KITCHEN-GARDEN VEGETABLES. 
Lamb’s Lettuce. See CORN SALAD. 
Lavender (Lavandula Spica).—An aromatic 
under-shrub, native of South Europe. It is 
cultivated in almost every garden for its flowers, 
which are dried and put into wardrobes. They 
yield, on distillation, the highly-esteemed per- 
fume lavender-water; and for this purpose it is 
grown on a large scale in the neighbourhood of 
Mitcham, in Surrey. 
Lavender succeeds best in a light, warm, and 
dry soil; in such, also, it resists frost better, 
and is more aromatic, than when planted in a 
rich moist one. It may be raised from seeds 
sown in spring; but the universal method of 
propagating it is by slips, taken off if possible 
with roots in March, April, or September. 
Leek (Allium Porrum) (fig. 1211).—A hardy 
biennial, said to be a native of Switzerland. 
It was cultivated in this country prior to 1562. 
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See 
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AS 
Fig. 1211,—Leek 
The Leek prefers a light rich soil and an open 
situation. Well-decomposed stable-dung should 
be applied in the autumn of the year previous 
to sowing, for strong and recent manure is 
injurious to this crop. The seeds should be 
sown thinly broadcast, and lightly covered with 
earth, which should be beaten firm with the 
back of a spade; or it may be sown in shallow 
drills 6 inches apart. 
A small quantity to come in early may be 
455 
sown about the middle or end of February if 
the weather is favourable. The principal crop 
should be sown about the middle of March, and 
a small quantity for a succession in the end of 
April. With the exception of thinning where 
too close, watering in dry weather, and keeping 
the ground free of weeds, nothing further is 
required till the young plants are fit for plant- 
ing out; those of the late crop may be planted 
out in August. A moist day should be chosen 
for the operation, or, failing that, the ground 
should be previously well watered. The plants 
may be replanted in four ways, namely— 
1. In the bottom of a furrow or trench, about 
6 inches deep, prepared as for Celery, the earth 
being drawn in as the plants grow larger, so 
as at last to fill the furrows level with the rest 
of the ground. This plan answers well when 
extra fine Leeks are desired. The plants should 
be raised in heat, sowing the seed early in 
February, and pricking out the seedlings into 
boxes of rich soil. They should be kept grow- 
ing in gentle heat, and not far from the glass, 
till quite strong enough for planting, when they 
ought to be hardened and carefully transplanted 
to the shallow trenches. Keep well supplied 
with water and liquid manure, and in order to 
keep the stems perfectly clean bandage with 
brown paper prior to moulding up. 
2. Holes about 3 inches in diameter and 8 
inches deep may be made with a dibber, and 
in these the plants should be placed upright, 
watering them and allowing little more earth 
to fall in at the time than is sufficient to cover 
the roots, or at all events not more than will 
come up as far on the stem as the latter was 
in the ground previously. A good supply of 
stout well-blanched Leeks during autumn and 
winter is thus secured. 
3. A trench from 9 inches to a foot wide 
may be taken out along one side of the quarter, 
; and the soil taken where it will be required to 
fill up the last opening. Dig over and level 
about 1 foot wide from the side; then at 9 
inches from the latter stretch the line, cut down 
perpendicularly by it with the spade, and bring 
back the 3 inches towards the undug ground, 
then plant the Leeks against the perpendicular 
cut made by the line in the newly-dug ground, 
spreading their roots, and placing them as low 
as can be done without burying the hearts of 
the plants when the soil is made level. The 
ground can even be lowered after planting the 
row, so as not to cover the green part of the 
bases of the leaves, or at most but very little of 
them. 
