152 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



loaded with the bulbs is displayed in grocers' 

 doorways. 



Chives are tiny onions that grow tufted together 

 by the interlacing of their fine roots, the narrow 

 leaves, like grass blades, making the clump look 

 like a patch of fresh, green turf. The bulbs are 

 about the size of grains of corn. The part we eat 

 is the leaf, which is a delicate seasoning for soups 

 and salads. The usual plan is to buy a pot of 

 chives at the greengrocer's, and keep it to shear 

 as needed. The cutting off of the tops induces a 

 thick growth of more, and the pot lasts indefi- 

 nitely. 



Outdoors, chives make a pretty border planting 

 for any flower bed. The tuft may be separated, 

 and the single bulbs set. Each soon makes a 

 cluster of new bulbs, and the top spreads. 



Leeks are onions whose leaf-bases form long 

 cylinders of white, tender flesh, rather than 

 globular bulbs. The] parts are blanched and 

 delicate in flavor. Like other onions, they are 

 boiled, as a rule, and often served with a cream 

 sauce. 



Distinct as are these species of Allium, yet they 

 are joined by intermediate forms that puzzle the 

 botanists to name them. The devotee of the 

 onion merely counts them all on his ten fingers, 



