202 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [March. 



little or no value; where this practice is used, it will he necessary 

 to have a regular succession of plants for the purpose. 



In cutting the plants Cor the table, care must be taken not to 

 injure the crowns of the roots by cutting the shoots too close to 

 them. 



The sooner this delicious esculent is dressed, after it is cut, the 

 better. Twenty minutes boiling, in general, is sufficient to make 

 it tender: this process is the more to be attended to, as the good- 

 ness of the article greatly depends on it; that which is young, 

 recently cut or forced, will be done in less time; when properly 

 boiled it is to be served up in the manner of asparagus; it dresses 

 well by stewing, and makes an excellent pickle. 



As an esculent vegetable it is found to be very wholesome, and 

 most people who have tried it prefer it to asparagus, to which it is 

 related, in point of flavour. 



When the crop is sufficiently cut, level the earth all over the beds, 

 keep them free from large weeds during the remainder of the sea- 

 son, and cover them in November, as before directed. 



This plant will grow extremely well in such soils as suits aspara- 

 gus, having it prepared in the same manner as for that, and would 

 be very profitable to cultivate for sale near cities and large towns. 



Spring dressing of Artichokes. 



As soon in this month, as the very severe frosts are over, any 

 long light litter with which your artichokes are covered must be 

 raked off into the trenches; and when you perceive the young shoots 

 beginning to appear above ground, or rather one or two inches up, 

 not before, proceed to levelling down the beds into the alleys or 

 trenches, rounding them in a neat manner, then dig and loosen all 

 the ground around the plants; at the same time examine the number 

 of shoots arising on each stool or root, selecting three of the strong- 

 est and healthiest looking on every stool to remain; all above that 

 number are to be slipped off close to the root with your hand, 

 except you want such to make new plantations with; in which case, 

 any extra number for that purpose are to remain on the mother 

 plants until they are about eight or ten inches high from their roots 

 or junction with the old plants, when they are to be slipped oft* and 

 planted as hereafter directed, leaving only three of the best shoots 

 on each crown as before, closing the earth in again about the crowns 

 of the roots, and drawing it a little up to the remaining suckers. 

 Observe that in every part of the Union this dressing is to be given 

 when the plants are in the above described state, whether that 

 happens in February, March, or April, occasioned by the difference 

 of climate, or the earliness or lateness of the spring. 



Planting Artichokes. 



In making new plantations of artichokes, select for that purpose 

 a piece of deep, rich Bandy loam that is not subject to retain too 

 much wet in winter, nor to be parched up with drought in summer, 



