Globe Artichoke. 143 



stem and stood in water in a cool shady place, where they 

 will keep good for a considerable time if the bottom of the 

 stem is cut off as it shows signs of decay. The main heads 

 will grow much larger if the laterals, or side heads, are taken 

 off by the time they are an inch through. If when cutting 

 the heads of the earliest batch the stems also are cut to the 

 ground, a number of new suckers will appear ; the weakest of 

 these should be removed, and the remainder will then produce 

 a late crop. 



The plants will continue productive in good soil for five or 

 six years, but as a rule three or four years is long enough for a 

 plantation to stand without renewal. 



Chards. These are the summer suckers of the Artichoke 

 when blanched, and are then scarcely to be distinguished from 

 cardoons. Early in July the plants which have already pro- 

 duced a crop of heads are cut down to within a few inches of 

 the ground, the surface soil is stirred and mulched, and copious 

 waterings are given. Numerous shoots will spring up, the 

 weakest of which are removed, and by the end of September 

 those remaining will be ready for blanching. For this opera- 

 tion choose a fine day when the leaves and soil are dry. Draw 

 the stems together and tie them with strong raffia ; then put 

 some dry hay or straw round the base of each plant and wrap 

 up the stems with hay or straw bands, finishing by earthing up 

 in the same way as celery. The bleaching will take five or six 

 weeks. Before hard weather sets in any still unused must be 

 protected by litter, or may be lifted and packed in sand in a dry 

 cellar. 



Manures : A liberal dressing of stable manure and plenty of 

 moisture are the principal requisites for the production of good 

 heads ; or a lighter dressing of manure may be supplemented 

 by fertilizers as follows : 3oz. kainit, 2oz. superphosphate, per 

 square yard applied in autumn ; f oz. nitrate of soda, per square 

 yard, applied when growth is beginning in the spring. 



Varieties: The Purple Globe and the Green are the two 

 most popular varieties in British gardens, the former being 

 perhaps the more popular of the two. 



