28 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



■with the same, in a ridge-like form, to 

 the depth of two inches. In medium 

 soils, this preparation is unnecessary, as 

 the plant is extremely hardy (at least no 

 frost affects it in its dormant state). A 

 row twenty feet in length will be sufficient 

 supply for a small family : this at the 

 distance given will require eighty cloves, 

 and so in proportion for greater breadths. 

 No bulb should be planted deep ; they 

 should rest on the surface of the ground. 

 Their roots proper (for a bulb is not a 

 root) will penetrate the soil in quest of 

 food ; and many of them, unlike most 

 other plants, send their roots down in 

 a perpendicular direction (the hyacinth, 

 grown in water-glasses, affords a familiar 

 example), while the bulb is exposed to 

 the influence of sun, light, and air. In 

 shallow soils, planting on ridges has the 

 advantage of affording greater depth than 

 that naturally presented. Knight paid 

 great attention to the cultivation of this 

 plant, and strongly recommended surface, 

 and even elevation planting, assigning as 

 a reason the exposure of the bulbs to the 

 warming influence of the sun during 

 their growing season. By merely draw- 

 ing a little soil around the bulbs at plant- 

 ing, to keep them steady in their places, 

 the rains of winter, and the necessary use 

 of the hoe, to keep down weeds and pre- 

 serve the surface open, removes the soil 

 gathered round them, when the bulbs 

 will appear seated on the surface, which 

 is their natural and proper position. 



Subsequent cultivation. — Their subse- 

 quent management consists in repeated 

 hoeing between the rows, to keep down 

 weeds and maintain the soil open. 



Soil and manures. — The soil natural, 

 and consequently best fitted, for shallots, 

 is a rich, deep, sandy alluvial deposit, of 

 itself sufficiently rich without the addi- 

 tion of manure, to which most bulbous 

 plants appear to have a great repugnance. 

 If manure is to be added, in the absence of 

 such conditions, that of the most decom- 

 posed description should be employed. 

 It is better, therefore, to plant shallots on 

 ground which has been manured for the 

 previous crop, such as early celery, and in 

 which the manure has been completely 

 incorporated by the process, first of digging 

 up the celery, and afterwards by trench- 

 ing it two feet or more in depth. If the 

 ground is so poor as actually to require 



manure for this crop, then it should be 

 buried in not less than ten or twelve 

 inches under where the bases of the bulbs 

 are placed. The roots will reach it, and 

 their spongiolets collect it at the very 

 time the bulbs most require fertilising 

 aid. Pigeon dung is an excellent manure 

 to be applied to the roots of shallots ; and 

 guano and other modern fertilisers may 

 with advantage be applied even on the 

 surface, but not until the plants have 

 made considerable progress in their 

 growth, when they may be laid on during, 

 or, what is better, immediately before rain, 

 so that they may be carried down in a 

 soluble state to the roots. A better way 

 still is to apply them in a liquid state, 

 which will assist in washing the soil from 

 the bulbs, and invigorate the plants at the 

 same time. 



Taking the crop, and subsequent pre- 

 servation. — When the leaves begin to 

 assume a yellowish colour, and droop 

 towards the ground, it indicates that the 

 season of growth has reached its termi- 

 nation. Upon a dry day pull the crop, 

 and arrange it thinly on boards placed so 

 as to be partially shaded from the full 

 sun, for too rapid drying would be inju- 

 rious to it. While there, protect from 

 wet ; and when sufficiently dry for housing, 

 remove the loose and most decayed leaves 

 onl^, and place them on the shelves of the 

 onion-loft, which, at that period, will be 

 unoccupied. Look over them frequently, 

 and remove all decaying bulbs, and the 

 greater part of the now dried-up foliage. 

 Part may be tied up in small bundles of 

 a dozen or two of bulbs each, and sus- 

 pended from the under side of the shelves, 

 or otherwise if more convenient. Those 

 from which the leaves have entirely sepa- 

 rated may be placed thinly on the shelves, 

 or put into nets suspended from the roof. 

 In October or November following, those 

 bulbs which have been best ripened should 

 be selected for planting, and the remain- 

 ing stock kept moderately cool, well ven- 

 tilated, and not crowded together. The 

 usual season of their ripening is in July 

 and August: this depends, however,greatly 

 on situation. 



List of approved sorts, and their qualities. — 

 There appear to be in cultivation two varieties 

 of shallots — the common and the Russian. The 

 former keeps best ; while the latter is consider- 

 ably larger, and milder in flavour. A fair-sized 

 bulb of the former, when ripe, should measure 



