GARDENING FoR ALL. 73 
It is known under two forms, the curled and the 
Batavian, both forming well-known salads by the blanching 
of their leaves. .The curled has beautifully crimped and 
curled leaves, which are tender and much esteemed; the 
Batavian has leaves which are nearly flat, and being more 
aoe is so much used that it forms the principal winter 
salad. 
The first sowing may be made about the second week in 
June, and subsequent sowings in July and August. Sow the 
seed on rich soil, and when large enough, transplant into 
rows a foot apart and about nine or ten inches apart in the 
rows. 
When fully grown each plant should be tied up, the 
outer leaves being tied together over the inner leaves, that it 
may be blanched. Or blanching may be done by placing a 
tile or slate over each plant, or by inverting a flower-pot over 
each plant and covering the hole to exclude the light. On 
the approach of winter the endive may be lifted with a ball of 
soil and planted in a dark shed or dry cellar, from whence it 
can be used as required. 
LEEK.—/Allium porrum). 
Introduced from Switzerland in 1562, the leek has long 
been a favourite esculent, and its culture becomes more 
extended each year. 
During the winter of 1894-5 it proved itself almost 
invaluable, because it was one of only three kinds of 
vegetables which withstood the extreme severity of the 
weather with very little injury. 
Its cultivation is very simple. Sow in February and 
March, on light and rich soil, in drills four or five inches 
apart. Encourage a robust growth by thinning the seedlings 
to two inches apart. Plant out on rich ground, in beds, 
nine to twelve inches apart in the rows, or in well- 
manured trenches as for celery, if the largest leeks are 
desired. Plant in May and in June. 
Prior to transplanting the plants from the seed bed, they 
ought to receive a thorough watering and then be loosened 
