18 
The New Ballet Queen Asters 
The introduction of the variety 
Ballet Queen two years ago, marked 
a complete change in the early 
Queen of the Market class of Ast- 
ers. 
Now this sentsational new type can 
be offered in a full blend of colors. 
Plants are extremely early, and bear 
flowers larger than ordinary Queens, 
with a distinctive crested center. 
It is this full center which makes 
the Ballet type extremely double, 
much more so than the previous 
strain. In addition, the Ballet type 
is extremely wilt-resistant, correcting 
one of the drawbacks of the old 
strain. The earliest of all Asters 
and best for the South. Fine for 
early market cutting. 
Approximately 12,000 seeds per oz. 
Pkt. 20¢; Oz. $1.50; 1/4 Ib. $3.50. 
The Dianthus - Hardy Pinks 
There are close to 100 species of Dian- 
thus grown in the U.S. and innumerable 
varieties, probably over 1000. I am not 
claiming any flower better than another 
but it will be hard to find a genus that 
is so easily grown, so easily suited to soil 
and climate and added to these the fact 
they take up so little room and fit into any 
garden, thus the fllower grower can make 
many beautiful selections for increasing 
his stocx. 
While this has always been possible we 
seldom hear of Dianthus fans as we do of 
the Lilies, Penstemons and other flowers. 
Dianthus Are Easily Grown 
Dianthus are all easily grown from seed, 
except, ofcourse, some of the hybrids that 
do not produce seed. They have to be 
increased by cuttings which can be easily 
done, but must be taken from non-flower- 
ing shoots, in spring or autumn. Layering 
is also easily done with Dianthus and on 
the smaller cushion types divisons are 
easily taken. 
In planting seeds of Dianthus, sow as us- 
ual. There are no special rules for them. 
They germinate best in the dark, that ig 
the seed bed should not be exposed to tha 
sun but covered with something or if poss- 
ible placed in the darker part of the room, 
If sown in seed pans or pots, water from 
below and try to keep the degree of moist- 
ure fairly constant. 
Fresh seed of the larger Dianthus germ- 
inate in about 3 weeks but in the alpine 
species I have Known seeds to remain in 
the seed pan a year before germinating. In 
some species, especially those native of 
the high mountains, germination can be 
hastened by exposing the seed pan to frost 
and then removing it after 2-3 weeks of 
this treatment, to a warmer location. 
Seed Can Be Sown Any Time 
Never let seedlings get crowded, tha 
thicker your stand the sooner they. will 
have to be transplanted. 
Seed can be planted just about any time 
of the year, that is best suited to the 
grower, another advantage. 
I might add here, too, that it is difficult 
to secure most of the Dianthus species 
true to type or named variety unless 
pains are taken to keep them from crosg 
pollinating. This is often very difficult 
and if many different kinds are grown 
close together. For a few years now we 
have been growing more and more specieg 
and selections of Dianthus, all with tha 
object of producing seeds as near true to 
type as is possible to raise them; we will 
also be able to offer plants, which you will 
find listed in future issues. There will 
also be many additions to our present 
list and as soon as sufficent stock is grown 
to make it possible to offer them. We are 
always pleased to hear of growers who 
are making a specialty of Dianthus. 
Dianthus, as a rule, likes a warm sun- 
ny position and nearly all kinds require 
lime in the soil. 
Another very important point about soil 
is that many of the species whose native 
soils are poor and rocky, should be grown 
on similiar soil or shall we say they should 
not be planted in rich soil, for they only 
grow rank and sprawl all over the ground 
and produce few if any flowers. 
Trim Back Dianthus Plants 
I also find it best to give my plants a 
‘hair cut’ in the fall or spring, especially 
cutting back long lanky stems. Most 
plants, whether the tall ones or the dwarf 
tufted types, are benefited by shearing 
the foliage back. In the fall and also 
spring I find it also good to scatter a layer 
of fine gravel under my plants; it keeps 
them from rotting and makes an _ ideal 
foundation for the leaves, preventing that 
too damp condition so often encountered 
in the late fall or early spring. 
The gardener who can grow his Dianth- 
us on raised beds, as we do ourselves, will 
find it more satisfactory and sure to have 
live plants in the spring for no Dianthus 
will tolerate wet feet. 
Never mulch a Dianthus plant, not on its 
top, it will only rot the foliage and does 
no good. If you wish to avoid heaving in 
the winter, a fine mulch between tha 
plants will help, but never get it on the 
plants themselves. By Harry E. Saier. 
OPTIMISM STRAINED 
(Continued from Page 17) 
cuses that would appear childish, but in this 
month’s of MY GARDEN, an English pub- 
lication, edited by Theo. A. Stephens, has 
an editoral that hits us exactly and I am tak- 
ing the liberty of quoting it and trust this will 
be all right with Mr. Stephens. I quote: 
“Optimism, tempered by a degree of caut- 
ion acquired very largely during a five-year 
period in Yorkshire early in my business car- 
eer, has been one of my asset in life. In re- 
cent months, however, my optimism has been 
sadly strained. 
I always think that the period between 
Christmas and Easter is a time when our 
spirits are more inclined to droop than at any 
other; it is like the time between three and 
five o’clock in the morning, when vitality is 
lowest, and this year the weather has added 
to every other trouble. Rising costs, which 1 
mentioned before, fustrations on every hand 
and the general worries of running a business 
today began to get me down and I started to 
ask myself whether it was all worth while. 
1 argued that I had done my share of the 
world’s work and that there was really no 
need for me to go on striving; but, though 
the arguments appeared to gain ground with 
my material self, my inner conscience told _ 
me that the truth was not in them. 
On a recent dull and dreary morning, 
after lying awake for some hours turning 
things over in my mind, I walked round my 
garden at home. The Snowdrops glorious as 
they would have been in brilliant sunshine, 
several of the Saxifrages were throwing up 
their delicious little flowers and the Daffodils 
were all thrusting up their flower buds with 
some of them showing color, all ignoring the 
gloom and carrying on with their job of 
bringing beauty to a troubled and dreary 
world. 
I drove over from my home-to our office 
here through dense fog, but already the fog 
was lifting from my soul. When I went 
through the mail that morning there were a 
number of quite extraordinary letters... . . 
.... My doubts and perplexities melted 
like snow in May and, though all the diffi- 
culties remained, my path lay clear before 
me-which was to go straight ahead, dealing 
with problems as they arose, and to do every- 
thing which lay within my power to carry on 
as before. We are all in the same boat, we 
all have our difficulties, and the problems of 
today are not just peculiar to any limited 
section of this country, or indeed of any other 
country, but are both nation wide and world 
wide.” 
Mr. Stephens then goes on about the in- 
creasing costs and the solutions, of which 
he admits are far from solution. 
Every word he says can exactly fit my own 
condition. I, too, lay awake at night trying 
to figure out the problems for the next day 
and I , too, walk in the garden and have thot 
how happy the Puschkinias are even in the 
snow and how busy the Robins and Cardials 
are with their coming season’s operations 
and so another day passes but the same prob- 
lems for us repeat themselves day after day. 
I hope that our Garden Magazine gives you 
not only much pleasure but will also supply 
you with helpful information as well. Your 
subsccription will go far in making this poss- 
able. Ink. 1B. GY 
CORRECTION!!!) With an short staff 
and the hurry to complete the printing the 
word “sadly” in the heading was set incor- 
rectly and it being run at night the entire run 
was printed. Have patience, dear reader, 
we soon will have the new plant in control. 
