CHAPTER U. 

 ALLIACEOUS PLANTS. 



The Garlic. Leek. Onion. 



COMMON GARLIC. 



Allium sativum. 



THIS is a perennial plant, from the south of Europe. 

 The root is composed of from ten to 

 fifteen small bulbs, called " cloves," which 

 are enclosed in a thin, white, semi-transparent 

 skin, or pellicle. The leaves are long and nar- 

 row. The flower-stem is cylindrical, eighteen 

 inches in height, and terminates in an umbel, 

 or group of pale-pink flowers, intermixed with 

 small bulbs. The seeds are black, and, in 

 form, irregular, but are seldom employed for 

 propagation ; the cloves, or small bulbs, suc- 

 ceeding better. Garlic - 



Planting and Cultivation. Garlic thrives best in a light, 

 well-enriched soil ; and the bulbs should be planted in April 

 or May, an inch deep, in rows or on ridges, fourteen inches 

 apart, and five or six inches apart in the rows. Keep the 

 soil loose, and the plants clear of weeds ; and, when the tops 

 wither, the bulbs will have attained their growth, and be 

 ready for harvesting. 



Use. It is cultivated for its bulbs, or cloves, which 

 possess more of the flavor of the Onion than any other allia- 

 ceous plant. These are sometimes employed in soups, 



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