The Gardener's New Director. 183 



about the old plants, and with your finger feel for fuch 

 off-fets as can be eafily taken off, without wounding them 

 or the mother-plants; obferving not to take fuch iuckers 

 as have fruited, for their roots are flicky, and will not 

 produce fuch large fruit as younger fuckers, I mean fuch, 

 whofe roots cut crifp and tender. 



If your fuckers are brought from a diftant garden, or 

 have been fome time taken off, I would recommend 

 their roots to be wafhed, and before planting to lie fix 

 hours in water ; this will refrefh them, expand their 

 veffels and fibres near their roots, and prepare them for 

 foon ftriking root. Plant them at the diftances above 

 fpecified, that is, four feet row from row, and three 

 feet plant from plant, watering them well until you 

 perceive them growing: between their rows you may 

 have a crop of fpinage and radifhes, or a few colly- 

 flowers, but no other kind of crops. About Auguji and 

 September they will give you good fruit, which, when 

 you cut, be fure at the lame time to cut down their 

 ffalks, to within one inch of the ground; this greatly 

 ffrengthens the plant, and prepares it for early fruiting 

 the enfuing feafon: and in order to ftrengthen the young 

 plants, I have cut therh down after their fruit has ap- 

 peared a little time; this enables them to give a fine 

 crop the following feafon : in this manner in particular 

 I treat all weak plants, which is a certain way of 

 recovering them. 



About the twenty-fifth of OiHober, I cut down 

 my Artichokes to within fix or eight inches of the earth, 

 and dig the furface of my ground, laying it up to the 

 plants, in the manner you do when you trench ground ; 

 and if you apprehend the foil is not fufficiently rich, you 

 may lay the dung of your oldeft and befl: rotted hot-bed 

 in the bottom of the trench, but upon no account any 

 new dung or litter: this landing of your Artichokes will 

 defend them from winter frofts. In the fpring let the 

 old dung be dug into the ground, which will fo flreng- 

 then the plants, that you may depend upon good crops. 

 I alfo tried an experiment with my Artichokes, which I 

 cannot omit, and with which I had mofl extraordinary 

 fuccefs. In June and in July I gathered a good quantity 

 of fea-rack, mixed it v.ith frefh earth, about a fourth 



N 4 part 



