VEGETABLES 377 



celery; in other words, vegetables, aromatic plants, and 

 poisonous plants. The family receives its name from its 

 characteristic flower-cluster (umbel), which is flat-topped, 

 the individual small flowers or groups of flowers standing on 

 branches (rays) that arise from a common point and spread 

 like the rays of an umbrella. Wild carrot, with its umbels 

 of small white flowers, is one of our bad weeds; while wild 

 parsnip, with its umbels of small yellow flowers, is very 

 common. 



The cultivation of parsnips and carrots is in general the 

 same as for such root crops as turnips and beets, but they are 

 slow-growing plants and it is a long time between the sowing 

 and the harvest. 



Bulbs 



85. Onion. The best-known edible bulb is the onion, 

 probably a native of western Asia and brought into cultiva- 

 tion in very ancient times. Onions, leeks, and garlic belong 

 to one genus (Alliuni), which is a member of the lily family 

 (Liliacea3). Among their associates in the family are such 

 ornamental plants as the lilies, tulips, and hyacinths, and the 

 well-known vegetable, asparagus. 



The necessary soil is the usual good garden soil, and 

 thorough cultivation is required. Onions are very hardy, and 

 in the northern states the seeds are sown or the bulbs planted 

 as soon as the ground can be prepared properly in the spring ; 

 in fact, it is common to get a good start by preparing the 

 ground in the fall. 



The seeds are small and do not germinate quickly, and 

 great care has to be taken to keep the beds free from weeds, 

 as onions cannot stand such competition. The seeds are 

 sown thickly in rows, and afterwards the young plants are 

 thinned out so as to be properly spaced. 



It is more common to propagate onions by " sets," espe- 

 cially for early onions, and sets are of three kinds : (1) " top 



