October 31, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
915 
READERS’ COMPETITION. 
For details of this competition and prize offered, please 
see page 911. Please post on Friday night. 
Aster (Michaelmas Daisies or Starworts). 
Coming into flower at a time of the year when most autumn¬ 
flowering plants have either been destroyed by stormy winds or 
frost, perennial Asters are invaluable. 
Any well-trenched garden soil will suit them, and by making 
a judicious selection and given a reasonable amount of atten¬ 
tion the garden can be kept gay from August to November in a 
manner unapproachable by any other class of plants at that 
season, not to speak of their value and usefulness for cut flower 
purposes. Planted here and there in the shrubbery, some of 
the tall varieties are especially adaptable, and help to brighten 
their surroundings. Then again for pot culture they are very 
amenable ; if cuttings are struck in spring, shifted on into 
5in. pots, and plunged in ashes, they can be utilised for conser¬ 
vatory or house decoration. The smaller flowering varieties 
should be used for this work, as the effect is charming when 
mixed with Chrysanthemums and other late-flowering or foliage 
plants. I think they are seen to best advantage when planted in 
groups, as there is plenty of variety in height, habit, and colour. 
° Acris, which is generally first to bloom, grows about 3ft., and 
produces an abundance of starry flowers of a lovely blue colour. 
Amellus is a dwarf, large-flowering species, of which Cassubicus 
(violet blue), Distinction (rosy mauve), Framfieldi (deep blue), 
and Riverslea (dark bluish violet) are very desirable varieties. 
Chapmani is a tall branching variety with lavender-coloured 
flowers. Of the Cordifolius species Diana is perhaps the best, 
having long graceful sprays of small soft lilac flowers. Ericoides 
is another small-flowering species, producing charming white 
sprays, which are valuable for cutting. 
The Novi-Belgii section has produced a great many varieties, 
of which F. W. Burbidge, Robert Parker, and Top Sawyer are 
three splendid sorts, with large lavender blue coloured flowers, 
while Lady Trevelyan and Purity are popular and very useful 
whites, all of which are tall and very effective. Longifolius 
formosus is of dwarf compact habit, and has flowers of a lovely 
pink, which are produced in the greatest profusion. Mrs. J. 
F. Ravnor (deep red), William Bowman (purple), and Ruber 
are desirable varieties of the Novae-Angliae type, and are much 
valued for their large deep-coloured flowers. I would like to 
add a few more favourites, but to be fully appreciated a collec¬ 
tion should be seen personally, and is more satisfactory in every 
way to the intending Aster enthusiast. E. A. J. 
The Fig. 
It does not fall to the lot of all gardeners to have to grow 
Figs, and a good many gardeners seem to be almost entirely 
ignorant of the method of cultivating this splendid fruit. When 
well grown it fully repays the time and trouble taken with it; 
but it has a way of its own, and must be done in that way. if 
so, you can get two, and sometimes three, crops in one season 
off them. 
One thing in particular must be kept in mind when growing 
1 the Fig—its roots must be confined. The soil used for potting 
or for planting it should be of a rather poor nature ; loam and 
brick rubbish, with a sprinkling of crushed bones, is most 
suitable. If too rich soil is used the tendency is to grow all 
wood and no fruit. 
In spring, the Figs having been potted up into as small pots 
as possible in the compost before mentioned, the house should 
1 be shut up, and kept syringed and damped, and a good hear 
kept up, say 50 degrees at night, with a rise of 10 to 15 degrees 
by day, and as the day lengthens and the sun gets more 
powerful this may be raised io to 15 degrees both by night 
and day. 
On bright days they should be syringed twice, in the morning 
and afternoon, and when very bright the floors and stages may 
be damped with beneficial results at midday. 
Watering.—The Fig must be carefully watered, as its roots 
being confined, when in pots naturally it soon exhausts all the 
moisture in the small amount of soil it has to grow in, and 
therefore, as when it is in full leaf it has a great expanse of 
leaf surface giving off moisture, it requires a great amount of 
water at the root to supply the loss, and a fair amount in the 
house as vapour, to prevent too rapid transpiration from the 
leaf ; hence the importance of careful attention to both watering 
and damping. A slight mystery is, I think, understood to be 
connected with the F ; " -n its young stage, as at any time whep 
the fruit is at a certain stage it may turn yellow, every one of 
a tree. 
Now this is often laid down as defective watering ; in some 
instances it may be so, but in many instances I do not think 
it is. We are aware that in very few instances the fruit will 
swell and come to maturity unless the flowers have been fer¬ 
tilised. Now, as the flower of the Fig is inside the fruit, and 
the end nearly closed, it is a difficult matter for it to be fer¬ 
tilised. In fact, we are eold there is only one insect that can 
jaerform this work, and if this insect be scarce the flower's are 
not visited by it, and therefore not pollinated, the result being 
the young become yellow and drop off. In some instances it 
may be due to a check from want of water or excessive cold 
draughts, but in many instances, I believe, it is due to the 
flowers not being fertilised. 
When growth has commenced in spring, and the young shoots 
have four leaves, they should be pinched, and by this time the 
first crop will be about half grown on the wood of the previous 
season, and by the time these are ripe the young Figs on the 
(young wood of the same season will be coming well forward, 
idle shoot which was again thrown out at the end where pinched 
should itself be pinched at four or five leaves and the third 
crop will soon make its appearance ; but in most instances this 
crop should be picked off and not allowed to ripen, as it would 
exhaust the bushes too much and weaken them for the succeed¬ 
ing year. 
M hen the bushes in pots have fairly started to grow and form- 
ing their fruit they should be very liberally fed with manure 
water ; as they are confined and in poor soil they require some 
stimulants to help in nourishing and maturing their fruits. 
In the height of the season this may be given three times a week, 
a change of manure being often given. 
In the autumn, after the plants have fruited, they may be 
turned out of doors to ripen off, but ihev will not stand severe 
frosts, so therefore they require protection of some sort, and 
this is best given by having them in a house where they do not 
get the full force of the frost. William Goon, F.R.H.S. 
Some Failures. 
We often hear it said that failure often teaches us more than 
success. While I admit that, generally speaking, this is so, 
still there are instances in gardening where we never seem able 
to fairly understand the growing of some certain plant. If we 
have s, special liking for any particular flower we usually grow 
it well. This, however, does not seem to hold good in the case 
of the Cyclamen. Taken on the whole, perhaps, no popular 
flower is worse grown in the average garden. I cannot recall 
more than two or three of a fairly wide acquaintance who really 
grow fine Cyclamen. I have a great liking for them, but have 
to sorrowfully admit that up to the present time I must write 
failure against my endeavours to grow them well. I have only 
once had them really fine, and, do as I like (and I have tried 
many, plans with them), I can never do the same again. I have 
not quite given up hope, but-. One of the best all-round 
gardeners I ever knew failed every year with Cauliflower and 
Celery. It was not that these crops failed to grow, only the 
quality was always very inferior. The soil, of course, may have 
had something to do with this, but as every other crop was 
always first-rate is seems hardly likely that that was the sole 
reason. 
Thai soils have a good deal to do with the success of certain 
Grape growers is well known, but the curious thing is that 
where one man succeeds in bringing his Grapes to a perfect 
“ finish,” a successor may quite fail to do so. A case in point 
is brought to my mind by hearing lately of the death of a very 
good gardener who used to exhibit Grapes, Peaches, etc., at 
the Edinburgh autumn show. No finer bunches or berries ever 
graced the tables at this famous show than those shown by this 
exhibitor, and yet he seldom or ever took a. prize for Grapes, 
the only fault of his fruit being the finish. Only a short distance 
off another gardener, with Vines planted in the identical 
same kind of soil, grew Grapes of perfect finish, and which 
took prizes at Edinburgh for many years. There was, of course, 
something different in the treatment, but still the one who 
failed never seemed to profit by his failures. 
We often admire the fine healthy plants of an acquaintance, 
and although he very minutely tells us his methods, try as we 
like we can never fairly equal him, say, with his Maidenhair 
