bring such a pleasing ray of brightness 
into the colorless surroundings. 
“ As beauty is its own excuse for 
being,” so the exceptional loveliness of 
Tulips is the chief reason for their 
lasting popularity. It would be diffi- 
cult to imagine anything floral more 
exquisite than the artistic bedding 
effects produced in spring by the fall 
plantings of varieties carefully and 
skilfully selected as to harmony of 
color, and uniformity of size and time 
of blooming. Even some of the bizarre 
effects sometimes seen, command at- 
tention by their sheer gorgeousness 
and brilliancy. 
“ For brilliant tints to charm the eye 
What plant can with the Tulip vie ?” 
During Tulip-time enthusiastic ad- 
miration for the Tulip is quite uni- 
versal. A hint of the old “Tulip craze” 
seems to pervade like a spring fever, 
and one can in a measure understand 
how during the historic “Tulip mania” 
which raged in Holland in the 17th 
century, otherwise staid communities 
went “mad” over choice varieties pro- 
duced and risked their all in speculat- 
ing in Tulip bulbs at inflated values, 
in the same reckless manner that some 
persons now speculate in watered 
stocks in Wall Street. 
One may occasionally find a person 
who thinks that though — 
“ The Tulip is the gayest, 
Most gorgeously drest 
And loved by the sunlight 
Above all the rest. 
Too haughty is she 
Of flowers the proudest, 
In colors the loudest.” 
— Miriam Clark Potter. 
But all Tulips are not flaunting in 
color. There are fine white varieties 
{Albion Alba Maxima, etc.) besides a 
choice of innumerable delicate tints, 
that cannot fail to please the most 
fastidious. Endowed with the unmis- 
takable “ear marks” of good breeding, 
evident in stateliness of growth, beauty 
of flower and foliage, with a genealogy 
that has been traced back for hundreds 
of years, the aristocratic Tulip is en- 
titled to a place of honor in every gar- 
den of any pretention. 
In that charming book “ Elizabeth 
and Her German Garden,” the author 
expresses the sentiments of a Tulip 
enthusiast in the following words : 
May, 1920 
“ I love Tulips better than any other 
spring flower; they are the embodi- 
ment of alert cheerfulness and tidy 
grace. * * * Their faint, delicate 
scent is refinement itself ; and is there 
anything in the world more charming 
than the sprightly way they hold up 
their little faces to the sun ? I have 
heard them called bold and flaunting, 
but to me they seem modest grace 
itself, only always on the alert to en- 
joy life as much as they can and not 
afraid of looking the sun or anything 
else above them in the face.” 
With the revival of the May flower- 
ing Tulips, a very desirable late bloom- 
ing class is obtainable, and is likely to 
grow in popularity with amateurs as 
its merits become better known. Be- 
ginning with the gay, dwarf-growing 
Due Van Thol, the earliest of Tulips, 
and following with varieties assuring 
a succession of bloom, it is a simple 
matter to prolong materially Tulip- 
time and have a mass of fine speci- 
mens in full bloom for Memorial Day. 
The Old Home Garden, Back East. 
By Sarah A. Pleas. 
My garden was the favored haunt 
Of butterflies arid bees; 
And song-birds, nesting all around 
In bushes, vines and trees; 
Our little children played therein 
On sunny summer days, 
Their merry laughter ringing out 
Along the garden ways. 
An Oriole’s nest was hanging from 
A low branch overhead, 
Where the mother bird sat brooding on 
The eggs that she had laid; 
While jubilant with music rare, 
High up within the tree, 
The gayest of our songsters sang 
Sweetly for her — and me. 
Within that garden, wondrous fair, 
My memory clearly sees, 
With net in hand, collecting moths, 
The student, Ellwood Pleas; 
And as I muse that happy past, 
My present lot I bless; — 
An earthly paradise that’s filled 
With Heaven sent happiness. 
American Rose Society. 
The following Rose has been accepted 
by the Rose registration committee of 
the American Rose Society, and unless 
objections are received in the Sec- 
retary's office within three weeks of 
this publication the registration will 
become permanent. 
Name— Red Columbia. 
Class— Hybrid Tea. 
Parentage — Sport of Columbia. 
Description— General characteristics of this 
variety are identical with Columbia except the 
color is a brilliant scarlet, and the petalage is 
not so full as Columbia. The color is similar 
to Hoosier Beauty. 
Originator — Jos. H. Hill Co. 
E. A. White, Secretary. 
The few failures with Gladioli are 
very largely attributable to shallow 
planting. Five to six inches is a pretty 
deep trench to dig. Use your measure. 
