MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 213 



year. You may sow a small crop of lettuce, radish, or spinage, &c., 

 the first year between these rows, especially if you wish to make the 

 most of your ground. 



A plantation of artichokes will continue to produce good heads for 

 five or six years, but it must be observed, that if you wish to have a 

 succession of this fruit, you must make a small plantation every 

 spring, for the young plants will not produce their heads in perfection 

 till after the crops of the old standing ones are over. 



SOWING ARTICHOKE SEED. 



There are two principal varieties of the garden artichoke; indeed 

 Mr. Miller makes two species of them; the cynara scolymus, or 

 French artichoke, and the cynara hortensis, or globe artichoke. 



The first being the sort which in former times was most commonly 

 cultivated in France, is generally known by the title of French 

 artichoke. The leaves are terminated by short spines, the head is 

 oval, and the scales do not turn inward at the top like those of the 

 globe artichoke ; the heads are of a green color, the bottoms are not 

 near so thick of flesh, and have a perfumed taste, which to many 

 persons is very disagreeable, so that it is seldom cultivated where the 

 globe kinds can be procured. 



Of the second, there are two varieties, the green and the red 

 fruited, both extremely fine. The head is globular, a little com- 

 pressed at the top, the scales lie close over each other, and their ends 

 turn inwards so as closely to cover the middle. 



The leaves of the globe artichoke are of a bluer cast, with more 

 and deeper jags on the cliffs than those of the French ; they have 

 small inert prickles like the latter but not so perceptible ; the leaves 

 of the French sort are larger, much wider, and of a paler color. The 

 great openness of the scales in the head of the French artichoke is a 

 leading character ; it also rather draws up to a point in the middle, 

 whereas, the globe kind is quite flat at top. The color of the fruit, 

 in the red variety of the globe artichoke, is a reddish-brown, or rather 

 a dusky purple with a tinge of green. 



After the above descriptions it will be unnecessary to recommend 

 which kind to sow; but being provided with good fresh seed of either 

 sort that you desire to cultivate, prepare a piece of ground as 

 directed for the young plantations, and at the distances there men- 

 tioned sow a few grains of seed in each spot where a plant might be 

 set, covering them about three-quarters of an inch deep with light 

 fine earth ; when they appear keep them very clean and free from 

 weeds during the whole summer and autumn, and in November you 

 will find the method of their winter treatment, as well as that of the 

 old plants. Any extra plants that may arise are to be transplanted 

 into new beds the spring following. 



In the course of the season you may have crops of cauliflowers, 

 cabbages, dwarf-kidney beans, spinage, lettuces, &c. &c., between the 

 rows; keeping them at a sufficient distance from the young arti- 

 chokes, so as not to smother or cause them to draw up weakly. 



Or sow these seeds in a bed so thin as you may expect the plants 



