May 15, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE ANT) COTTAGE GARDENER . 
381 
Corydalis nobilis. —This has handsome, spreading, much-divided, 
Fern-like foliage, the plant being very compact in habit, the flowers 
all borne on arching stems just clear of the foliage, the colour being 
a rich golden yellow with a black centre, giving the plant an attrac¬ 
tive appearance, and in the ordinary border it grows rather more than 
a foot high, and certainly is one of the grandest of spring-flowering 
plants. In a moist soil, free, however, from stagnant water and some¬ 
what shaded, it grows more robustly, but does not flower so freely or 
finely as in an ordinary border of light rich soil well drained. Where 
interesting plants are cherished this should find a home, as it certainly 
is the finest of the family. 
Diclytra exbmea. —One of the best of spring-flowering plants, its 
foliage and flowers alike are useful for cutting, its graceful flowered sprays 
being fine for vases. As a plant the pale green much-divided Fern-like 
foliage, and its racemes of pendent rosy-purple flowers, render it a 
charming border plant, doing well in any light soil well drained, and 
whilst D. spectabilis is cut off by the frost to the ground this is not 
injured at all either in foliage or flower. It grows about 12 to 18 inches 
high, and is spreading. 
Saxifraga Wallacei. —Areally good and useful plant. The large white 
flowers are borne in upright panicles, being useful for cutting. It 
grows about 12 inches high, and does well in an ordinary border of light 
soil. It should find a place in every garden, as it is so easily grown 
and so free-flowering and effective. 
Mertensia virginica. —Very effective from its stems of 12 to 18 inches 
high, terminating with clusters of long tubular flowers of a deep 
purplish-blue, aud although a moisture-loving plant it does well in an 
ordinary border if given some leaf soil or a peaty soil with slight shade. 
Iberis gibraltarica. —A bush of this, 3 feet in diameter and 18 inches 
in height, clothed with large compact heads of white flowers tinged 
with red, is very effective. It is useful for cutting, as the plant com¬ 
mences flowering early and continues right through the summer. It is 
the largest and finest of the evergreen Candytufts, and requires a light 
soil well drained, and then is perfectly hardy, otherwise it requires a 
warm situation. It is readily increased by cuttings, so that a few plants 
can be kept in pots through the winter in protection to meet any 
casualties. 
Centaurea montana alba. — The Perennial Cornflower, from the 
mildness of the winter, has grown all the winter, and was not injured 
to any extent by the frosts of April, during which it commenced flower¬ 
ing, being now over 2 feet high, and having numbers both of flowers 
and buds, which last for a very long time and are useful for cutting. 
It will grow anywhere in an open situation, but likes a light or well- 
drained soil, and by cutting away the old flower-stems will give a 
successional supply of flowers through the season. 
Phlox Nelsoni. —In a light well-drained soil this is an effective 
border plant; its moss-like foliage decked with the snowy white flowers 
render it useful as a front row plant. 
Adonis vernalis. —The large bright yellow flowers of this plant are 
very showy, and supply one of the best yellows in spring-flowering 
plants. It takes some little time to become established, and it is only 
as such that its merits become apparent. It only grows a few inches 
high, and does well in an ordinary border of light soil enriched with 
leaf soil. It ought to have a place in every garden, and in the mass is 
quite charming. 
Gcntiana verna. —The bright blue flowers of this are lovely, it 
requires a good loamy soil, which, however, must be well drained and 
never allowed to become dry. It does fairly well in the open border if 
kept well supplied with water in dry weather. 
Caltha palustris flore-pleno. —The double Marsh Marigold is very 
showy from its large deep green glossy leaves and numerous large, 
double, golden-yellow flowers, and does exceedingly well on a north 
border or any situation, preferably a damp one, in good rich deep soil. 
Narcissus poeticus ornatus. —This flowered freely during the month, 
and where cut flowers are in request ought to be grown in quantity. 
N. bifloras commenced flowering at the close of the month, and is very 
useful for cutting.—G. A. 
HISTORICAL JOTTINGS ON VEGETABLES. 
ARTICHOKES. 
To many readers it might seem a ver}? plausible explanation of 
the name “ Artichoke,” to say that the last syllable at least refers 
expressly to a portion of the head of the plant, by which, undoubtedly, 
even when it is boiled, an eater thereof might be choked ; and we may, 
indeed, accept it as a fact that persons have been choked through an 
incautious attempt to swallow this, although we fail to recall the 
name of any individual which has been chronicled in connection with 
the circumstance. “Artichoke,” hoAvever, is thought to have come 
to us by way of the French artichau7c, and that some authorities derive 
from an Arabic word, harchictf variously spelt; and others believe it 
to be a perversion of the Greek artytikos — i.e ., “ fit for seasoning,” 
which is applicable enough. And both Greeks and Romans showed a 
remarkable partiality for the Artichoke, which has a history that 
extends back to the century before the Christian Era, or farther 
still. 
It is uncertain whether the countries which are the first mentioned 
by old authors as yielding Artichokes are really the natural localities 
of the species, which is, in truth, but a sort of Thistle, a fact upon 
which Pliny sagaciously comments, deeming it a strange thing that 
Roman aristocrats should condescend to such asinine food. Not only 
so, but they squandered upon this vegetable, said he, about thirty 
thousand pounds yearly (in our money) buying it from the north 
coast of Africa, or from islands in the Mediterranean. As the 
Greeks also appear to have had their Ariichokes from these islands 
and regions on the borders of that sea, we suspect that thereabouts was 
the home of the wild Artichoke that first supplied plants to gardens, 
and it evidently flourishes in a warm, rather equable climate. And 
the Romans probably fancied best those Artichokes raised out of their 
own land, since Pliny implies they were not much grown in Italy 7 , 
though he gives a few cultural notes, advising the application of some 
manure, and remarking that plants should not be transplanted when a 
cold wind prevails. The Roman gardeners used to sow the seed at 
the end of February. Amongst the ancients virtues were attributed 
to the Artichoke which are no longer assigned to it. The expressed 
juice was applied to the head in cases of baldness, and the root was 
boiled down, the liquor so made having the repute of acting as a 
stomach invigorator. As the vegetable could not be obtained all the 
year round, the head was preserved or pickled in sweetened vinegar, 
cumin seeds or other aromatics being added to spice up the liquor. 
By one of those laws which are characteri.-tic of the Roman age of 
luxury and pride, the lower orders were forbidden to eat Ariichokes. 
And then, for many centuries, this plant seems to have been lost 
sight of, but about the middle of the fifteenth century some Artichokes 
were brought from the Levant to Italy by one of the btrozzi fanrly. 
The Italians regarded it as a curious novelty, and an old author 
mentions having seen a few of them growing in a Venice garden some 
years subsequent to the above arrival, and it was cultivated at Naples, 
but not much known in Italy until the sixteenth century. Early in 
that century the Artichoke travelled to France, and thence to 
England, where a dish of the vegetable became one of the choice 
articles placed upon the table of Henry VIII. The yet extant 
records of the Royal expenses during his reign yield sundry entries 
concerning the purchase of Artichokes which were brought to and 
eaten at his palace in York Place, or what soon became known as 
Whitehall ; or they were occasionally brought to the king as presents 
from the nobility, when of course a gratuity was bestowed on the 
bearer. These would be doubtless grown in some of the gardens 
attached to the palaces of the gentry about the suburbs. Gerard has 
figured the plant, but does not describe it, though ic was probably 
cultivated by him in his Holborn botanic garden. 
The fust locality upon which we can fix definitely as one in 
which Artichokes were raise ! for the London market was an extensive 
strip of ground upon the bank of the Thames, which supplied a 
variety of choice vegetables to the costers and dealers for many years. 
This now forms a part of the South Belgravian district, but originally 
it was reckoned as belonging to Chelsea, being situate between that 
village and the city of Westminster. The oldest name given to the 
spot was “The Neathouses,” from some buildings then occupied by 
the gardeners, and which are presumed to have got their designation 
from the manor of Neate or Nayte. It was land somewhat marshy, 
not much above the level of tke river, and sheltered by the Surrey 
hills, also by the higher ground of Middlesex, therefore well suited 
for the culture of the Artichoke. We read frequently of these Neat- 
house gardens during the Stuart period. In the reign of Charles II. 
they were for a time the resort of citizens, who went to feed upon 
fresh vegetables or fruit at a place that produced them. A collector 
of the cries of London, who compiled his list in that reign, has set 
down this vegetable as one that was commonly cried, and his spelling 
of the word “ hartti-cohks ” is original. 
Both the globe and the French or oval variety were known at the 
beginning of the seventeenth century, but it cannot be said that the 
Artichoke has ever been a favourite vegetable with the British people. 
From remarks on the subject made in works on gardening written for 
our ancestors, it seems that many of the plants were lost by mis¬ 
management in the severe winters which have become a thing of the 
past. This, possibly, rather tended to discourage the culture of the 
Artichoke. Abercrombie insists upon the importance of “ landing 
up ” the plants in good time, and he adds that when there aros€ a 
need to replenish beds gardeners often found the young sets were 
difficult to get, and commanded a high price. The Channel Islands 
were, in the reign of William III., made to yield many line Artichokes, 
and it was said the plan of manuring with seaweed, of course con¬ 
taining saline particles, favoured the growth of the plant. In some 
districts of Scotland there is still much manure of this kind applied 
to the Artichoke beds with evident success. Foreigners have, as a 
rule, praised the English Artichokes, so it would seem our moist 
climate yields them of equal or superior flavour to those produced on 
the Continent, where it is much more a leading vegetable than it has 
yet been in this island. The French are partial to them, eating them 
frequently at breakfast, also as a sort of salad, and uncooked, while 
they are young ; and in many places the heads are pickled, somewhat 
on the method of the ancient Romans. 
