how many doctors you have tried—no matter how much money you have spent on other medicines, you really owe it to yourself, and to your family, to at least give Swamp-Root a trial. Its strongest friends to-day are those who had almost given up hope of ever becoming well again, So successful is Swamp-Root in promptly curing even the most distressing cases, that to prove its wonderful merits you may have a sample bottle and a book of valuable information, both sent absolutely free by mail. The book contains many of the thousands upon thousands of testimonial letters received from men and women cured. The value and success of Swamp-Root is so well known that our readers are advised to send for a sample bottle.

In writing to Dr. Kilmer & Co., Binghamton, N. Y., be sure to say that you read this generous offer in The Mayflower. The proprietors of this paper guarantee the genuineness of this offer. If you are already convinced that Swamp-Root is what you need, you can purchase the regular fifty-cent and one-dollar size bottles at all drug stores everywhere.

THE MAYFLOWER,

PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT FLORAL PARK, N. Y.,

——BY——

The Mayflower Publishing Co.

JOHN LEWIS CHILDS, President.

Subscription Price, 50 Cents for 3 years.

Foreign subscribers must send two shillings extra for postage.

Devoted to the cultivation of Flowers and Plants, Gardening and Home Adornment in general.

Copyrighted 1904 by the Mayflower Publishing Company

Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at Floral Park P. O., N. Y.

The principal subject of this issue is The Aster, by Lora S. La Mance. Read it and preserve the copy. It is worth keeping and you are quite likely to need it for future reference.

Complete volume of The Mayflower for 1904, now ready, price 25c. postpaid. Any volume from 1894 to 1904, inclusive, 25 cts. each.

Editorial Notes

Our Attractive Offer for 1905

We would refer our readers to one of the foregoing pages for complete information regarding our club premiums for 1905. As usual, we offer a good premium, (one that is well worth working for,) to the club raiser for every subscriber he or she sends us. Here is a chance for all our readers to add materially to their collection of floral treasures, as it is the simplest thing in the world to go out among one's friends and neighbors and get subscribers to The Mayflower. So good a floral magazine, at only 25c. for 3 years, together with 10 beautiful summer blooming bulbs for only 5c. extra, is a proposition that people are likely to accept, when it is brought to their attention, especially if they are the least bit interested in flowers or gardening.

The Warbler

If you are in the least interested in the scientific study of birds and bird protection, you surely need The Warbler magazine, which we publish at $1.00 per year, and which is advertised elsewhere in our columns.

Imitation Gardenias

The gardenia flowers now so much favored for wearing are expensive. All the dames beautiful enough to deserve them in profusion, do not receive them, perhaps. Clever imitations of the sprays are sometimes made up of the large shining leaves of the Japan Euonymus and the flowers of the Double Poet's Narcissus, N. alba plena odorata. Unfortunately, the difference in odor does not lend itself to the illusion.

Two Favorite Bedding Pansies

These are Emperor William and Lord Beaconsfield. One is light blue and the other yellow, so that, en masse, they are effective at a distance. The rich, dark, velvety Pansies are really more beautiful to look at, but we must stand close by them or hold them in the hand in order to enjoy them. In photographs the flowers of dark varieties hardly show at all. A good example of the handling of Pansies for effectiveness is shown in the planting of the six solid beds usually devoted to them in the grounds of Girard College, Philadelphia. The beds chosen for them are those that have been planted with Tulips the autumn beforehand. From seed sown in August grow thrifty young plants that are wintered in a cold-frame. As soon as the Tulips show leaves above ground young Pansy plants are set between them. When the Tulip flowers begin to fade the Pansies are opening their buds, and when the faded bulb-stems are cut away, lo! Pansy beds in full bloom!

THE ASTER

BY LORA S. LA MANCE, MO.

History of the Aster—The Modern Aster—General Culture of the Aster—About Seed—Time to Start Asters—Preparing an Aster Bed—Mulching and Watering—Insect Foes of Asters—Other Cultural Rules—The Aster as a Cut Flower—Leading Varieties of Asters.

HISTORY OF THE ASTER

Starworts or Aster-like flowers of the Compositæ family are found in many parts of the world. In far-off China a flower-loving Catholic missionary noted a showy flower of late summer and early autumn. That was nearly two hundred years ago. The flower was what is botanically known as Callistephus, a Greek term meaning beautiful crown. From a scientific standpoint it was not an Aster at all, though closely related to that family. This wild Daisy-like Callistephus bore many graceful single flowers about the size of our largest wild Asters. The flowers consisted of a single row of light bluish-purple ray petals surrounding a golden disk-like center. In 1731 the Jesuit missionary sent seeds of it to France. It was liked from the first, and its early French cultivators politely named it Reine Marguerite—Queen Daisy.

In due time the plant reached England. Here it was re-named. In allusion to its origin and to the star-like spread of its bluish petals, they called it China Aster, i.e. China Star. Even in our mother's day it was still called the China Aster. It became popular, especially as it soon sported into different colors. Otherwise there was little change in it until a little after 1840, when the first double flowers were produced.

From that time its development was something marvelous. French, English, German and American hybridizers have vied with each other in bringing out new forms. It must be considered now as one of the few flowers that has all but reached perfection. There are three or four marked types of flowers, and it would seem impossible in any of these types to add to their beauty of form or to improve their colors, unless it would be to add a really deep yellow to the list of shades. Nor is anything lacking in size or doubleness of bloom.

THE MODERN ASTER

Our Asters of to-day range in size from the dwarfs, 6 to 12 inches high, to half dwarfs, 15 to 18 inches tall, and tall sorts, 20 inches to 2 feet in height. There are three leading types of flowers. (1) Rose-flowered, shaped and imbricated like a blooded rose, the outer petals reflexed or rolled back, and the inner ones slightly recurved. This type of flower is much prized by those who like regularity of petals. They are as