1S34 



LEEK 



LEGUMES 



\\ 



I 



2124. Flowers of sweet pea, to show 

 structure of a leguminous fiower. Ban- 

 ner, standard or vezillum at s; wings 

 at IS, keel at k. 



Kxot'pt in tiio l!UTior cities and sunoii); our foreign popu- 

 lation, the Iwk is littli;ns(^l in Anioriov. 



Let>k, though of the onion family, is ilitTerontly 

 tivatpil and ii.<»xl. The object in its cuhiviition is to 

 develop the loaves in such a manner that tliey become 



numenivis: the llower- 

 steui does not appear 

 before tlie second 

 year, lience the neces- 

 sity of growing it to 

 v™ ^ J / full size tiie first yeax. 



%\n ; iV r^st'^C^ •'^<'"' *'"^ *'"'"'' '"i 



Wi \ \^iy^ March in a seed-bed 



(with slight bottom 

 heat ), in drills 2 or 

 '•i inches apart; when 

 large enough, thin 

 out lo staml 1 inch 

 apart in the row, as 

 they may attain the 

 thickness of a fair- 

 sized straw. In M.ay 

 or early June the 

 seedlings are trans- 

 planted in tlie oijen 

 grouml; they are 

 then cut lialf-way 

 down and should also 

 b(> set dee]), 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 po.ssible. 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 earthe<l up slightly with the liaud-cultivator 

 or hand-hoe. Some of the successful gardi'ncrs .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, begiruiing at the 

 end of the foliage; this destroys the appearance. The 

 hardier kinds use! for this purpose will blanch yellow- 

 down to the so-callf;d stem, which is whiU? to the root. 

 I>-eks plantwi out in May are ready for u.se in Sei)tem- 

 ber; the s^twings can be made earlier and later to suit 

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

 S«!pt<;mber in coldframes and wintered over with .slight 

 protection, then transplanted to the open ground in 

 .\pril The varieties best known to Ameriftan gardeners 



are lioridori l'"lag, 

 Large Musselburgh 

 or Scotch ]''lag, 

 fjiant (Jarentan, 

 anfl Large J{ouen. 



Wh<?n blanched 



leeks are not (\<f- 



sired, the plants 



may be cultivated 



like onions; indeed, 



except for earthing 



up, the cultural 



2125. Etientiai organs of a sweet methods employed 



pea flower. Caljrz at e; tenth stamen for these two crops 



at a. iticina 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 disaiijiears, leaving a mikl and 

 agreeable llavor. m. o. Kains and J. Otto Thilow. 



LEGUMES. The popular name given to the impor- 

 tant group of plants included in the general Order 

 Leguminos;e eom])rises tlu' herbs, shrubs, vines, and 

 trees of the mimosa family (Mimosacex), the senna 

 family (Ciesalpiiiiacea"), the krameria family (Krameri- 

 acea;), and the pea family (Kabacea- ; also called PapiUon- 

 acea; or Phaseolaceic). In all, more than 7,000 species 

 of ])lants are re])resented here, chiefly herbaceous in 

 character; the arlxireal forms occur in the temperate 

 zones and are very frequent in the tropics. Many 

 species are of unusual agriiailtural importance, both for 

 forage, as cover-cro|)S and green manure, and also for 

 furnishing food for man. Among these may be noted 

 alfalfa (Mi-dicagu saliva), beans (Phaseolus sp.), clover, 

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

 sp.). 



Most of the native species of legumes, and all those 

 cultivated as farm crops, belong to the Fabaceie or pea 

 family. In these si^ecies the flower is of the pea type 

 (l-'ig. 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, wliile the 

 lower pair, which are sometimes 

 united, form the keel, k. The 

 keel incloses the stamens and 

 pistil, the latter being often 

 bent at right angles to the 

 ovary, or coiled. The stamens 

 are either free or they form 

 a tubular sheath surrounding 

 the ovary. Often the upjier 

 one alone is free, leaving a 

 slit along the upper side of 

 the sheath (Fig. 2125). 

 These flowers are often 

 tleijciident on insects for 

 pollination. 



The fruit of the legumes 

 is a pod or legume, as in 

 the bean (Fig. 2120). 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 tlie par- 

 titions, and at ma- 

 turity separate into 

 short joints (see 

 I'ig. 1244, Vol. II). The valves of the pods are gener- 

 ally pajiery or leathery, anrl open at maturity, often by 

 a sudden snajipiiig 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 l(jng been recognized by good farmers a-s desirable. 

 Aside from the general benefits of crop-rotation, the 

 actual soil-enrichiuent is due largely to an accumulation 

 of available nitrogi-n, and this gain in nitrogen is caused 

 by the presence of minute soil-bacteria which possess 

 tlie [jower of growing on the roots of the legumes, and 

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

 ari<l converting it into food for succeeding crops. 



