CHAPTER XI 



BULB CROPS 



Onion, 



Ciboule or Welsh Onion, 



Shallot, 



Leek, 



Garlic, 

 Give. 



All the bulb crops are hardy, require a cool season 

 and moist, rich soil with a loose surface. Usually they 

 are not seed-bed crops. They are used both as main-sea- 

 son and secondary crops. They are propagated by both 

 seeds and bulbs. These crops are grown chiefly for the 

 underground bulbs ; but the leaves are often used in 

 stews and seasonings. 



The onion is the only commercially important plant in the 

 above group in this country. Garlic, leek and the others are 

 known chiefly to citizens of foreign birth or to those who grow 

 products for the large cities. 



The leek is the most important of these minor bulb crops, and 

 it should be better known. Its flavor is usually milder than that 

 of onions. The soft bulb and thick leaves are used in cookery, 

 mostly as a seasoning. It is grown from seeds (Fig. 89) sown 

 early in the spring. It usually requires the entire season. It is 

 stored green, after the manner of celery, being set in the ground 

 in the pit or cool cellar. 



Garlic is a plant of very strong flavor. It is propagated by 

 "cloves," which are parts or bulbels of compound bulbs. The 

 clove is comparable to one of the cores of the multiplier onion. 

 The cloves are planted in early spring, and the bulbs should ma- 

 ture by midsummer or fall. 



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