October 7, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
325 
ffideed “ such a mode of argument that serves rather to confuse 
than enlighten.”—S. 
OLD CUCUMBER PLANTS. 
About this time Cucumbers which have been grown in houses 
during the summer generally show signs of decaying. The leaves 
assume a yellow hue, the fruit ceases swelling, and the conclusion 
arrived at as a rule is, that the plants are “quite done ” and may 
be thrown away. This may be the best mode of dealing with 
them in some cases, but not in all. When the main stems are 
good the old plants may often be started into growth again, to do 
as well or better for the next four months than young plants. 
We have still the same plants bearing now as we had in the 
month of February last, and they have lately been dressed to 
yield a supply all the year round, or nearly so. When planted 
they were only expected to supply fruit until the end of July. 
Then they were in such healthy condition that a little more feeding 
and heat induced them to produce a large number of fine fruits, 
and now after the soil has been thoroughly top-dressed they are 
making clean fresh shoots and forming many healthy fruits, which 
will equal or surpass those from the young autumn plants for the 
next two months or more. Probably all varieties might not do 
so well, but Telegraph, our main variety, prospers with the treat¬ 
ment. Those of your readers thinking of throwing away old 
plants might do worse than give this mode of renewing them a 
trial.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
MICHAELMAS DAISIES.—No. 1. 
Autumn imparts to gardens an aspect of dreariness that is all 
the more noticeable and unpleasant immediately after the bright¬ 
ness of summer. The glowing colours of Pelargoniums and similar 
bedding plants, with the more varied and softer tints that mark 
the majority of hardy herbaceous plants, seem to vanish together, 
and in a week or two the beds that have so delighted us only 
possess masses of fast-decaying vegetation. In many gardens, 
from the fading of the summer flowering plants to the advent of 
the Chrysanthemums, there is comparatively little to please or 
enliven. Why is this ? There is certainly no necessity for gardens 
to be so utterly destitute of flowers as they too often are during 
the dull months of October and November, for there are several 
genera of plants that contain late-flowering and attractive species 
well fitted to supply this demand. Among these few surpass in 
numbers and beauty the Michaelmas Daisies ; and being of free 
growth, thriving in any ordinary soil, easily increased, and re¬ 
quiring but little attention, they unite those very useful qualities 
of ornamental appearance and easy culture. This specially applies 
to about a dozen forms out of the twenty or thirty autumn-flower¬ 
ing Asters in cultivation ; but there are some which, from their 
straggling habit, diminutive and dull-coloured flower heads, are 
by no means sufficiently attractive to be worth growing. The 
select forms are, however, varied in habit, size, and colour of the 
flower heads. Some do not exceed a foot in height, others rife 
above 6 feet; some are compact and bushy, others are loose and 
straggling. The colours are v r hite, lilac, blue, purple, and rose 
of diverse shades, and the capitula range in size between a six¬ 
pence and a crown piece. The mode in which the flower heads 
are borne also constitutes another distinction—namely, some are 
arranged in a dense corymbose inflorescence, others are loosely 
spread in a raceme like or paniculate manner, while a few have 
the heads borne singly. It will thus be seen that there is a 
greater diversity among Michaelmas Daisies than is commonly 
supposed ; and whether they are employed for planting with 
shrubs or in the ordinary mixed border, they will amply repay 
their cultivator for the space they occupy and the little trouble 
bestowed upon them by bearing a profusion of flowers at a period 
when the supply from other sources is fast diminishing. 
As to the relative merits of the species and varieties opinions 
would probably differ in some degree, but in the selection which 
follows those only are recommended that possess characters of 
sterling value, regard being paid to habit and general effective¬ 
ness of the flowers. It may, however, be well to remark first that 
the chief beauty of colour and form of the capitula is in the outer 
or ray florets, for the centre florets are yellow in nearly all the 
species. As the former, therefore, vary in size so we have a large or 
small flower head ; the closeness or looseness of the arrangement 
and the neatness of the outline also constituting additional degrees 
of merit. 
Aster Amcllus .—This species has been in cultivation in English 
gardens for nearly three hundred years, as that assiduous plant 
grower Gerarde had it in 1596; and in his interesting “ Herball ” he 
describes it under the name of Aster Italicum or the “Italian 
Starrewort,” as bearing “ faire blewish purple floures, yellow in 
their middles, and shaped like Marigolds, and almost of the same 
bignesse, whence some have called them Blew Marigolds.” It 
has also some still more ancient historical interest, for it is famed 
to be the Amellus mentioned by Yirgil. Referring to this Phillip 
Miller states, in his “Gardeners’ Dictionary,” that Aster Amellus 
abounds in the “ valleys of Italy, Sicily, and Barbonne, and the 
leaves and stalks being rough and bitter the cattle seldom browse 
upon them, so that they remain in the pasture after the grass is 
eaten bare, and, making a fine appearance when they are full of 
flowers, might well engage the attention of the poet.” The plant 
is moderately compact in habit, numerous stems rising from the 
Pig. 60.—Aster novse-anglice var. pulcliellus. 
root to the height of 2 or 3 feet, bearing somewhat sphathulate 
leaves at the lower portion, which become narrower higher on the 
stem. The flower heads (capitula) are about liinch in diameter, 
with narrow purple florets. A Russian variety of this species 
named bessarabicus is also grown ; it chiefly differs from the type 
in the slightly larger and paler flower heads. Both these produce 
their flowers during September and October. 
A. ’novce-anglice .—North America is the great home of the genus 
Aster, and of the numerous forms from the western continent 
A. novac-angliae is one of the best. This, too, is an old and well- 
known inhabitant of our gardens, its introduction dating as far 
back as 1710. The typical form is of strong growth, frequently 
exceeding 6 feet in height, but is not so straggling in habit as 
some of the tall species. The leaves are narrow and bright green, 
the capitula being neatly formed and of a fine purple tint. This 
