252 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



or parts of the compound bulb. Varieties are the true 

 Shallot (of which Vilmorin-Andrieux gives three sub- 

 varieties) and the Jersey, Ghent, Russian, and Alen^on 

 Shallots, all larger and of differing botanical character- 

 istics. Cibol is another name for the plant. Small 

 brownish onions are often sold as Shallots. 



Soil. As for onion. Most good garden soil will do 

 if not too dry. 



Distances. Rows one foot apart, cloves three to five 

 inches in the row. 



Plant in spring, setting the point of the clove just 

 below or at the surface. 



Culture should be clean, but not deep. 



Pull when the tops die down; dry and store like 

 onions. 



SKIRRET, formerly also called Skirwort, is Sium 

 Sisarum, a plant once grown much more than today, 

 for its roots, which are clustered like a dahlia's, though 

 thinner and longer. They are served like parsnip or 

 salsify, and are palatable and pleasant; their disad- 

 vantage is in their fibrous core, which must be removed 

 before cooking. Vilmorin-Andrieux, remarking that 

 seedlings differ in their amounts of core, suggests that 

 a coreless strain might be bred. Skirret is grown from 

 seed or from root-divisions. No varieties are offered. 



Soil deep, rich, cool, not recently manured. 



Distances. Rows twelve to eighteen inches apart. 



