94 VEGECULTURE 



development. In August dry the ripened bulbs well, and 

 retain part of the stalk, by which they may be suspended in 

 bundles until wanted for use. 



CHIVES (A Ilium sch&noprasum). A splendid and most 

 efficient substitute for "Spring" Onions is the Chive, or Give, 

 of Siberian origin, and of most easy growth. A light, rich, 

 moist soil is most suited to these plants, and a couple of rows 

 across a four-foot garden-bed will supply enough salad onions 

 for a large number of persons, for a considerable length of time, 

 for, soon after they are cut, the green leaves are succeeded by 

 fresh shoots. Small bulbs are formed, which are planted in 

 March and April, about eight inches apart. The leaves, when 

 gathered, must be cut close to the ground, to encourage the 

 production of a fresh supply ; and in autumn the bulbs, if 

 thought desirable, may be lifted and stored, to be used after 

 the manner of ordinary Onions. Seed, of course, may also be 

 sown, or growing clumps purchased. As a perennial edging to 

 the kitchen-garden they are unsurpassed. 



LEEKS are treated in the section in which their peculiar 

 cultural necessities demand a place that devoted to vegetable- 

 growing in trenches (pages 67 and 68). 



THE STORAGE OF ONIONS, SHALLOTS, AND GARLIC. The 

 bulbs are placed in a single layer on the floor of an airy loft, 

 on open lath shelves, or in portable trays, in a shed or spare room. 

 Darkness is not an essential. One of the best ways of storing 

 Onions, Shallots, and Garlic is to rope the bulbs. The Onions 

 must be carefully harvested, the tops being perfectly dry. A 

 piece of rope about three feet long is procured, and a knot tied 

 at one end and fixed to a nail. The rope is then split into three 

 strands. An Onion is laid along each string, the bulb towards 

 the knot, and the three plaited together, the tops of the Onions 

 going with their respective strings. This process is repeated 

 until a rope of Onions about two feet long is made. The three 

 strands are then tied together at the end, and the whole rope 

 and the Onion-tops tied with string as close as possible to the 

 last bulb. Thus a loop will be left by which to hang them. The 

 presence of the rope prevents the string of Onions from breaking, 

 and the bulbs can easily be detached as required for use without 

 disturbing the remainder. 



