CHIVES 



SWEET HEBBS 



CEESS 1161 



character, is more highly valued for gar- 

 nishing, flavouring &o. It should be 

 grown in preference to the Pla/i/n-leaved 

 variety if only one kind is required. 



BULBOUS or TURNIP-ROOTED 

 CHERVIL (Chjerophyllum bulbostjm). 

 Like the ordinary Chervil this also belongs 

 to the Umbellifer family (see p. 464). It 

 is a biennial plant native of S. Europe, 

 about 3 ft. high with stout stems swollen 

 at the joints and flushed with violet, the 

 lower portion being clothed with whitish 

 hairs. The roots resemble those of a 

 short Carrot or small Parsnip, and when 

 cooked like Carrots they have a sweet and 

 pleasant flavour. 



Culture. — The bulbous-rooted Chervil 

 may be grown in ordinary good and 

 well-drained garden soil, well dug and 

 manured some time previous to sowing 

 the seeds. As the latter do not retain 

 their vitality very long they should be 

 sown as soon as ripe about August and 

 September in shallow drills 9-12 in. apart. 

 This, however, can only be done with 

 safety in the mild southern parts of the 

 kingdom. In cold locaUties autumn- 

 sown seed is likely to perish during the 

 winter. In such places it is therefore 

 better to store the seeds in sand during 

 the winter. By placing a layer of sand 

 and a layer of seeds alternately, sowing 

 may be deferred until mild weather sets 

 in about March or April. The seeds will 

 be kept fresh by this process of stratifying 

 them, and may then be sown as stated 

 above. 



The roots will be ready for use when 

 the foliage turns yellow and begins to 

 wither. They may then be lifted and 

 stored in the same way as Carrots. 



CHIVES (AiLiuM schcenopbasum). 

 This is a hardy native perennial, closely 

 related to the Onion (see p. 1148). It has 

 small oval bulbs smaller than a Filbert. 

 They grow in masses and send up tufts of 

 slender deep-green grass-like leaves, but 

 cylindrical and hollow. The flowers are 

 purple-red and borne in round heads just 

 above the fohage. 



Culture. — Chives flourish in any 

 good and warm garden soil in an open 

 situation and may be allowed to remain 

 for several years in the same spot with- 

 out disturbance. It is better, however, to 

 take them up about every fourth year and 

 divide them. They are usually increased 



by dividing the masses of imderground 

 bulbs in spring, and replanting about 6 in. 

 apart, either in rows about 1 ft. apart in 

 beds, or to form an edging. The leaves 

 grow rapidly and should be cut for use 

 close to the ground while still young and 

 tender. They are chopped into small 

 pieces and used for soups &c. in the same 

 way as small Onions. The more often the 

 leaves are cut the better the new ones 

 grow. In winter the soil may be given 

 a dressing or mulching of manure which 

 may be forked in some time in spring. 



CORN SALAD or LAMB'S LET- 

 TUCE (Vaierianella olitoeia). — This 

 is a native hardy annual belonging to 

 the Valerian order described at p. 488. 

 It has radical unstalked and more or less 

 spoon - shaped leaves, rather strongly 

 veined and forming dense tufts on the 

 surface of the soil. The flower stems are 

 6-12 in. high, angular, and several times 

 forked, with small pale lilac blooms. 



Culture. — Seeds may be sown in 

 ordinary good garden soil, the richer the 

 better, in rows about 9 in. apart, or broad- 

 cast in beds. The seedlings are thinned 

 out to about 6 in. apart, and those taken up 

 may be transplanted at similar distances. 

 To keep up a succession seeds may be 

 sown in March and April, and again in 

 August and September. In severe win- 

 ters it is better to scatter a little dry 

 litter, bracken &c. over the plants, remov- 

 ing it on all favourable occasions. During 

 the summer months weeds must be kept 

 down, and if the plants are fuUy exposed 

 to the hot sun, frequent evening waterings 

 will be beneficial. 



The leaves are valued by many for 

 salads. In early summer the entire 

 plant is used, being then in a fresh and 

 growing state. 



Varieties. — Besides the Common Com 

 Salad the others are the Bound-leaved, 

 which has shorter leaves than the ordi- 

 nary ; the Cabbaging, a somewhat less 

 vigorous kind than the Bound, but firmer 

 and more pleasant as a salad ; and the 

 Italian, which is recognised by the lighter 

 colour of its leaves and their greater 

 length. It is really a distinct species and 

 is known as Vaierianella eriocarpa, but 

 its cultural requirements are the same as 

 the ordinary Corn Salad. 



CRESS (Lbpidium sativum).— The 

 garden Cress is a quick-growing Persian 

 annual, much cultivated for its young 



