CHINESE ARTICHOKE 
13 
plant good seed. It should be borne in mind that a small 
weak tuber cannot possibly yield equal produce to a 
well-nourished one, as though there may be no question 
as to its growing freely a goodly portion of the season 
is taken up in building up a plant before it can pro- 
CHINESE artichoke 
duce tubers. This plant has a tendency to make 
small growths, and we have obtained the best results 
from a strong seed tuber by keeping the plants free from 
the small shoots, only allowing the strong ones. In 
dry gravelly soils there is a great gain by giving a rich 
surface mulch, to retain moisture. The plant is very 
hardy, and in well-drained soil, after the tops die down, 
