350 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



Fifteen inches between rows is about as close as plants 

 can be set to permit satisfactory tillage. The seed resem- 

 bles cabbage seed and should be sown at the same depth. 

 Thorough and frequent tillage is important. 



484. Marketing. It is important to market the crop 

 before the enlargements become woody. The plants 

 may be tied together in bunches like early beets or sold 

 in bulk. Kohl-rabi is a profitable 

 crop whenever a market can be 

 found. This vegetable may be stored 

 in the same manner as root crops. 



LEEK (Allium porrum) 



485. Importance. This member of 

 the onion family produces a sheaf of 

 leaves (Figure 83) rather than a 

 bulb. The sheaf is made up of the 

 lower parts of the flat leaves, is solid 

 and, when well blanched, milder and 

 more tender than the onion. Leeks 

 are generally eaten raw, but are also 

 cooked and used for flavoring. This 

 vegetable is much more popular in 

 some foreign countries, as France, 

 England, Scotland and in southern 

 Europe, than in America, where it is 

 grown mainly for the foreign popu- 

 .lation. 



486. Culture. Soil and cultural conditions required for 

 onions are equally well adapted to leeks. Rotten stable 

 manures are of great value. The usual plan is to sow in 

 the spring as soon as the ground can be prepared. In 

 June or more often in July the seedlings are transplanted 

 in moist, well-prepared soil. It is an advantage to clip 

 the tops severely at transplanting. The plants may be 



FIG. 83. LEEK 



