348 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



strong beer. Its medicinal qualities are tonic and sopo- 

 rific. In gardens it is often grown as a screen, to hide 

 unsightly objects, the plants being set twelve inches 

 asunder in a row, and staked, or trained on a trellis. 



KOHL-RABI. — (Brassica oleracea var. caulo-rapa.) 



This plant, called also Turnip Cabbage, from the turnip- 

 like form of its stem, is but yet little cultivated. The 



edible part is the en 

 larged short stem, which 

 is of a globular form, 

 with a few leaves on top. 

 Its culture is the same as 

 the cabbage, except that 

 in hoeing care must be 

 taken not to throw dirt 

 into the heart of the 

 plant, or the bulb cannot 

 form. In hoeing, keep 

 the soil flat. 



The Early White Vienna 

 and Early Purple Vienna 

 are the best for the gar- 

 den. It is cultivated ex- 

 actly like the rutabaga 

 turnip, for which, when cooked young, it is an excel- 

 lent substitute. When full grown, it is used for feed- 

 ing stock. It is very hardy, and needs no winter 

 protection in the more southern States. 



Fig. 124— New Smooth White Short- 

 Leaved Kohl-Rabi. 



LEEK.— (Allium Porrum.) 



The Leek is a hardy biennial of the onion tribe, found 

 wild in Switzerland, but has been cultivated in gardens 

 from the earliest times. It is mentioned in the Scriptures 

 with the onion as one of the vegetables of the Egyptians; 



