658 ASPARAGACEOUS ESCULENTS. 



stalks in moist sand, in an open shed secured from frost, they will 

 keep fit for use till January or longer. The leaves of the artichoke 

 may also be blanched like those of the cardoon. The varieties are, 

 the Globe, with a globular purplish head, which is the best variety for 

 a main crop ; the French, with an oval green head, considered as 

 having more flavour than the other and being hardier. Both sorts 

 are propagated by rooted suckers taken from the old plants in March 

 and April, and planted in rows four feet asunder, and two feet distant 

 in the row. The soil ought to be deep, sandy, and rich, and sea-weed 

 is said to be an excellent ingredient in the manure for this plant, 

 being the manure used in the Orkney islands, where the artichoke 

 grows stronger than anywhere else. The routine culture consists in 

 keeping the plants clear of weeds, thinning out the shoots produced by 

 the stools, stirring the soil, manuring once a year, in autumn or spring, 

 and laying litter round the plants in autumn to protect the roots from 

 frost during the winter. The plants will produce some heads the 

 first year, and all that they produce may be gathered as soon as they 

 attain the proper size, as the strength of the root depends on the 

 leaves, and not on the flowers. The plantation will continue produc- 

 tive for six or seven years, or longer. By planting a few every year 

 a later crop may be gathered, as the newly-planted stools will often 

 flower right on into November. In gathering, the heads are cut oft 

 within an inch or two of the stalk attached, and half-a-dozen heads 

 are considered as making a dish. 



Culture for Producing the Chard. This is only attempted when the 

 artichoke plantation is to be renewed, and the old plants to be thrown 

 away. After Midsummer, cut over the leaves within half a foot of the 

 ground, and the stems as low as possible. Then, when the new crop 

 of leaves, which will be produced in September or October, are about 

 two feet high, tie them up close, first slightly with matting, and in a 

 few days afterwards with hay or straw, and earth them up like celery, 

 or lay litter round the stems. In a month or six weeks, the interior 

 leaves will be found completely blanched, and fit for use. By digging 

 up the plants before frost sets in, and planting them in sand in an open 

 shed, they will keep till Christmas, or later. 



The artichoke is seldom attacked by insects, and though generally 

 propagated by division, slips, or suckers, yet it ripens seeds freely in 

 September, which, sown the following spring, will produce heads in the 

 second summer. The seed keeps three years. 



The Cardoon. 



The Cardoon, or Chardoon (Cynara Cardunculus,L.) is a carduaceous 

 perennial, a native of the South of Europe and the North of Africa, 

 closely resembling the artichoke in appearance and properties. It has 

 long been cultivated in gardens for the midrib of the leaf, which is 

 rendered white and tender by blanching, and is used stewed, or in 

 soups and salads during autumn and winter, much in the same manner 

 as celery. The flavour is that of the artichoke. It is much more in 



