196 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [MARCH. 



more destructive to their roots in winter, than the most severe frost; 

 when both these enemies attack the plants with their combined pow- 

 ers, they seldom fail to accomplish the work of destruction ; but 

 from the frosts, there is not much to be apprehended, if the plants 

 lie dry. 



Having fixed upon a proper soil and situation, lay on it a good 

 quantity of rotten dung, and trench the ground one good spade or 

 eighteen inches deep, incorporating the manure well therewith, and 

 pulverizing the ground effectually in the digging ; then proceed to 

 take off the slips mentioned before in the dressing of artichokes, 

 slipping them off the mother stools with all the roots or fibres which 

 they may have thrown out, rejecting such as appear unhealthy, and 

 closing the earth up after you to the remaining shoots. These be- 

 ing provided, pull off any loose hanging leaves, and trim the fibres, 

 then plant them with a dibble, about four or five inches deep, in rows 

 five feet asunder, and two feet plant from plant in the row, leaving 

 part of their green tops above ground, and the hearts of the plants 

 free from any earth over them, and give each plant a little water to 

 settle the earth about its roots. 



Or, if you have seedling year old plants, in a seed-bed, you may 

 take them up, and after shortening their tap-roots a little, and dres- 

 sing their leaves, plant them as above. 



Such young plantations, if kept clear from weeds, and now and 

 then watered in dry weather, will yield good artichokes the following 

 autumn, but will produce larger fruit, and more abundantly next year. 

 You may sow a small crop of lettuce, radish, or spinach, &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 too principal varieties of the Garden Artichoke, indeed 

 Mr. Miller makes too 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 com- 

 monly 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 colour, the bot- 

 toms 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. 



