SECT. XV. 



OF ESCULENTS, 



earth up as before. The following fpring, fork again 

 in time, and about April there will be plenty to cut; 

 which, if fuffered to grow large firft, will eat tough 

 and ftrong. For feed, referve a ftool that has not been 

 cut : The flower is fo pretty (white heads) as to be 

 fown fometimes merely for ornament. 



Shalot is a perennial fort of onion, for which It 

 is often fubftituted, and in forne cafes preferred, as 

 being more agreeable to the palate and ftomach by its 

 rich and yet mild nature. 



The fhalot is propagated by planting its offsets late 

 in autumn, in a dry foil, or in fpring, if a moift one. 

 The latter time is generally adopted as fafeft; but 

 autumn fets produce the fineft bulbs. Plant two or 

 three inches deep, and four or five afunder, in rows, 

 fix inches diftance from one another. When the leaves 

 wither, dig them up, left they decay in the ground, as 

 they are apt to do when much wet falls. 



Skirret ( now little known] is a very whole fome 

 root, propagated by feed, as fcorzonera, and fometimes 

 by offsets of the old roots in fpring, planted an inch 

 deep over their crowns. 



Spinach is of two kinds, denominated from the 

 feed, as prickly and fmooth ; the former is fown in 

 autumn, i. e. at the end of July, and about Mid-Augufl^ 

 to gather in winter, and the beginning of fpring, being 

 very hardy ; and the latter is fown early in the new 

 year for after ufe, though the prickly fort does very 

 well alfo for the fame purpole. The fmooth is rather 

 tender, but it grows larger, with thicker leaves, and is 

 therefore feldom fown otherwife than at broad caft ; 

 but the prickly is frequently drilled, as between rows 

 g£ peas', beans, &c. Spinach may be fown on pieces of 

 ground, where it is intended to plant cauliflowers, cabs* 

 bages, or beans, or horfe-raddim, by dibble. 



At broad cafi trample the feed in with the feet, rather 

 wide, that there may be a fuffieient quantity of mould 

 to rake down over the feed. Hoe the prickly fort 

 Ml' to 



