CARDOON 



187 



The leaves should be carefully 

 brought to an upright position, and 

 then placed neatly together and tied 

 with broad pieces of matting. A 

 good armful of dry hay or straw 

 should then be placed round the 

 base of each plant, and secured by 

 strong haybands being wound round 

 it, gradually narrowing to the top, 

 leaving only the tips of the leaves 

 bare. This done, the soil between 

 the trenches should be turned over 

 and well broken with the spade, and 

 afterwards placed equally and firmly 

 round the plants, forming an even 

 ridge by beating the sides with the 

 back of the spade. The plants will 

 be well blanched and fit for use four 

 or five weeks after earthing. Blanch- 

 ing may also be done by placing a 



drainpipe over the plants, after tying 

 the leaves closely together, the 

 apertures between the plants and 

 pipes being filled with sand. This 

 plan, though a good one, is too 

 expensive where many plants are 

 grown. Many hft their Cardoons on 

 the appearance of severe weather, 

 and place them in dry cellars or 

 sheds from which frost is excluded. 

 This is really unnecessary so far 

 as the plants are concerned, as 

 they can be effectively protected by 

 placing litter, etc., along the ridges ; 

 but there is one advantage in lifting 

 them, and that is, they may be got 

 at easily in hard weather, whereas 

 those left out-of-doors sometimes 

 cannot be dug out without much 

 labour. 



Uses. — The blanched stalks or ribs of the inner leaves are 

 chiefly used as a winter vegetable, as well as the main root, which 

 is thick, fleshy, tender, and of an agreeable flavour. Cooked in a 

 delicate way, it is ex- 

 cellent ; the degree 

 tenderness to which it is 

 boiled should be studied, 

 and the sauce should not 

 be rank with salt and 

 spice. 



Prickly Tours Car- 

 doon. — This is one of the 

 smaller varieties, and has 

 very thick and solid stalks 

 or ribs. On the other 

 hand, it is the most spiny 

 kind of all, which, however, 

 does not prevent it from 

 holding the first place in 

 the estimation of the 

 market-gardeners of Tours 

 and Paris. 



Ivory-white Cardoon. 

 — Smaller and much less 

 spiny than the Tours 

 Cardoon, it has numerous 



very fleshy ribs of fine Prickly Tours Cardoon (f^ natural size). 



