The Chinese Annual Asters are too well known to require description, their diversity of color and compact habit of growth rendering them almost universal favorites. They delight in a cool moist loamy soil enriched with well-decomposed horse- or cow-manure.

The seeds should be sown, early in March, either out of doors or under glass, in pans, pots or boxes in light sandy soil, and covered very lightly with sandy leaf-mold; water lightly and keep the soil moderately moist until they germinate; as soon as they make an inch of growth prick them out, about three inches apart, in light rich soil and grow them on until they are about four inches high; harden them off in a sheltered place out of doors, and plant them about one foot apart where they are to flower about two weeks after they have been planted, mulch the entire surface of the soil, between the plants, with about one-half inch of rotten manure and give a good watering. To produce fine flowers, the Aster should never suffer from lack of water and should receive a good drenching at least once a week; should extra large flowers be desired, the flowers should be thinned to about five or six to a plant, and the plant supported by a neat stake.