ASPARAGUS 113 



warm soil, may also give edible products the first year. French 

 gardeners make special mention of the care necessary in removing 

 suckers from the parent root so as to retain a small heel portion 

 of the mother root, but not enough to injure the parent plant. 

 Each plant, as a rule, throws out several suckers, all of which 

 should be removed, except two or three, to perpetuate the original 

 clump. The plants should be given from 2 to 2\ feet in the row, 

 and the rows should be at least 4 feet apart. 



At the present time a large quantity of artichoke burs is im- 

 ported annually, and the few growers who successfully cultivate 

 this plant in America receive a good price for their product. Like 

 many other special crops with a limited demand, it can be profitably 

 grown only by a few. 



Artichoke (Jerusalem). The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus 

 tuberosus, Linn.) is in reality a tuberous-rooted sunflower native to 

 North America and, like the globe artichoke, is an herbaceous per- 

 ennial. This plant differs from the globe artichoke in that it pro- 

 duces an edible tuber instead of a blossom bud. The plant is 

 grown both for human consumption and for stock food ; but 

 although it is perennial, hardy, and easily propagated, the tubers, 

 while numerous, are small and the total yield is insignificant in 

 comparison with Irish or sweet potatoes. Its food value is practi- 

 cally the same as that of the potato. Artichokes are seldom grown 

 in sufficient quantities to be shipped to distant markets, but are to 

 be found the year round in most Southern markets. 



To establish a plantation the tubers are planted in the same way 

 as Irish potatoes, in rows from 30 to 36 inches apart, with the plants 

 in each row 10 or 12 inches apart. The plant thrives on any fertile 

 loamy soil, but does not do well on heavy clay. After a plantation 

 is once established, it will maintain itself for several years unless 

 heavily dug or pastured by hogs. In some localities the crop is de- 

 pended upon for a portion of the succulent food for hogs, the animals 

 doing their own digging. 



ASPARAGUS 



Asparagus is one of the most highly prized of the perennial 

 garden herbs. It grows wild both in Europe and in Asia. The 

 young succulent shoots which first spring from the thick, fleshy 



