270 



HORTICULTURE. 



Kitchen 

 Garden. 



luxuriance of the plants in these is to be ascribed to 

 the liberal supply of sea-weed dug into the ground 

 every autumn. It was long ago remarked by a horti- 

 cultural writer, that " water drawn from ashes, or im- 

 proved by any fixed salt, is very good for artichokes." 

 Sy sterna Agricultures, 16'82. 



366. The plants are often placed four feet apart 

 every way : sometimes they are planted three feet apart 

 in rows, and the rows are kept six feet asunder. In 

 many of the market-gardens near London, the rows are 

 eight or ten feet from each other ; intermediate low- 

 growing crops are sown or planted, the artichokes be- 

 ing always allowed five feet free. Some gardeners 

 plant two offsets together ; and if both survive and prove 

 strong, they afterwards remove one. Others plant three 

 offsets in a triangular patch or stock, each offset being ten 

 or twelve inches from the other; and these stocks are af- 

 terwards treated as if they were single plants. A crop 

 of spinach or turnip is generally taken, for the first 

 year, even between the closest rows. At the end of 

 the first season after planting, a small and late crop of 

 artichoke-heads is procured, generally in October. In 

 the second year, the leaves of the plants will almost 

 meet in the rows. 



To encourage the production of large main heads, 

 some detach all the lateral heads in a young state. 

 These are commonly in a fit state for eating raw, having 

 attained about one third of their proper size ; and they 

 are for this purpose frequently sold in Covent Garden 

 market, chiefly to foreigners. Another thing practised 

 with the same view, is the shortening the ends of the 

 large leaves. When all the heads are gathered, the 

 whole stalks are broken down close to the ground, in 

 order to save the useless expenditure of sap, and to 

 promote the setting out of young shoots at the root. 



In November the plants are earthed up, or, in other 

 words, a portion of earth is drawn around each plant. 

 It was formerly a custom to make a trench between 

 the rows, and to fill this trench " with dung which 

 would not freeze;" the earth thrown out, forming a 

 ridge around the plants. Some modern writers re- 

 commended the making of the trench, but omitted to 

 speak of filling it with dung ; so that the roots of the 

 plants were thus more exposed than if the ground had 

 been left untouched. In this way the forming of any 

 trench came into disrepute ; and, as already noticed, 

 the best practical gardeners now only draw the earth 

 from the surrounding surface towards the plants. Long 

 dung, peas haulm, old tanners bark, or such stuff, 

 are then laid around, but kept at some distance from 

 the stems and leaves of the plants. 



367. The spring dressing is equally important. The 

 litter and earth being removed, in March or April, ac- 

 cording to the kind of season, the stocks are examined ; 

 a.nd two or three of the strongest or best shoots being 

 selected for growing up, the rest are removed : this is of- 

 ten done merely by pressure with the thumb, but some- 

 times a knife or chisel is employed. It was formerly 

 mentioned that this is the proper time for procuring 

 young plants. It is remarked by gardeners, that the 

 shoots from the under part of the stock, which are soft 

 and crisp, are preferable to those from the crown of the 

 roots, which have hard and rather woody stems. If the 

 shoot be six or eight inches long it is enough ; and if 

 it be furnished with two or three small fibres, they are 

 sufficient to ensure its growth. 



Artichoke plants continue productive for several 

 years; but, every season, some well-rotted dung or fresh 

 sea- weed, should be delved into the ground at the win- 

 ter dressing, It is certain, however, that after a few 



years, the plants begin to degenerate, the heads be- Kitchen 

 coming smaller and less succulent. It is therefore a Garden. 

 general rule not to keep an artichoke plantation be- V """"~ Y ~""* 

 yond four or at most six years. Scarcely any kind of Atticholie ' 

 grub or wire-worm ever touches the roots of artichokes : 

 they form, therefore, an excellent preparative for a crop 

 of onions, shallot, or garlic. In many gardens a small 

 new plantation is formed every year ; and in this way 

 the artichoke season, which begins in June, is prolong- 

 ed till November; those from the old stocks continuing 

 till August, when those from the new stocks come in. 

 If the last gathered be cut with the stems at full 

 length, and if these be stuck among moist sand, the 

 heads may be preserved a month longer. 



If some of the large heads on the old stocks be suf 

 fered to remain, the calyx-leaves expand, and the cen- 

 tre of the head becomes covered with jagged purple 

 florets, producing a fine appearance. The flowers pos- 

 sess the quality of coagulating milk, and have some- 

 times been used in place of runnet. In general the 

 seed is not perfected in our climate. \Vhen ripe seed 

 is wanted, it is found useful to bend down the heads af- 

 ter flowering, in such a way that the autumnal rains 

 may be cast off by the calyx-scales ; and the heads are 

 retained in this posture by being tied to stakes. 



368. The chard of artichokes, or the tender central 

 leaf-stalk blanched, is by some thought preferable to 

 that of the cardoon. When the artichoke quarter is to 

 be shifted, and the old stocks are at any rate to be de- 

 stroyed, the plants may be prepared, after midsummer, 

 when the best crop of heads is over, for yielding chards 

 against winter. The leaves are to be cut over within 

 half a foot of the ground ; the stems as low as possi- 

 ble. In September or October, when the new shoots 

 or leaves are about two feet high, they are bound close 

 with a wreath of hay or straw, and earth or litter is 

 drawn round the stems of the plants. The blanching 

 is perfected in a month or six weeks. If the chards 

 are wished late in winter, the whole plants may be dug 

 up, before frost sets in, and laid in sand in their 

 blanched state ; in this way they may be kept for se- 

 veral weeks. 



Cardoon. 



369. The Cardoon, (Cynara Cardunculus, L.) or, as 

 it is sometimes written, Chardon, is known by nearly 

 the same name in all the European languages. It is a 

 perennial plant, and is considered as indigenous to the 

 south of France and to Spain. It so greatly resembles 

 the artichoke as to require no other description. It 

 rises to a greater height than that plant, and becomes 

 sometimes really a gigantic vegetable. It was culti- 

 vated in 1683, by Sutherland, in the Botanic Garden 

 at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh ; but its use as a culi- 

 nary plant was known in England previous to that 

 period. The leaf-stalks of the inner leaves, which are 

 fleshy and crisp, afford the eatable part, or chard. 

 They are rendered white and tender by blanching, to 

 the extent of two or even three feet. Cardoons are in 

 season in winter; they are employed in soups and 

 stews, and sometimes as a salad, eaten either raw or 

 boiled. In this country they are not much in demand, 

 and the crop is to be seen only in some private gar- 

 dens, and in a few of the principal market grounds 

 near London. 



The best soil for cardoons is one that is light, and 

 not over rich ; but it ought to be deep. Although 

 the cardoon is a perennial plant, it is sown for use 

 every year. Formerly the plants were raised on hoU 



