FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. 
BY W. F. MASSEY. 
We have had a new sensation in Asters.— 
For.many years the improved forms of China 
Asters have been a favorite flower, and we grew 
them on the Eastern Shore to much greater 
perfection than we had ever seen them here; 
that terrible pest, the black bug, was never seen 
there. The only way I have been able to get 
any Aster flowers here is to sow the seed very 
early, so as to have them come in bloom by 
August 1st; they will then be through their 
best bloom by the time the bugs come. I recol¬ 
lected growing, when a boy, the old single 
China Asters, from which all the present gor¬ 
geous varieties sprung and the present fashion 
for single composite flowersled me to think of 
the old single Asters, and knowing them to stand 
so long after cutting, I determined to get some 
seed it possible. For many years I have been 
buying the choicest seed to be had, with the 
usual result of getting an average of about a 
half dozen plants from a twenty-five cent paper 
of seed. This year we searched the catalogues 
for the old China Aster seed. The nearest ap¬ 
proach we could find was “Asters, common mix¬ 
ed, 5 cents per packet.” So we ordered the com¬ 
mon mixed at five cents, and at the same time 
sent for some choice Dwarf Chrysanthemum 
flowered at 25 cents a paper. The five-cent pa¬ 
pers were large, full ones; the twenty-five cent 
paper had as usual about 25 seeds. The cheap 
seeds produced an average of about 100 plants 
per packet; the choice package produced just 
four plants. Now for the result. The four 
plants of the Dwarf Chrysanthemum variety 
are just what I bought them for, and are very 
fine, but the cheap seed, from which I only ex¬ 
pected single flowers, have been a perfect sur¬ 
prise. Of course there are some single ones, and 
gocd ones too, but out of one of these five-cent 
papers I have magnificent flowers of the Chry¬ 
santhemum flowered, Peony flowered, Bet- 
teridge’s Quilled, tall sorts, dwarf sorts, and all 
sorts and colors, truly the most completely mix¬ 
ed seed I ever saw. Hereafter I shall always 
have plenty of Asters for cut flower purposes 
without investing in the named sorts. The only 
difficulty is in the great variety of heights, 
which makes a bed of these plants look rough. 
I would not object to paying 25 cents a paper for 
the fine named sorts if the seed would germinate 
with any sort of certainty, but usually the high¬ 
er the price the fewer plants one gets. I have 
several times bought Betteridge’s Prize Asters 
in England at two shillings six pence a paper 
and paid postage on them to this country, only 
to get two or three plants out of a paper, while 
I got out of one of these 5 cent papers more Bet- 
tendge Asters than I ever had out of an import¬ 
ed packet, I have written so,fully of these seeds 
because, in most sorts ot annuals, it is usually 
much best to buy the best to be had, even at a 
high price, but a careful person with some of 
these cheap Asters can soon select for himself 
choice separate varieties, without the expense 
and exasperation of failure with the more costly 
named sorts. For uniform bedding purposes, of 
course it is desirable to have them of one height, 
and this can soon be attained by carefully saving 
the seeds separately.—[American Farmer. 
RULES FOR WINTER. 
The following sensible rules are found in Farm 
and Freside. They are worthy of practice: 
Never lean with the back upon anything that 
is cold. Never begin a journey until the break¬ 
fast has been eaten. Never take warm drinks 
and then immediately go out in the cold air. 
Keep the back—especially between the shoulder 
blades—well covered; also the chest well pro¬ 
tected. In sleeping in a cold room, establish the 
habit of breathing through the nose, and never 
with the mouth open. Never go to bed with 
cold or damp feet; always toast them by a fire 
ten or fifteen minutes before going :o bed. Never 
omit regular bathing, for unless the skin is in 
active condition, the cold will close the pores, 
and favor congestion or other diseases. After 
exercise ot any kind never ride in an open car¬ 
riage or near the window of a car for a moment; 
it is dangerous to health and even to life. When 
hoarse, speak as little as possible until it is re¬ 
covered from, else the voice may be permanently 
lost, or difficulties of the threat be produced. 
Merely warm the back by a fire, and never con¬ 
tinue keeping the back exposed to heat after it 
has become comfortably warm. To do otherwise 
is debilitating. When going from a warm at¬ 
mosphere into a colder one, keep the mouth 
closed so that the air may be warmed by its pas¬ 
sage through the nose, ere it reaches the lungs. 
Never stand still in cold weather, especially 
after having taken a slight degree of exercise; 
and always avoid standing on ice or snow, or 
where the person is exposed to a cold wind. 
—Forest and Stream says: “There is no- au¬ 
thenticated instance on record of a hoop snake 
having been seen by any competent observer. 
The whole story is a myth, a figment of the im¬ 
agination. The hoop snake does not exist.” 
