COMMON GARLIC. 115 



but, whether used or not, to keep them in a fresh and tender 

 condition, the plants should be frequently shorn to the ground. 

 They possess the flavor peculiar to the onion family ; and 

 are principally used in flavoring soups, and as an ingredient 

 in spring salads. The leaves and bulbs are sometimes taken 

 together, and eaten crude, as a substitute for young onions. 

 In omelets, the Give is considered almost indispensable. 

 There are no varieties. 



COMMON GARLIC. 



A Ilium sativum. 



This is a perennial plant, from the south of Europe. The 

 root is composed of from ten to fifteen small bulbs, called 

 " cloves," which are enclosed in a thin, white, 

 semi-transparent skin, or pellicle. The leaves 

 are long and narrow. The flower-stem is 

 cylindrical, about eighteen inches in height, 

 and terminates in an umbel, or group, of pale 

 pink flowers, intermixed with small bulbs 

 The seeds are black, and, in form, irregular ; 

 but are seldom employed for propagation ; the 

 cloves, or small bulbs, succeeding better. 



Planting and Cultivation. Garlic thrives Garlic< 

 best in a light, well-enriched soil ; and the bulbs should be 

 planted in April or May, an inch deep, in rows or on ridges, 

 fourteen inches apart, and five or six inches apart in the rows. 

 Keep the soil loose, and the plants clear of weeds, and when 

 the tops wither, the bulbs will have attained their growth, 

 and be ready for harvesting. 



Use. It is cultivated for its bulbs, or cloves, which pos- 

 sess more of the flavor of the onion than any other alliaceous 

 plant. These are sometimes employed in soups, stews, and 



