100 PIGTOBIAL PEAGTIGAL VEGETABLE OBOWINO. 



CDapter 18 — £eek$ 



I AM constantly singing the praises of the Leek, Allium Porrum, ' 

 because I think it is a better friend to the kitchen gardener thaa he 

 realises. When is a nicely cooked dish of Leeks other than 

 appetising'? When do the plants give trouble in cultivation, or 

 become riddled by insects, or get damaged by inclement weather 1 

 So far as my personal knowledge goes, " Never is the only answer. 



Northerners make too much of Leek culture, Southerners too 

 little. It is not necessary to gorge a trench with tons of dung to get 

 serviceable Leeks. Exhibition sticks may call for much elaboration 

 of treatment, ordinary ones do not. 



The simplest of all methods of growing Leeks is to sow the seed 

 in a drill in March, thin the seedlings directly they begin to crowd 

 each other, drop the plants into holes made with a dibber 1 foot by 

 18 inches apart when they are 6 inches high, and earth them up in 

 September. If this is not plain work I should like to know what is. 

 Do not think that nothing but poor, half -grown sticks are secured by 

 this simple plan. As a matter of fact, really good Leeks can be 

 secured by it, provided the soil is well tilled. It is unlikely that 

 anything else will be required afterwards than to eat the produce. 

 Neither bird nor beast, neither storm nor frost, will hurt the plants. 

 They will blanch steadily, and remain in the ground ready for use 

 whenever they are wanted in winter or spring. 



If very large Leeks are required, grow them in a heavily manured 

 trench, and feed them up with liquid manure. To get the plants 

 forward, sow them in a box in January or February. 



I should set a bad example to the cultivator if I wrote a long 

 chapter on Leek growing. That is to say, I should, by making a 

 long-wincled business of* it, lead him to thmk it necessary to go into 

 details of cultivation which will not affect the ultimate issue one iota. 



I may, however, add this : No amount of good culture will give 

 large sticks if poor varieties like the London Flag are chosen. The 

 grower should choose Musselburgh or The Lyon at the least. If he 

 wants large show stuff he must select a naturally fine variety like 

 Carters' Holborn Model, Dobbies' International, or Suttons' Prize- 

 taker, all of which are well known to me by culture in my own 

 garden. 



Lastly, do not start eating Leeks very early in the autumn ; they 

 improve with age. And if you know of no better way of cooking 

 them, try putting them in a covered jar with a little butter, but no 

 water, and baking them for two or three hours in an oven or on a 

 hob. They will make their own juice, and prove tender, delicate, and 

 delicious. 



