The cultivation of the Aster has for a long time occupied the attention of florists and those interested in beautiful flowers; and, like the chrysanthemum, it is now at its height.

We have before us a lithograph of a collection of Victoria Asters, raised by Ernst Benary, of Erfurt, Prussia, and they are without doubt, the largest and best we have yet seen. They are of all shades and colors, from a bluish white to dark purple and crimson. They run in size from 4 to 4½ inches in diameter.