AKTICHOKE 



VEGETABLE GARDEN 



CHAKDS 1141 



one with white tubers, the other with 

 purphsh ones. 



GLOBE ARTICHOKE (Cynara 

 SooLYMUs). — Although belonging to the 

 same natural order (Compositce, p. 492) 

 as the Jerusalem Artichoke, this differs 

 considerably in appearance from that 

 plant. It is a native of Barbary and S. 

 Europe, and really a perennial by nature. 

 It grows 3-4 ft. high, having straight 

 channelled stems, large piunatifld leaves 

 about 3 ft. long, whitish-green above, 

 very downy or cottony beneath. The 

 heads of blue florets are covered with the 

 fleshy overlapping scales of the involucre, 

 and it is for these fleshy scales, and the 

 top of the receptacle to which they are 

 attached, that the plants are cultivated. 



Soil. — The Globe Artichoke enjoys 

 a rich well-drained sandy loam in open 

 sunny and sheltered places. The ground 

 raay be well manured and dug or trenched 

 as required in the winter months so as to 

 be in good condition by spring. During 

 the summer months the plants like plenty 

 of moisture at the roots, but the soil 

 should be kept dry during the winter 

 months. 



Propagation. — Suckers are usually 

 employed to increase the stock. They 

 spring up all round the base of the old 

 plant, and are detached about March or 

 April, each sucker having as many good 

 roots as possible attached and also a 

 portion of the old plant called a ' heel.' 

 The better to obtain these the soil around 

 the suckers may be removed. A few of 

 the best are allowed to remain on the old 

 plant to produce flower-heads during the 

 early summer season — in May and June. 



The suckers may be planted 2-3 ft. 

 apart, in rows or in triangular clumps, 

 the clumps being 3-4 ft. apart, the plants 

 in the clumps being 9-12 in. apart, form- 

 ing the points of an equilateral triangle. 

 They should be planted firmly but not too 

 deep, say about 4 inches, and afterwards 

 well watered. Until well established the 

 transplanted suckers should be shaded 

 from the sun with pots, boxes, bracken 

 fronds, or anything handy. In the summer 

 or autumn they wHl produce edible heads. 

 As the plants are not so good or vigorous 

 after two or three years' growth, they 

 may * be destroyed, fresh ones having 

 been of course prepared from suckers to 

 take their place. 



Seed-sowing. — Globe Artichokes may 



be raised from seeds, but there is a dan- 

 ger of obtaining inferior varieties in this 

 way. The seeds may be sown in gentle 

 heat in February or March, the seedlings 

 being pricked out and hardened off, so as 

 to be ready for planting out at the end of 

 May or beginning of June. Thus treated 

 they may produce edible heads in 

 autumn. 



Seeds may also be sown out of doors 

 in April or May m light rich soil in warm 

 situations, but the plants will not produce 

 heads until the following summer. 



Cutting. — The heads of the Globe 

 Artichoke if allowed to develop flowers 

 are useless for culinary purposes. They 

 should therefore be cut before the upper 

 scales of the involucre begin to separate 

 from each other, and while they are fresh 

 and tender. "When outtiag the heads, 

 the stems also may be out down close to 

 the surface of the soil. This operation 

 will induce new suckers to spring up from 

 the base, and by thinning out all but a few 

 of the strongest, a later crop of edible 

 bracts wni be produced. 



General treatment, Protection dc. — 

 This consists in keeping the soil free of 

 weeds, giving water in very hot dry 

 weather, and cutting down the stems to 

 the ground after the heads have been 

 gathered for use. On the approach of 

 frost, in northern parts of the country 

 the plants should be protected all round 

 with litter, and the soil may also receive 

 a good coating of manure. The following 

 spring when growth commences the 

 manure may be dug into the soil. In the 

 milder southern parts, the plants will 

 stand an ordinary winter very weU with- 

 out protection. In the event of severe 

 weather, however, it is safer to cover the 

 crowns with litter or dry leaves. 



Varieties. — There are several of these, 

 but the following are among the best for 

 cultivation in the British Islands, viz. 

 the Green Globe and the Piorple Globe. 



CH ARDS. — These are the whitened 

 hearts or centres of the Globe Artichoke 

 plants. Early in July the stems are cut 

 down to about 6 inches from the ground. 

 A few days afterwards they receive a 

 good watering, and this is repeated once 

 or twice a week until about September, 

 according to the state of the weather. 

 About the end of September, litter or hay 

 &c. is placed around the plants, and the 

 soil is drawn up about them so as to 



