t THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 2^' 



part is stripped off by the teeth, and the rest of the leaf 

 put aside, as we do the stem of asparap^us. The bottom, 

 when all the leaves are thus disposed of, is eaten with 

 knife and fork. 



Artichokes are propagated from seed, or from off-sets. 

 If by the former, sow the seed in rows a foot apart, as 

 soon as the frost is out of the ground. Thin the plants 

 to a foot apart in the row ; and in the fall of the year, 

 put out the plants in clumps of four, in rows three feet 

 apart, and the rows six feet asunder. They will pro- 

 duce their fruit the next year. When winter ap- 

 proaches, earth the roots well up ; and before the frost 

 sets in, cover all well over with litter from the yard or 

 stable. Open at the breaking up of the frost ; dig all 

 the ground well between the rows ; level the earth down 

 from the plants. You will find many young ones, 

 offsets, growing out from the sides. Pull these off, and, 

 if you want a new plantation, put them out as you did 

 the original plants. They will bear, though later than 

 the old ones, that same year. As to sorts of this plant, 

 there are two, but they contain no difference of any 

 consequence : one has its head, or fruit pod, round ; and 

 the other, rather conical. As to the quantity for a 

 family, one row across one of the plats will be suffi- 

 cient. 



ASPARAGUS. 



It is propagated from seed. Gather the seed when it 

 is dead ripe. Sow it thinly in drills a foot asunder, and 

 two inches deep, thiee weeks, or about, before the frost 

 sets in. Press the eailh well down upon the seed,, and 

 as soon as the frost sets in, but not before, cover the 

 ground with muck, or litter, a foot deep, and lay some 

 boards or poles, to prevent its blowing off. As soon as 

 the frost breaks up in the spring, take off the litter; and 

 you will have the plants quickly up. When the planta 

 are fairly up, thin them to four inches asunder ; for they 

 will be four times as strong at this distance as if they 



