224 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



general culture, which never produced blos- 

 soms. — Horticultural Society's Transactions, vol. 

 i. p. 188. 



If similar means were adopted in the case of 

 the Jerusalem artichoke, there is little doubt 

 that improved varieties would be produced; and 

 in their case the want of blossoms may arise as 

 much from their disposition to form tubers in an 

 early stage of their growth, as from (as is gene- 

 rally supposed) a deficiency of climate. 



Use. — The tubers may be used in every way 

 like the potato, and, being more nourishing and 

 less flatulent, may be eaten by people in delicate 

 health, when debarred from the use of most 

 other vegetables. They make one of our best 

 white soups, " Soup de la Palestine." They are 

 often planted in game-preserves as food for 

 pheasants, and hares and rabbits are remarkably 

 fond of them. 



Propagation. — The small tubers are 

 saved for planting whole, or the larger 

 ones may be cut into one or two pieces 

 the same as potatoes, only care must be 

 taken that one eye or bud at least be 

 retained in each set. 



Planting. — Like potatoes, they may be 

 planted the same day the crop is taken 

 up in autumn, or at any other time when 

 the ground is dry till the beginning of 

 March. 



They are planted in every respect as 

 recommended for potatoes, only they 

 require a greater distance between the 

 rows on account of their great height, 

 which often extends to from 6 to 10 feet, 

 and also the large size of their foliage. 

 The best method is to plant them in 

 single lines at a considerable distance 

 apart, for the same reason and in the 

 same way as recommended for the late- 

 growing kinds of pease. 



The usual mode of setting the tubers 

 is to dibble them in, as is often done in 

 the case of the potato — and in both cases 

 improperly, because, the sets not being all 

 of the same size, the smallest ones drop 

 to the bottom, while the larger ones are 

 often left suspended midway down, coming- 

 in contact with the sides of the hole, thus 

 leaving them at unequal depths, and the 

 latter in the worst possible position for 

 enabling the radicles of the young roots to 

 reach the soil. It is much better, in plant- 

 ing all tubers, and even very large seeds, to 

 open drills with the hoe or spade, and to 

 place the tubers in the bottom. Another 

 good way is to place them in the bottom 

 of the trench, either above or below the 

 manure (when such is applied), as the 

 process of digging goes on. This latter way 



is much the best when the land is wet or 

 the soil strong, as treading upon it in 

 either case, after being newly trenched or 

 dug, would be injurious. When the sets 

 are drilled in, they should be covered 

 by the hoe or rake, and the soil placed 

 over them left as loose as possible ; and 

 in either way the tubers should be kept 

 as near as possible to 6 inches under the 

 surface. 



A piece of ground richly manured, and 

 in an open situation, should be prepared, 

 by being either trenched or deeply dug. 

 The total neglect of these two conditions 

 has long been the ruin of this esculent 

 root, which, in general, is pushed away 

 into some out-of-the-way corner, as if it 

 were "branded with a mark of disgrace, and 

 unworthy of being seen amongst the plants 

 of the garden." In such situation it is 

 allowed to remain for years neglected, 

 and only visited when its tubers are 

 sought for, which, in consequence, are 

 small, and scarcely fit for the purposes of 

 the cook. The tubers should be set 3 

 feet apart, if set in continuous rows, row 

 from row, and 2 feet distant in the line. 

 They will require no other attention till 

 the following autumn, excepting keeping 

 the ground clear of weeds. In regard to 

 produce, they will yield as heavy a crop 

 as ash-leaved kidney potatoes ; and the 

 nutriment contained in that quantity 

 will be more than double. It has been 

 recommended to top the stems when 

 about 3 feet in height, in the expectation 

 of throwing a greater amount of nourish- 

 ment into the tubers : this has not, how- 

 ever, been found to be the result ; while 

 the shortening of the stems makes them 

 send out numerous side branches, causing 

 shade, of which the plant is very impa- 

 tient. From experiments made in the 

 extensive nurseries of Messrs P. Lawson 

 and Son, it clearly appears that topping, 

 instead of being beneficial, is really inju- 

 rious. The produce of a row 60 yards in 

 length of plants topped, yielded only 144 

 lb., while that of the adjoining row, of 

 equal length, yielded 163 lb. Neither of 

 these rows had guano or any other kind 

 of manure applied to them. A third row 

 had 8 oz. of Peruvian guano applied to 

 the surface of the soil when the stems 

 were 3 inches in height — it yielded 188 

 lb. ; while a fourth had a like quantity 

 of guano applied at the same time, but 



