372 THE AMERICAN FARMER, 



fact all kinds of stock, seem to thrive when fed upon them, which proves that they contain 

 considerable nutritive matter, as well as the following analysis of it by &quot;Wolff and Knop, com 

 paring its nutritive value with the Irish potato, from which it will be seen that the artichoke 

 has as much flesh-forming material as the potato, and nearly as much heat and fat-producing 

 material. 



w i Organic Ah Albumin- Carbo- Crude . 



tcn matter. A8n oids. hydrates. fiber. Fat, etc. 



Potato, .... 75.0 24.1 0.9 2.0 21.0 1.1 0.3 



Artichoke, . . . 80.0 18.9 1.1 2.0 15.6 1.3 0.5 



The tubers are sometimes used for the table, when pickled, or for slicing in vinegar 

 like the cucumber They are usually fed to stock raw, but are said to be more nutritious 

 when boiled. The tops, when cut and cured as hay, furnish a fodder that is relished by 

 cattle and sheep. It is rather a difficult crop to exterminate from the soil when once established 

 in a locality. This can be done, however, by plowing the land when it is about a foot high, 

 or by mowing them in the latter part of August. 



Varieties. There are but few varieties of the artichoke. The Jerusalem is quite 

 extensively grown, and one of the oldest, although some of the newer ones, such as the 

 Improved White French and the Red Brazilian, are generally considered more productive 

 and superior in quality. The yield varies with the soil and variety, but it is always large, 

 even on inferior land, while the reports from some sections give the astonishing product of 

 from eighteen hundred to two thousand bushels per acre. On good land, from a thousand to 

 twelve hundred bushels per acre are not uncommon. Dr. Pollard, former Commissioner of 

 Agriculture of Virginia, refers to this crop as follows: 



&quot; Mr. A. C. &quot;Williams, of Ohio, says: The keep of my hogs in warm weather is blue 

 grass and Brazilian artichokes. Forty head of hogs and their pigs may be kept without 

 other food on an acre of artichokes from the time the frost is out of the ground until first 

 of June (about two months), and from September to October, until the ground is again 

 frozen. &quot;We suppose this means that the hogs are to be taken off first of June and the 

 artichokes permitted to grow and form fresh tubers until the fall. They fill the ground so 

 thickly with their tubers that it would be almost impossible for the hogs to get them all in 

 the two months, and thus bear seed enough for the summer s growth. I am prepared to 

 believe this statement of Mr. &quot;Williams from an experiment I made with them this year. 

 The variety I planted was the &quot;White French; procured from the United States Agri 

 cultural Department. I could not procure the Red Brazilian, which is preferred in the 

 &quot;West. In spite of the drought, I think each hill would average half a peck. They are not 

 all yet taken up. Two hills selected as having large stalks yielded one and a half pecks. At 

 half a peck to the hill, and planted three feet by one foot, the usual distance, the yield would 

 be upwards of 1,800 bushels. A neighbor of mine, from one hill of the common artichoke 

 heavily manured, produced a measured peck upward of 3,600 bushels to the acre.&quot; 



There is an entirely different plant, known as artichoke, (Cynara scolymus,) a native of 

 Barbary and Southern Europe, which is cultivated for its flower heads, which, in their imma 

 ture state, are boiled and eaten as food. The bottom of the heads are very fleshy, which is 

 the edible part. There are two principal varieties of this plant, the Large Globe, producing 

 large globular heads of a dusky purple color, and which is considered the best for general 

 culture, and the Large Paris, with large oval heads, a kind much cultivated and esteemed by 

 the French. 



Planting, Cultivation, etc. The artichoke will grow on almost any kind of land, 

 and in shady localities, but does best on a light, rich soil, with open exposure. It is very hardy, 

 and will endure severe cold without injury, living through the winters in the ground in any 

 part of the United States. 



