Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-03-26
FARMER AND PLANTER.
The ARTlChOkE.

Its Value as Stock Food and Its Culture.
Please allow me space in your valu-
able journal to answer few OF the
many inquiries being made of me in re-
gard to artichokcs. l grow the I'm
proved White French;" some call them
the Mammoth White" They pro-
duced for me last year over 600 bushels
per acre. They should be planted in
April, or as soon as the ground is in
good working order in the spring;
prepare the land as for corn;
lay off rows three and one-half or
four feet wide, cut to one eye, and
plant obout 30 inches apart in row, one
eye TO the hill; cover about az inches;
cultivate MS you would corn. Keep
them clean Of weeds until four feet
high, and you will not be bothered
with any after that. They grow from
eight to ten feet high, have great
many branches and heavy foliage. !
think they improve the land on which
they grow, especially when hogs are
allowed to run to them. If properly
cut, four bushels will plant an ncre.
The hog seems to be in his glory in the
artichoke field. They are not only good
for hogs, but for all classes of stock.
When fed to milch cows they increase
both flow and quality of milk very much.
They are flrst-class conditioner for
horses, mules, jacks, and am told there
is nothing better for sheep. They will
keep well, buried as potatoes or in eel
lar If covered SO as to protect them
from the mir; when exposed to the air
they will shrivel. would advise dig
ging and storing part of the crop
about the last of November to feed when
the ground is frozen, but the greater
part leave for the hogs to harvest.
Freezing dose not hurt them while in the
ground, although they grow very near
the surface. Hogs will get all they can
even with rings in their noses, but it
would be more pleasant for them not
to be rung. When they have access to
artichokes they are not much inclined
to root up grass.
The tubers do not form until about
the time they bloom, which is usually
from the LIST to 10Th of August. They
grow rapidly until freezing weather. l
believe freezing and thawing under
ground improves the flavor.
never knew or heard Of hog talk
ing cholera or swine plague where they
had excess to artichokes. Many emf
nent authorities write in asserting that
the artichoke is n most judicious food
for swine, and they do not hesitate to
state that the sanitary properties OF
the artichoke tends TO greatly reduce
dangers from communicating diseases
and generally promote health.
There Is nothing better for brood
sows and pigs, as the CHIEF
object to be sought is muscular
development. The artichokc Sc
encourages the development o.
their digestive organs that the assimi
lation of their food is made much NOR,
effective, thus insuring good health.
They do not grow from the seed.
have examined closely and have fount
one that came from the seed. TIL,
tubers have great many eyes ant
every eye will produce stalk, so Their,
will be great number of volunteer
shoots spring up If tubers are left in TIT
ground. They will spread no farthe
than the roots grow. which is abou
two feet They are about a
hard to kill when growing as pc
tatoes. Ihave dug as many as one peel
from a single stalk, though as rul
hardly half so many. have seen then
as large as could go in half-gallol
cup, and all the way down to the siz
of marble.
agree with Mr.. Arnold, of Missouri
rs to their excellence. | have bee,
raising them for a number of years
and from actual experience am full
convinted that they are one Of the yer
best and cheapest feeds farmer ca
have to keep his stock healthy an
growing fast. AS the season for thei
use If from about the 18th of Octobe
until the 18th Of May, they form a cor
Meeting link from the time pasture goe
out in fall until 1t begins again in tn
spring. Land that will produce
bushels of corn per acre will produc
from 500 to 700 bushels of articholSe
with no more labor than with corr
With hogs, one can save the expense {
digging, storing and feeding six month
in the year. Just open the gate an
they will do the harvesting while yo
are doing something else. beliey
that as soon as the cheapness of raisin
and feeding and their excellence as
very healthful hog food becomes bett,
known, all wide-awake swine grove
will consider field of articholxes
necessary to success and profit as the
clover and corn.-L. A. Davis, in Earn
ers' Home Journal.