ART 
fair fruit the autumn following ; but as this is a plant 
which few gardeners, that have not been inftrudfced 
in the kitchen-gardens near London, underftand to 
manage well, I fhall be the more particular in my di- 
rections about it. ; , 
At the latter end of February, or in March, accord- 
ing to the eariinefs of the feafon, or forwardnefs of 
the old Artichoke roots, will be the proper time for 
drelfing them, which muft be thus performed : with 
your fpade remove all the earth from about your 
ftock, down below the part from whence the young 
ihoots are produced, clearing the earth from between 
the fhoots with the hands, fo as to be able to judge 
of the goodnefs of each, with their proper pofition 
upon the ftock •, then make choice of two of the 
cleared:, ftraiteft, and moft promifing plants that are 
produced from the under part of the ftock, which are 
much preferable to the ftrong thick plants which ge- 
nerally grow upon the crown of the roots ; for thefe 
have hard woody ftems, fo never produce good fruit, 
but are generally what the market people call rogues, 
which have very little bottom ; the fcales of their 
heads are irregularly placed ; in flipping off the plants 
you muft be careful not to injure thole which are to 
remain for a crop •, then with your thumb force off 
all the other plants and buds alio clofe to the head of 
the ftock, from whence they are produced, being 
very careful not to leave any of the buds, which will 
foon produce plants fo as to hurt thofe which are 
left : then with your fpade draw the earth about the 
two plants which are left, and with your hands clofe 
it fall to each of them, feparating them as far afunder 
as they can conveniently be placed without breaking 
them, obferving to crop off the tops of the leaves 
which hang down with your hands ; your ground be- 
ing levelled between the ftocks, you may fow thereon 
a imall crop of Spinach, which will be taken off be- 
fore the Artichokes will cover the ground, and be 
fure to keep them clear from weeds ; . and toward the 
latter end of April, or the beginning of May, when 
your old plants begin to fhew their fruit, you muft 
carefully look over your ftocks, ai)d draw up all young 
plants from them, which may have been produced 
ftnce their drefling, and cut off all fuckers which are 
produced from the ftems of the Artichoke, leaving 
only the principal head, by which means your fruit 
will be the larger •, when your Artichokes are fit to 
gather, you muft break or cut them down clofe to 
the furface of the ground, that your ftocks may make 
ftrong frefh fhoots before the end of Qdtober : the 
feafon for earthing, or, as the gardeners term it, land- 
ing them up, is the middle or latter end of Novem- 
ber, which is thus done : 
Cut off all the young fhoots quite clofe to the furface 
of the ground •, then dig between every ftock, raiflng 
all the earth between each row of ftocks into a ridge, 
as is done in the common method of trenching ground, 
fo as that the row of Artichokes may be exactly in 
the middle of each ridge, this will be fufiicient to 
guard them againft froft ; and I would here recom- 
mend it to the public, as infinitely preferable to long 
dung, which is- by the unfkilful often ufed, and is 
the occafton of their fruit being fmall, and almoft 
without any bottoms to them-; for there is not any 
thing fo hurtful to thefe, as new dung being either 
buried near, or laid about them. 
Since we have experienced, that, in very fevere frofts 
thefe roots are fometimes deftroyed, therefore it is 
proper to give fome directions to prevent it ; though 
this rarely happens in dry ground, in which we have 
but few inftances of their being killed, except in the 
hard frofts of 1683, and 1 7 A.?.. In thefe two winters 
moft of the Artichokes were deftroyed in England ; 
in the laft of thefe winters, it happened from the lit- 
tle care which was taken of them, there having been 
no froft for fo many years before, which had injured 
them, that few people ufed any care to preferve them ; 
but ftnce that hard froft, many people have run into 
the other extreme of covering all their roots of Arti- 
chokes with long dung every winter, which is a very 
A R T 
bad method, becaufe the dung lying near the roots, 
is very apt to rot the beft plants ; therefore I would 
advife the earthing (or as it is called by the garden- 
ers, landing) the Artichokes to be deferred till the lat- 
ter end of November, or the beginning of December, 
provided the feafon continues mild; and towards 
Chriftmas, if there is any danger of fevere frofts, to 
lay a quantity of long dung, Peafe-haulm, tanners bark, 
or any other light covering over . the ridges of earth., 
which will keep out the froft ; and this being at a dis- 
tance from the roots, will not injure them ; but this, 
covering fttould be carefully taken off the beginning 
of February, or fooner, provided the feafon is mild, 
or at leaft fo foon as the weather is fo, otherwife 
the plants will be injured by its lying too long upon 
them. 
It will alfo be a good method, 'whenever any roots 
of Artichokes are dug up in autumn, either to bury 
them deep in the ground in a pit till fpring, or lay 
them in a heap, fo as that they may be eaftly covered 
in hard frofts ; and thefe may be a fupply, if thofe in. 
the ground are deftroyed. 
When you have thus earthed them up, you have no- 
thing more to do till February or March, by which 
time they will have grown through the ridge of the 
earth ; and, when the weather is proper, muft be 
dreffed as was before directed. 
When you have a mind to make a new plantation* 
after having digged and buried fome very rotten dung 
in the ground you have allotted for that purpofe, 
make choice of fuch of your plants as were taken 
from your old ftocks, which are clear, found, and 
not woody, having fome fibres to their bottom ; then 
with your knife cut off’ that knobbed woody part, 
which joined them to the ftock ; and if that cuts crilp 
and tender, it is a fign of its goodnefs, but if tough 
and ftringy, throw it away as good for nothing ; then 
cut off the large outfide leaves pretty low, that the 
middle or heart leaves, may be above them. Your 
plants being thus prepared (if the weather is very dry, 
or the plants have been any time taken from the 
ftocks, it will be convenient to fet them upright in a 
tub of water for three or four hours before they are 
planted, which will greatly refrefh them;) you muft 
then proceed to planning, which muft be done by 
ranging a line acrofs the ground, in order to their be- 
ing placed exadly in a row ; and, with a meafure 
ftick, plant them at two feet diftance from each other 
in the rows, and if defigned for a full crop, five feet 
diftance row from row ; your plants muft be fet about 
four inches deep, and the earth clofed very fail to 
their roots, obferving, if the feafon proves dry, to 
keep them watered two or three times a week, un- 
til they are growing, after which they feldom require 
any. 
N. B. You may fow a thin crop of Spinach upon the 
ground before you plant your plants, obferving to 
clear it from about them after it is come up. 
Thefe plants, in a kindly feafon, or a moift foil, will 
produce the largeft and beft Artichokes fome time 
in Auguft and September, after all thofe from the 
old ftocks are pafc ; fo that if you intend to continue 
your Artichokes through the whole feafon, you muft 
make a new plantation every year, otherwife you can- 
not poffibly have fruit longer than two or three 
months. 
If any of the plants which are planted in the fpring 
fhould not fruit in autumn, you may, at the feafon 
of earthing up your roots, tie up the leaves with a 
fmall Willow twig, &c. and lay the earth up clofe 
to it, fo that the top of the plant may be above 
ground ; and when the froft comes on, if you will 
cover the top with a little ftraw, or Peafe-haulm, to 
prevent their being killed by froft, thefe plants will 
produce fruit in winter, or early in the fpring. 
But in thofe plantations where you' intend to plant 
other things between your Artichokes, you muft al- 
low nine or ten feet between the rows, as is often 
pradtifed by the kitchen-gardeners near London, v/ho 
fow the ground between with Radiihes or Spinach, 
and 
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