296 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



should be from 18 to 36 inches apart, according to the kind of culti- 

 vation employed. The fleshy stems should be used while they are 

 young and quite tender. Prepare kohl-rabi for the table in the 

 same manner as turnips, which it very much resembles when cooked. 

 (F. B. 255; U. Id. E. S. 10; Mich. E. S. 20; N. C. E. S. 132; La. 



E. S. 90.) 



LEEK. 



This plant belongs to the same class as does the onion, but 

 requires somewhat different treatment. Leeks can be grown on any 

 good garden soil and are usually sown in a shallow trench. The 

 plants should be thinned to stand about 4 inches apart in the row and 

 the cultivation should be similar to that for onions. After the plants 

 have attained almost full size the earth is drawn around them to the 

 height of 6 or 8 inches to blanch the fishy stem. The leek does not 

 form a true bulb like the onion, but the stem is uniformly thick 

 throughout. Leeks are marketed in bunches like young onions, and 

 they may be stored the same as celery for winter. Leeks are used 

 for "flavoring purposes and are boiled and served with a cream 

 dressing the same as young onions. (N. Car. E. S. 132 ; La. E. S. 90 ; 



F. B. 255.) 



LETTUCE. 



This crop attains its best development in a rich sandy loam in 

 which there is plenty of organic matter. Lettuce thrives best during 

 the early spring or late autumn and will not withstand the heat of 

 summer. In order that the leaves may be crisp and tender, it is 

 necessary to force the growth. The usual method of growing lettuce 

 for home use is to sow the seeds broadcast in a bed and remove the 

 leaves from the plants as rapidly as they become large enough for 

 use. A much better method is either to thin or transplant the seed- 

 lings and allow the plants to form rather compact heads and then 

 cut the entire plant for use. In the Southern States the seeds may 

 be sown during the autumn and the plants allowed to remain in the 

 ground over winter. At the North the seeds may be sown in a hot- 

 bed or cold frame and the seedlings transplanted to the open ground, 

 or the seeding may be in rows in the garden and the plants thinned 

 to 5 or 6 inches in the row. Lettuce may be grown in rows about 

 12 inches apart. In order to produce crisp and tender lettuce during 

 the summer months, it may be necessary to provide some form of 

 partial shading. (F. B. 255; N. Y. E. S. 208; N. Car. E. S. 147; 

 Tenn. E. S. 2; Purdue Ind. E. S. 66 and 84; Kas. E. S. 70.) 

 LLEREN (Calathea allouya). 



This vegetable, although cultivated in Porto Rico for a long 

 time, is not extensively known. The plant at a cursory glance 

 resembles a canna. The edible tubers, which are formed in great 

 profusion, can be eaten boiled like potatoes; but, unlike potatoes, 

 they do not become soft, but appear hard and crisp after prolonged 

 boiling. Lleren somewhat resembles boiled sweet corn in taste, and 

 most people pronounce it delicious without needing to acquire a 

 taste for it. The best soil for lleren is a rich, moist, well-drained loam, 

 which is usually benefited by an application of wood ashes or sulphate 



