322 AGRICULTURE ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE 



The artichoke differs from the cardoon in having rougher 

 and harsher leaves, and larger flowers, or rather, flower heads. 



The thickened leaves (bracts) of the flower head are soft at 

 the lower ends, and are eaten when boiled, as is also the upper 

 end of the flower stem. The purple flower heads of the 

 artichoke are very pretty when in bloom, and sometimes the 

 plant is grown for ornament. 



Another stem vegetable is the kohlrabi, which is a cab- 

 bage stem much swollen an inch or two above the ground 

 (see page 269) . It looks like a Swede turnip, but tastes more 

 like cauliflower. (See figure.) 



ROOT VEGETABLES / 



Of vegetables used for their roots, the radish is 

 probably the most familiar. 



Radishes resemble somewhat the common turnips, 

 but are usually grown only on a small scale, to be eaten 

 fresh. In California the garden radish has escaped 

 from cultivation, and has become a very troublesome 

 weed, with beautiful pink-and-white flowers in spring. 

 With the yellow mustard bloom it makes the fields 

 beautiful, but hard to keep clean. The roots become 

 very hard and tough, and last several years, all the 

 time bearing a great deal of seed. It is quite different 

 from the weed radish of Europe, but its pods tend to 

 become subdivided like those of the Old World weed. 



Carrots are mostly a garden vegetable, but some large 

 kinds are also grown in large quantities in fields for feed- 

 ing cattle. Their cultivation is a good deal like that of beets. 



