THE ARTICHOKE. 657 



the plants should be uncovered, and their leaves suffered to grow, in 

 order to strengthen the roots for the succeeding year. If very large 

 and succulent sea-kale is required, gathering should only be made 

 every other year, and the plants should be manured with stable-dung 

 or nightsoil, taking care to thin the buds and young shoots at an 

 early stage in order to secure strength for the succeeding year without 

 undue robbery to root or bud. 



To Save Seed. Leave the blossoms on a few of the strongest plants, 

 the seed produced by which will ripen in August, and the stalks may 

 be collected and thrashed like those of the common cabbage. The 

 seeds will retain their vitality for four or five years. 



Forcing. Where a crop is to be forced in the open ground, the 

 ordinary mode is to cover the plants in autumn with sea-kale pots 

 (fig. 66 in p. 101), or with large garden-pots, and to cover these and 

 the whole surface of the ground with hot dung, or a mixture of hot 

 dung and leaves. When this is done in October, kale may be gathered 

 in November or December ; and by successive applications of heat to 

 other parts of the plantation, a supply may be obtained till it can be 

 procured from the plants covered with soil, or leaves only. Other 

 modes of forcing have been already noticed. The best mode is, grow 

 plants strong and well, and take them up to force. They may be 

 grown either from seed, crowns, or cuttings of the roots. Take them 

 up in succession throughout autumn, winter, and early spring, and 

 place in a cellar, mushroom-house, dark archways, under shutters, in 

 pits or frames, and a sure crop of fine blanched sea-kale will be the 

 result, with but little trouble, expense, or anxiety. Plant the roots 

 again ; if they are wanted they are sure to be ready again the next 

 year. It is marvellous the quantity of fine sea-kale that may be pro- 

 duced by these simple means. 



The Artichoke. 



The Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus, L.) is a carduaceous perennial, a 

 native of the South of Europe and North of Africa, in cultivation in 

 British gardens from the middle of the sixteenth century. The plant 

 is cultivated for the head of flowers, which is gathered before their 

 expansion ; and the common receptacle, and the base of the involucral 

 scales, are the parts eaten. These are boiled, sometimes fried in 

 butter, and they are occasionally eaten raw in salads. The receptacles, 

 or bottoms, as they are commonly called, after being blanched in 

 boiling water, are sometimes dried and preserved for use during 

 winter and spring. In the North of Spain the smaller flower-heads are 

 cut soon after they appear, and the bottoms are taken off and form a 

 palatable ingredient in the puchera or olla, a favourite Spanish dish. 

 Artichoke bottoms are also combined with capsicum in a sort of stew 

 made of fowl. The first heads are ready in July, and by continuing 

 to gather them before allowing any to expand their flowers, they will 

 continue being produced till November ; and by cutting off the heads 

 at that season, with a foot or more of stalk attached, and inserting the 



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