The Daybreak is a quilled variety 
of carnation hue 
The Hohenzollern variety produces beautiful 
white, pink and lavender blossoms 
The Pink Beauty is another variety 
exquisite in color 
Asters for the Million 
by M. A. Nichols 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves 
T HERE has never been a flower garden that has seemed quite 
complete without Asters. Every succeeding year finds 
them more sure of their prestige than ever; at least the writer 
cannot find any flower that has given greater satisfaction in her 
garden. This has been especially noticeable during the past 
years when the Asters therein have been planted with regard to 
massing separate colors, great care being taken with selection. 
The varieties selected for last year’s garden were so successful 
that one is safe in recommending them, though there are many 
others wonderfully beautiful and worth while. The writer’s ex¬ 
periment included the large-flowered dwarf White Queen, the 
peach-blow pink Mary Semple, Truffaut’s Peony (glowing crim¬ 
son), and the rich deep colored Royal Purple. The last three 
are branching in growth, somewhat later than the Dwarf White 
Queen, and may be supplemented by Purity, an exquisite branch¬ 
ing white variety. 
The writer planted seeds an eighth of an inch deep in shallow 
boxes (flats) indoors the latter part of March, keeping the boxes 
somewhat cool, and as the seeds germinate in a week’s time or so, 
by the end of May there were splendid thrifty seedlings all ready 
for setting in outdoor beds. 
The soil of these beds had been enriched by a mulch of leaf- 
mold over the winter, and by early spring was in a fine, mellow 
condition, just right to nourish the young plants from the start. 
These seedlings were set six inches apart, in rows one foot apart. 
Thus there was plenty of room for frequent cultivation and 
weeding. As it was desired to collect the seed and to insure from 
season to season thereafter a true succession of bloom, the separate 
masses of varieties were so far separated one from another as to 
secure each from contact with the pollen of the other, beyond 
what might be carried by visiting insects. 
The dwarf White Queen plants came to maturity some 
three weeks before the others. They were marvels in pristine 
purity of snowy bloom, growing to a height of fifteen inches, 
uniformly, and having a blooming season of four or five weeks. 
The branching varieties of tall vigorous bush-like growth 
differed greatly in form. Their extremely large flowers were borne 
on long upright stems branching out, and were especially fine 
for cutting. The Mary Semple, a lovely delicate pink, much the 
shade of the Day Break carnation, was a wonder in the perfection 
of its double flower. The Truffaut’s Peony shared honors with 
the Mary Semple in all points, and although its crimson blooms 
were in contrast with the others, they did not, as one might sup¬ 
pose, kill the exquisite effect of their pink neighbors. No such 
risk could be taken with the Royal Purple variety, however, and 
the bed containing them was quite remote from the others. 
Nearly all branching varieties of Asters continue blooming 
right up to frost time, if the ravages of black beetles that early 
commence to chew the petals are combated. This is easily done 
by watching for the first appearance of these beetles, picking 
them off into a cup with a pointed stick. It is really wonderful 
how short a time it takes to keep all your Asters free from these 
beetles if you go about this task systematically. A few minutes 
care every few days will protect your beautiful beds. 
One of the recommendations for early planting, and therefore 
for starting plants indoors now is that early plants are not apt to 
be subject either to black beetle depredations, nor to the mysteri¬ 
ous Aster disease which often destroys all the flowers of a bed in a 
couple of days. A teaspoonful of Paris green in the watering-pot 
can be sprinkled on the plants at night and early in the morning, 
which treatment will prove effective. All flowers should be re¬ 
moved as soon as they fade, and beds be freely watered. 
The hardy Asters, Michaelmas Daisies, are especially effective 
for mass planting 
(H7) 
