PLANTING LIST 313 



will often winter-kill north of New York. For that reason it is 

 often best to buy the young plants, which yield in late summer. 

 Where the plants are hardy, the bed may be enlarged by cutting 

 away and planting the suckers which start from the old plants. 

 Cut all flower-heads as soon as they form, whether or not they are 

 to be eaten. Fertilize with top-dressing each spring. Globe arti- 

 chokes do not yield for more than four years. 



Artichoke, Jerusalem : A plant of the sunflower family, which 

 yields both flowers and a vegetable. It is grown from tubers, which 

 are hardy, and should be sown, usually whole, in April, in any soil 

 which is not wet. The plants are tall, and should be set in the back 

 of the flower bed, or in rows three feet or more apart. For best 

 tubers, cut off the flowers. Do not dig the crop till the plants are 

 killed by frost. Unfortunately the common artichoke is somewhat 

 gnarly. Our seedsmen should import better varieties from Europe. 



Asparagus : Our most valuable perennial vegetable, which grows 

 to a great age, since fifteen years is the least that a bed should be 

 cropped, and thirty to forty years is not uncommon. It is worth 

 the space that it needs, and repays all the care that is given 

 it. It has the great advantage of coming in earliest spring, when 

 the shoots are daily cut for a month or more. But a young bed 

 should not be cut until the third year, and should not be cut heavily 

 until the fourth. 



The plants may be bought. Buy only yearling plants. Set them 

 in rows, at least three feet apart, and at least eighteen inches 

 apart in the rows. Four feet by two is better. The plants should 

 be set in trenches (set stakes before the plants are set), with the 

 crowns at least six inches under the surface, and the roots care- 

 fully spread. Cover for two inches, and gradually fill in the 

 trenches during the summer, while cultivating. Tie the tops to 

 the stakes, to prevent injury and make cultivation easier. 



If raised from seed, the best way is to start the plants in March 

 or early April under glass. Sow three seeds to a three-inch pot, 

 and when the plants are up take out the two weakest. Repot at 

 least once, and set the plants in trenches, as described above, in late 



