Horticultural Society of London, 163 



than that of the sage gastrophilists aforesaid. To restore 

 unwonted vigour to old age, and new elasticity to youth, 

 are the most modest of its attributes ; the magical broth with 

 which the veins of iEson were replenished by the cunning 

 Medea, was doubtless prepared from the cardoon ; and the 

 story itself is probably a sort of figurative record of the skill 

 of the fair enchantress in cooking this delicious vegetable, 

 which was well known to the Grecian gastronomes under 

 the name of xaxros- ; but this we throw out merely 

 as a suggestion. Upon preparing herbs thus potent for 

 the table, cookery has exhausted all its skill ; to dress a car- 

 doon is declared, by the highest authority in the art, to be 

 the surest test of a skilful cook ; and one of those invaluable 

 acquirements which, to borrow the words of a writer not 

 less celebrated for his powers of composition than of cook- 

 ing, *^ raises cookery to the rank of the sciences, and its 

 professors to the title of artists." Our good forefathers, 

 indeed, *' could not find the true manner of dressing car- 

 doons,"" and were content to eat them raw " with vinegar 

 and oyl, pepper and salt, all of them, or some, as every one 

 liketh for tneir delight;" which, considering that this vege- 

 table is both bitter and astringent in a high degree, does not 

 argue much for the delicacy of palate of our ancestors ; little 

 did they dream of the savoury preparations that modern art 

 has devised by the aid of Espagnole, consomm^, blancs, tam- 

 mies, marking, masking, and all the mysteries of the stew- 

 pan. 



Four varieties are here described, of which the Spanish 

 cardoon is the most common, and the cardon de Tours 

 the best. 



They are cultivated, like celery, in deep broad trenches, 

 well manured and watered. When the plants are nearly 

 full-grown, which will be about the end of October, a dry 

 day is to be chosen for performing the operation of blanching 

 them, which is thus effected : — 



** The leaves of each plant are carefully and lightly tied 

 together with strong matting, keeping the whole upright, 

 and the ribs of the leaves together. The plant is then bound 

 closely round with twisted haybands, about an inch and a 

 half in diameter, beginning at the root, and continuing to 

 about two-tliirds of its height. If the plants are intended for 

 winter store, they must be earthed up like celery ; but if to 

 be consumed before the frosts set in, the operation of earthing 

 UP ra^y be omitted." 



M 2 



