ALL 



A L O 



It is propagated by planting the bulbs either in 

 springor the autumn, the root-bulbs, or those pro- 

 duced on the top of the stalk, being proper for the 

 purpose. Thev should be set in abed of good earth, 

 in rows a foot asunder, six inches distant in 

 each row, and two or three inches in depth; in 

 which case they will shoot up leaves and stalks 

 in the spring and summer, and produce the bulbs 

 for use in July or August ; and the root-bulb re- 

 maining afford a production of top-bulbs annu- 

 ally in that season. The root-bulb increasing by 

 offsets may be taken up occasionally at the time 

 the stem decays in autumn, or once in two or 

 three years, in order to separate the offsets, and 

 replant them when necessary. 



Culture in the Leek kind. — The Common Leek 

 is raised annually from seed sown in the spring; 

 the proper time for the general crop, for autumn 

 and winter use, is the same as that recommended 

 for the onion, as from the middle of February to 

 the end of March ; but for later crops to stand 

 for spring use, any time in April may answer ; 

 or for a small crop to stand as late in the follow- 

 ing spring as possible, without running to seed, 

 the beginning of May may be the most proper. 



It is a common practice, from the notion of mak- 

 ing the most of the ground, to sow leeks along 

 with cropsof onions ; but which should not by any 

 means be recommended, as experience has shown 

 it to be considerably the best culture to keep them 

 separate. It is mostly done by the market gar- 

 deners, when intending to draw out the onions 

 from time to time for market ; so that, by a daily 

 thinning, they arc commonly all cleared off by 

 the end of July, when the ground remains occu- 

 pied by a crop of leeks. 



The best culture for the general crops of leeks 

 is to sow them pretty thick in a spot by them- 

 selves, to be afterwards transplanted, either whol- 

 ly, or the greater part thinned out regularly and 

 replanted, the others being left at good distances 

 for full growth. For this purpose the same situ- 

 ation, soil, and method of sowing, is to be made 

 use of as for the onion. In June, July, and 

 August, the plants will be of a proper size for 

 transplanting ; in doing which an open spot of 

 the best ground should be chosen, and dunged 

 well by digging it in one spade deep, afterwards 

 drawing a parcel of the largest plants, and trim- 

 ming their tops and the extreme parts of their 

 root-fibres, planting them by the line and dibble 

 in rows, which for the early crops should be 

 twelve inches distant, and eight or nine inches 

 apart in each row; and for later crops nineinches 

 between the rows and six the other way, put- 

 ting them three or four inches in the ground, or 

 nearly to the length of their necks, watering them 

 immediately after thework has been performed. 



The only culture they require afterwards is to 



be kept clean from weeds, which may be done 

 either by hand-weeding, or more expeditiously by 

 applying a sharp hoe in a dry season. Leeks 

 thus cultivated are generally finer than those 

 that remain where sown ; their necks, which are 

 the principal esculent parts, being much longer, 

 and all the parts within the earth finely whitened, 

 and rendered mild and tender ; which are desira- 

 ble properties in this plant. However, when it is 

 intended to raise a crop of leeks in good perfection, 

 to remain where sown till their full growth, the 

 seed should be sown much thinner ; and when the 

 plants are somewhat advanced, as in June or July, 

 they should be regularly thinned to about ten or 

 twelve inches distance. Those thinned out be- 

 ing planted out separately, the remaining plants 

 will by this means attain a larger and thicker 

 growth below, with large spreading tops of thick 

 fleshy leaves. This is a valuable family plant 

 from autumn till spring, for soups, broth, &c. 

 and for boiling the neck part and top leaves to- 

 gether, to use as greens, in the manner of cole- 

 worts, &c. It is in perfection from September 

 till May, when it shoots up to stalk for seeding. 



In order to save the seed of this plant, a quan- 

 tity of the finest plants should be transplanted in 

 February, into a sheltered sunny bed, or under 

 a south wall, paleing, hedge, or other fence. 

 This is necessary, as the seeds ripen late in the 

 autumn, and, unless assisted by such situation 

 and shelter, seldom become fully ripened in this 

 climate. In June, when they have shot up and 

 formed sheir stems, they should be supported 

 and continued in an upright growth. And in 

 July the flowers protrude from their sheath at the 

 summit of each stalk, and form large globular 

 heads, the seeds beginning to ripen in Septem- 

 ber, which, after they have come to perfect ma- 

 turity, should be cut off, tied up in bunches, and 

 hung up till perfectly dry ; when the seed should 

 be rubbed out, and put by in a dry situation till it 

 is wanted for use. 



ALLSPICE. See Myrtus. 



ALMOND, African. See Brabeium. 



ALMOND, Dwarf. See Amygdalus. 



ALMOND-TREE. See Amygdalus. 



ALNIFOLIA. See Clethra. 



ALNUS. See Betula. 



ALOE, a genus comprehending several peren- 

 nial, evergreen, succulent, highly ornamental 

 plants of the African Aloe kind, and mostly of the 

 tender exotic sort. 



It belongs to the class and order Hexandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Liliacece. 



The characters of which are: that it has no 

 calyx : the corolla is one-petalled, erect, sextid, 

 and oblong ; the tube gibbous ; the border spread- 

 ing and small; nectareous at the bottom; the 



