144 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



between each. There are two main varieties, the silver 

 and the purple skinned- Though the latter look far 

 more attractive before being cooked, the former possess 

 a better flavour. 



In October, or in some seasons, a little later, the stalks 

 begin to wither and the leaves become brittle ; then the 

 tubers are 'ripe for lifting. Some growers leave them in 

 the soil until required for the table they are unaffected by 

 frost but if slugs are at all troublesome they will attack 

 the tubers and utterly ruin them. For this reason it is 

 wise to dig them up, storing them in dry fine sand. 



It may, perhaps, be as well to point out that the 

 Jerusalem artichoke reproduces itself persistently from 

 even the smallest tubers. Consequently, it is necessary 

 to dig the bed carefully in autumn and remove all root 

 matter ; otherwise, the plants will increase and multiply 

 until they have invaded the surrounding plots. 



It is unwise to peel the tuber preparatory to cooking. 



The Chinese Artichoke is not so commonly grown 

 yet it is considered by many to be more of a delicacy. 

 The part that is eaten is the knobbed rhizome which 

 grows close to the surface of the ground. 



The soil required by Stachys tuberifera is much the 

 same as that mentioned for the preceding kind of arti- 

 choke. In spring the tubers are planted about three 

 inches down and a foot apart. No attention need be 

 given to them through the period of growth except an 

 occasional feed of liquid manure and, if the roots are 

 growing too close to the surface, an earthing up. 



In October the bushy plant commences to shrivel and 

 it is not until this process is complete that the tuberous 



