1834 



LEEK 



LEGUMES 



2124. Flowers of sweet pea, to show 

 structure of a leguminous flower. Ban- 

 ner, standard or vexillum at s; wings 

 at w; keel at k. 



Except in the larger cities and among our foreign popu- 

 lation, the leek is little used in America. 



Leek, though of the onion family, is differently 

 treated and used. The object in its cultivation is to 

 develop the leaves in such a manner that they become 



numerous; the flower- 

 stem does not appear 

 before the second 

 year, hence the neces- 

 sity of growing it to 

 full size the first year. 

 Sow the seed in 

 March in a seed-bed 

 (with slight bottom 

 heat), in drills 2 or 

 3 inches apart; when 

 large enough, thin 

 out to stand 1 inch 

 apart in the row, as 

 they may attain the 

 thickness of a fair- 

 sized straw. In May 

 or early June the 

 seedlings are trans- 

 planted in the open 

 ground; they are 

 then cut half - way 

 down and should also 

 be set deep, so they 

 will begin blanching 

 when they attain a 

 fair size. The soil best 

 suited is a rich, moist, 

 light loam; prior to 

 the transplanting it 

 should be well pre- 

 pared with well- 

 rotted stable manure, 

 if possible. The plants are generally set in drills 12 to 

 15 inches apart, and 6 to 9 inches apart in the drills. 

 Shortening both roots and stems is often advised. As 

 the plants grow, the soil should be drawn loosely around 

 the stems and lower leaves to insure blanching. They 

 should be well cultivated, and when growing freely 

 should be earthed up slightly with the hand-cultivator 

 or hand-hoe. Some of the successful gardeners still culti- 

 vate them on the celery-trenching system; by this 

 means they can be watered more thoroughly and will 

 attain a much larger size; also can be conveniently 

 left in the trench with slight protection, and taken 

 therefrom for winter use. Care must be taken not to 

 cover too early, as they decay easily, beginning at the 

 end of the foliage; this destroys the appearance. The 

 hardier kinds used for this purpose will blanch yellow 

 down to the so-called stem, which is white to the root. 

 Leeks planted out in May are ready for use in Septem- 

 ber; the sowings can be made earlier and later to suit 

 the time of maturing, and can be sown in August and 

 September in coldframes and wintered over with slight 

 protection, then transplanted to the open ground in 

 April. The varieties best known to American gardeners 



are London Flag, 

 Large Musselburgh 

 or Scotch Flag, 

 Giant Carentan, 

 and Large Rouen. 



When blanched 

 leeks are not de- 

 sired, the plants 

 may be cultivated 

 like onions; indeed, 

 except for earthing 

 up, the cultural 

 2125. Essential organs of a sweet methods employed 

 pea flower. Calyx at c; tenth stamen for these two crops 

 at a; stigma at e. are identical. Leeks 



are marketed in bunches like young onions and, for 

 winter use, are stored like celery. As a second crop to 

 follow early cabbage, spinach, and the like, they are in 

 general favor with market-gardeners. In soups and 

 stews the rank odor disappears, leaving a mild and 

 agreeable flavor. M. G. KAINS and J. OTTO THILOW. 



LEGUMES. The popular name given to the impor- 

 tant group of plants included in the general Order 

 Leguminosae comprises the herbs, shrubs, vines, and 

 trees of the mimosa family (Mimosacese), the senna 

 family (Caesalpiniaceae), the krameria family (Krameri- 

 acese), and the pea family (Fabacese; also called Papilion- 

 acea? or Phaseolacese) . In all, more than 7,000 species 

 of plants are represented here, chiefly herbaceous in 

 character; the arboreal forms occur in the temperate 

 zones and are very frequent in the tropics. Many 

 species are of unusual agricultural importance, both for 

 forage, as cover-crops and green manure, and also for 

 furnishing food for man. Among these may be noted 

 alfalfa (Medicago saliva), beans (Phaseolus sp.), clover, 

 (Trifolium sp.), vetch (Vicia sp.), and peas (Pisum 

 sp.). 



Most of the native species of legumes, and all those 

 cultivated as farm crops, belong to the Fabacese or pea 

 family. In these species the flower is of the pea type 

 (Fig. 2124). The upper larger petal, called the banner, 

 s, is exterior and folded over the 

 others in the bud. The two lateral 

 ones, situated below the banner, 

 are the wings, w, w, while the 

 lower pair, which are sometimes 

 united, form the keel, A;. The 

 keel incloses the stamens and 



Eistil, the latter being often 

 ent at right angles to the 

 ovary, or coiled. The stamens 

 are either free or they form 

 a tubular sheath surrounding 

 the ovary. Often the upper 

 one alone is free, leaving a 

 slit along the upper side of 

 the sheath (Fig. 2125). 

 These flowers are often 

 dependent on insects for 

 pollination. 



The fruit of the legumes 

 is a pod or legume, as in 

 the bean (Fig. 2126). As 

 a rule, the pods are one- 

 loculed, and have the seeds 

 arranged in rows. 

 In some tribes they 

 become several- 

 celled by partitions 

 which arise between 

 the seeds. These 

 pods become con- 

 stricted at the par- 

 titions, and at ma- 

 turity separate into 

 short joints (see 

 Fig. 1244, Vol. II). The valves of the pods are gener- 

 ally papery or leathery, and open at maturity, often by 

 a sudden snapping of the valves, which scatters the 

 seeds. In other tribes, however, the pods are indehis- 

 cent, or do not split at maturity (Fig. 2128). 



The use of leguminous crops for soil improvement 

 has long been recognized by good farmers as desirable. 

 Aside from the general benefits of crop-rotation, the 

 actual soil-enrichment is due largely to an accumulation 

 of available nitrogen, and this gain in nitrogen is caused 

 by the presence of minute soil-bacteria which possess 

 the power of growing on the roots of the legumes, and 

 then utilizing or "fixing" the free nitrogen of the air 

 and converting it into food for succeeding crops. 



