Artichoke Sea -Kale . 449 



World for the propagation of the variety. The suckers 

 are usually planted directly where the plants are to ma- 

 ture, and in the second year the heads may be gathered. 

 Usually the plant begins to decline after it has borne two 

 or three heavy crops. It is therefore advisable to re- 

 plant it frequently. In cold climates the crowns should 

 be well protected in winter with straw or litter. The 

 edible parts of the flower-head are the fleshy portion on 

 the inside of the large outer scales and the "bottom" or 

 receptacle of the head. The heads are 

 gathered before the blue flowers begin to 

 show, that is, when the head is in the 

 bud. Fig. 141. As soon as the head 

 begins to expand, it is too old and 

 woody for eating. In this country the 

 artichoke is little prized, but it is much 

 used in parts of Europe. The plant is 

 quite worth the growing as an orna- 

 mental subject. Figl44 Globearti . 

 Cynara Scolymus, the artichoke, is chokes. One-fourth 

 native to the Mediterranean region. See naturalsize - 

 Sturtevant, Amer. Nat., Feb., 1887, p. 125. For notes on 

 culture and methods of cooking, see Circular 22, Division 

 of Botany, U. S. Dept. Agric. (1899). 



SEA -KALE 



Sea -kale is a low, fleshy-stemmed perennial, the 

 young leaves and shoots of which are blanched and 

 eaten. In the kitchen, it is prepared after the manner 

 of asparagus. The plant is little known in this country, 



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