172 THE SHALLOT. 



The varieties are the Flanders, or narrow-leafed; the Scotch, flag, 

 or Musselburg and the broad-leafed, tall, or London leek. They are 

 not suited with rank soil. A small crop may be sown thinly with on- 

 ions. In dry weather they require watering and hoeing several times. 

 The whole plant is used in soups and stews, but the blanched stem is 

 mostly esteemed. They are said to be superior when taken up the 

 middle of July, the roots cut off to an inch in length, planted in 

 trenches, like celery, 5 inches apart, though but half as deep or wide. 

 The trenches are manured and the plants hoed as they grow, like 

 celery. The leeks thus grow 18 inches under ground, and are very 

 thick. 3 of these planted for seed are generally sufficient. 



A. Porrum ; umbel globular ; stamens 3-pointed ; petals with rough 

 keel ; root coated ; leaves sometimes very narrow : spatha short, 

 conical, deciduous ; flowers purplish, close, in a large ball, on purple 

 peduncles. 



SHALLOT, or Eshalote, allium uscalonicum from JLscalon, Syria, 

 and hence the name scallion. C. 6. O. 1. Br. P. ft. A species of 

 the garlic, with a small bulbous root; brought from Syria in 1548, 

 some say by the crusaders. It has a strong but pleasant smell and is 

 preferred to onions in seasoning soups, gravies, hashes &c. It is also 

 used as a pickle, particularly in the E. Indies, and is the best seasoning 

 for beef-steaks. It is propagated by planting the bulbs, or cloves, 

 which increase greatly by offsets, like the true garlic. These are not 

 large, but grow into clusters. The soil should be a light, rich, sandy 

 loam, or dry soil, well manured the year before. The separated offsets 

 are planted in very shallow drills, 6 inches apart, early in March, or in 

 Oct., or Nov., attaining their growth the following summer. Too 

 much moisture is apt to rot the roots before they vegetate. They are 

 slightly covered with earth. Soot, mixed with the surface soil pre- 

 vents the depredations of insects upon the plant. They are then 

 carefully weeded by hand or by hoeing. The leaves decay in Aug., 

 when the bulb has its growth. These are then taken up, dried in the 

 sun and placed in a dry loft, in casks, boxes, or tied in bundles. 

 Planting on the surface is recommended to avoid the worm rais- 

 ing the soil on each side to support the root, with a rich soil beneath. 

 This edge soil is afterwards removed and the roots watered, being 

 mostly out of ground. 



The growth resembles that of the onion, but the form of the bulb 

 remains different. The above mode greatly improves the quality and 

 size. The shallots, if wanted, may be taken up of good size in June 

 or July. The shallot seldom flowers, but the want of seeds is com- 

 pensated by the multiplication of the roots. It bears the severest win- 

 ters. Its flavor is more pungent than that of the garlic, but not so 

 rank. 



Stem naked; columnar leaves all-shaped, umbels globular j spatha 



