THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
287 
Candytuft. 
it inherited in its tropical home abideth with it forever. 
In life it is an object of beauty ; in death it is the other 
extreme. But in every garden there should be seen a bed 
of balsams. 
Single dahlias, too, are dead, but their pleasant memo¬ 
ries will keep them alive in our hearts. This flower has 
had its ups and downs in public favor. It was hailed 
with delight when first introduced, but at once sank into 
insignificance when the double form was introduced, and 
it had not a friend or advocate; it was not even tolerated 
in the company of popular plants. Again it has attained 
to great popularity. This is mainly attributable to the 
improvement it has undergone in the hands of a few able 
growers. We have grown the single dahlia in large quan¬ 
tities and with great satisfaction. Sqpae of the varieties 
have no equals in our garden, either for show or for their 
uses as cut-flowers. While the tops are dead the tubers 
still live, and are true prophets of the life that is to come 
next season, if we so elect. The single dahlias are 
readily obtained from seed, which should only be saved 
from the very choicest forms and colors. It is worse 
than a waste of time to save seed from a poor strain, 
while the seed saved from a good strain is likely to 
produce flowers of great excellence. 
Asters have adorned our garden this year that fairly put 
to shame those forms usually called good. But few per¬ 
sons, relatively, have any conception of the perfection to 
which this handsome flower has been brought, or of its 
value for ornamental purposes in the garden and its uses 
as a cut-flower. There is of them an almost endless diver¬ 
sity in size, form, habit and color, and nearly all of them, 
where well grown, are not only creditable but profitable. 
Ordinary cultivation, while it will yield fair results, will 
not meet the requirements of the aster, which to be 
brought out in perfection must have a heavy, deep, rich 
soil, which must be thoroughly worked. Such soils 
should be dug deeply now, and made rich with well de¬ 
cayed manure, left in a rough state until spring, then 
digged over again, and for the best results put a layer of 
manure eighteen inches below the surface. If the ground 
is in a friable condition the roots will soon penetrate this 
depth for the storehouse of food below, and the result 
will be asters of magnificent size and color. There will 
be nothing gained by starting them too early; they are a 
September flower, and they can be had in perfection in 
October. Sow the seed from the middle of May to the 
first of June in seed-beds and transplant into the beds in 
which they are to bloom. While most of the forms are 
desirable for the garden, the Pceony-flowered class is by far 
the most profitable. We would like to add another word 
for the aster, and for the Pceotiy-flowered section in par¬ 
ticular. It is this, there is nothing better for the window- 
garden during the fall than asters in pots, and for this 
purpose sow the seeds in-the open border, transplant, 
when they have made the second pair of leaves, into a 
good rich soil, set the plants a foot apart each way; as 
soon as the buds begin to show color carefully take them 
up and put into six or seven inch pots, use as small pots 
as possible without injury to the roots by crowding, 
water thoroughly and give them a shaded situation 
for a few days, then bring them into the house and 
they make splendid flowering plants, lasting until the 
regular occupants of the window have become well es¬ 
tablished. 
The candytuft that has made the garden so cheerful 
during summer, and that has been so useful for cut- 
flowers, has gone the way of most flowers, but not with¬ 
out providing for the future, which makes it a provident 
plant. Young plants are coming up by the thousand 
around the graves of their fallen parents. These, with a 
slight protection of newly-fallen leaves, will make a fine 
display early in the spring, in fact nearly as soon as the 
ground is ready for the seed, which when sown will make 
a succession of bloom. Old-fashioned as the candytuft 
may be, it is a showy and useful annual. 
In looking over the garden we find some noble speci- 
Helichrysums (Everlasting Flowers). 
