Nov. 1, 1900.] tHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
303 
ARTICHOKES. 
I have been asked to give information about 
Articbokes, the different kinds of which are often 
confused. The Jerusalem Aidchoke is the first and 
best known. This is an entirely distinct vegetable 
from the globe or crown artichoke, being cultivated 
solely for its tuberous roots, which somewhat resem- 
ble those of the potato, while the edible portion of 
the crown or true artichoke is the receptacle of the 
unexpanded flower heads. It is somewhat unfortunate 
that the name of Artichoke should have been applied 
to both the above, and still more so that it should 
have been also adopted in the case of the com- 
paratively new Chinese artichoke (so-ca'led) — <S'iac7ii/6' 
tubei-ifera, a totally distinct plant. 
The true "Jerusalem" artichoke is really a species 
of sunflower (Helianthus tuheroms), a native of the 
American prairies, the word "Jerusalem" being 
merely a corruption of the Italian " girasole," or 
sunflower. It grows, in good ground, to a height of 
8 ft. or 10 ft., and, though it seldom flowers, it usually 
affords, under even ordinary culture, a heavy crop of 
useful tubers. Its nutritive value is very nearly the 
same as that of the potato, slightly— though very 
slightly— inferior; bat the plant being more hardy and 
easily cultivated, succeeding in any odd corner or 
shady plot, fully compensates for this. The peculiar 
sooty flavour of the tubers, when cooked, though liked 
' by some, is objected to by others. The proper time 
for planting the seed tubers is from November to 
March. The sets, consisting of the smaller but 
fairly well shaped tubers, should be planted in much 
the same manner as potatoes, that is, in furrows about 
three feet apart, placing them one foot asunder. Though 
the Jerusalem artichoke will grow freely and produce 
more or less good crops in poor, shallow or shady 
ground, yet it enjoys a fairly sunny and moderately 
sheltered spot, with well-worked and liberally manured 
soil. The tubers being perfectly hardy may be kft 
in the ground until required for use, but it is just as 
well to lilt and store them in a cool place in case the 
soil should became so hard as to prevent their being 
dug in the open. When selecting tubers for seed, 
those of moderate size and a nice, smooth shape 
should be chosen, as being more likely to produce 
tubers of the same character. There is a new, white- 
skinned variety which is claimed to be a great improve- 
ment on the type, but it is scarcely as prolific as 
■ the other. 
2. — The Chinesese Artichoke.— This is a totally 
distinct species, bearing a large number of knotted- 
" looking roots of good flavour. It should be planted in 
drills or furrows like those for potatoes but rather 
.closer. It is very prolific, but the roots are small. 
3. The Globe, or Grown Artichoke.— This is like- 
wise a distinct plant from the foregoing. It is a 
strong-growing, perennial herbaceous plant [Oijnara 
scolymus), with handsome foliage, but cultivated for 
the sake of fleshy flower receptacles or heads, which 
are boilded till tender, and eaten with melted butter, 
toast, etc. 
The plant are increased by means of division, as a' 
rule, though seed of two or three varieties is now obtain- 
able, and where a large stock has to be raised in a 
' short time, this is an excellent method. When the 
new growth commences, any old plants may be either 
lifted bodily, and divided into pieces, with one, two, 
or three good crowns or growths apiece ; or some of 
the outer tuckers (rooted) may be separated and 
planted out in a properly prepared quarter. Salt and 
nitrate of soda are acuong the best of fertilisers or 
stimulants for this plant. -Jamaica Ac/riculturalJournal. 
MANUFAOTURB OF COCOA. 
The selected cocoa beans are first cleaned from the 
dust and attached particles which have come from 
various sources during the fremeutatiou of the seeds. 
The machines for cleaning the beans are very 
ingenious and effjctive, removing from the seed coat 
every trace of foreign matter. The cleaned seeds 
are next roasted in the most careful manner, every 
precaution being taken to secure a uniform efiect 
through the whole mass. During the roasting the 
seeds change colour somewhat, and become more or 
lees modified in taste. In under-roasted seeds the 
flavour is not fully developed, while in over-roasted 
seeds the pleasant taste is likely to bscome greatly 
impaired, or it may even be wholly replaced by a 
bitter and harsh flavour. These relations of colour 
and taste to the roasting of the seeds make this 
poition of the manufacture one of the most delicate 
processes from beginning to end. By the roasting, the 
shell becomes more readily detachable, and its com- 
plete removal is the next step. The crushing of the 
seeds into small fragments is easily accomplished ; 
and this is followed by a thorough winnowing, by 
which the lighter shells are carried away by them- 
selves, leaving the clean fragments of the roasted seeds 
ready for further manipulation. Among the fragments 
can ba detected minute and very tough bits of tissue. 
These bits are the hardened germs, or rather portions 
of the germs, and these are sep.xrated from the rest 
by an apparatus of much simplicity and efficiency. 
The cleaned shells are usually placed at once in 
packages for transportation. They are extensively 
used for the domestic preparation of a wholesome and 
very low-priced drink. This beverage contains a fair 
proportion of the active principle of the chocolate 
seeds themselves, and the flavour is s iggestive of 
chocolate. Tlie cleaned fragments constitute the 
so-called " c^coa nibs " of some foreign markets, and 
in this state they are used for the preparation of a 
simple decoction. But in this form they require to bo 
boiled a long time for the development of flavour, and 
it is, therefore, better to have them treated beforehand 
in order to reduce the time of boiling; and this is all 
the more necessary, since during the long boiling a 
part of the more delicate aroma peculiar to chocolate 
seeds is apt to be dissipated. In the preparation of 
chocolate, the fragments are ground by a complicated 
mechanism until they attain the greatest degree of 
fineness, and constitute a perfectly homogeneous mass 
or paste. If it is to be a plain chocolate it goes directly 
into the moulds for shaping it. The moulding is a 
noisy but interesting operation. The chocolate cannot 
be pressed into moulds, because it sticks to the 
presser ; it is, therefore, shaken in. A plastic lump of 
the proper weight is placed in a shallow mould. A 
number of these moulds are put in a wooden tray, 
placed upon a table, which is shaken automatically, 
causing the metal moulds to jump up and down in a 
very lively manner, and making as much clatter as a 
regiment of cavalry crossing a bridge. Every step of 
the process has to be watched with the most assiduous 
care. When the plastic mass has been shaken into 
the mould so as to be perfectly uniform in shape and 
size, the pans are removed to the cooling-room. It 
the chocolate is to be sweetened, a definite amount of 
the purest sugar, previously- pulverized, is added 
before the moulding, and the whole giound and 
commingled. If it is to be a vanilla chocolate, the finest 
quality of iUexican Vanilla beans (which are superior 
to those gone elsewhere) are blended with the semi- 
fluid mass, and formed in moulds, as already described. 
The variations in the process are innumerable, many 
of them comparatively unimportant when taken 
singly ; but to secure the best results it is important 
that each of these slight changes should be made at 
just the right time and in the right way. The manu- 
facture of breaiifast cocoa is based upon two important 
factors — first, the removal of a definite portion of the 
cocoa-oil from the roasted seeds; and sei-r^" \ 
increasing the miscibility of the powder s" - v 
securing the greatest practicable degree of ' 
The method of manufacture is substantially as folLw,.. :-- 
The ground fragments of roasted seeds are subjected 
to hydraulic pressure, by which a certain amount of 
the fat is eliminated. The pressed mass is, in the 
most successful piocess, treated mechanically m such 
a manner as to divide and sub-divide the minnt? 
