44 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



seldom so good, can never be calculated 

 upon as pure, if more than one species be 

 grown in the same garden, or indeed 

 within a very considerable distance 

 around. — For reasons, vide art. Propaga- 

 tion by Seed. 



To save onion seed, select some of the 

 largest, best formed, and best ripened 

 bulbs ; prepare the ground as already- 

 directed, only choosing the warmest and 

 most sheltered spot the garden affords — 

 for climate is the principal reason why 

 we are compelled to import seed, which, 

 until these few years, was subjected to 

 an import duty almost equal to the prime 

 cost. In November plant them, as we 

 have advised for garlic and shallots. As 

 the shoots advance in height, a line of 

 stakes, three feet in height above the 

 surface, should be driven in along each 

 line of plants, and to these a double 

 course of packthread or tarred cord 

 should be fastened, by taking a turn of 

 the cord around each stake, thus leaving 

 the stems of the plants to grow up between 

 the cords for their support ; and, for 

 greater security, these cords should be 

 tied together at every twelve or fifteen 

 inches in length. As the flower stems 

 extend in height, add other courses of 

 cord, till the height of nearly three feet 

 is attained, at which height the heads of 

 flowers will appear, and, if not broken 

 by the wind, will become large heads of 

 seed, which will ripen in August or 

 September. The stems should be cut 

 over then, and laid down for a day or two 

 to dry ; afterwards they may be tied up 

 in bundles, further dried in the sun, and 

 ultimately, if the crop is large, stacked 

 by till thrashed out, or suspended in 

 bundles from the roof, in a dry airy 

 apartment, and rubbed out and winnowed 

 at convenience. One ounce of seed con- 

 tains 7636 seeds. 



The European names of the onion are, 

 Oignon in French ; Zwiebel in German ; 

 Uijon in Dutch; Cipolla in Italian; Ce- 

 bolla in Spanish. 



§ 5. — THE LEEK. 



Natural history. — The Leek, Allium porrum, 

 L. (from Celtic, Pori, to eat), belongs to the 

 same natural order, and ranks in the same class 

 and order in the Linnsean arrangement as the 

 four last. It is said to be a native of Switzer- 



land ; of this there are as great doubts as that 

 the onion is a native of Spain. It is undoubt- 

 edly a native of the East, and was cultivated 

 largely in Egypt in the days of the Pharaohs. Phi- 

 lips, in " History of Culinary Vegetables," vol. 

 ii. p. 30, has thrown more light upon this dark sub- 

 ject than any other author we have read. He says, 

 in speaking of this plant being adopted by the 

 ancient Welsh as their badge, " The Welshmen 

 still continue to wear leeks on St David's Day, 

 in commemoration of a victory which they ob- 

 tained over the Saxons in the sixth century, and 

 which they attributed to the leeks they wore, by 

 the order of St David, to distinguish them in the 

 battle. The Welsh patron died about the year 

 544." Now, they must have been not only 

 introduced, but much cultivated at this early 

 period. That the leek is a native of Egypt is 

 evident ; for, besides the notice taken of it in 

 the Bible, Pliny, in book xix. chap. 6, states 

 " that the best leeks were brought from Egypt, 

 and the next to them from Orthes, a town of 

 Asia Minor," now called Guzelhizar. Aricia in 

 Italy was celebrated for leeks in Pliny's time; 

 for he says, " It is not long since leeks were 

 brought into great notice through the Emperor 

 Nero." Tusser sings their praise in verse, and 

 says they were in common use in farm-houses 

 long before his time. And Gerard, writing 

 soon after Tusser's time, speaks of leeks in such 

 a manner as to induce us to think them indi- 

 genous to our soil. 



Its date of introduction is given in " Hortus 

 Britannicus " as 1562. In this case, as in several 

 others in that work, when the date of a plant is 

 not exactly known, the first year in which it is 

 known to have existed in Britain, upon pub- 

 lished authority, is given. That it was to some 

 extent cultivated prior to that year is evident 

 from the familiar way in which all our oldest 

 gardening authors speak of it, and it is noticed 

 by most of them. 



Uses. — This plant has been more generally 

 used as an esculent in Wales and Scotland than 

 in England. It is now, however, cultivated 

 much more generally in the gardens of the 

 latter, and brought in greater quantities to their 

 markets than formerly. The whole plant, except 

 the roots, is used in soups and stews. The 

 white stems, which are blanched by being 

 planted deep for the purpose, are now largely 

 used, boiled and served up with toasted bread 

 and white sauce, and eaten like asparagus. They 

 are much used in French cookery, and form an 

 important ingredient in Scotch winter broth, 

 particularly that national dish cock-a-leehie. But 

 the most extraordinary use to which we have 

 heard of their being applied is thus stated on the 

 authority of no less a person than Lord Bacon, 

 who says (in "Essay on Gardens," century ten), 

 " I knew a gentleman that would fast (sometimes) 

 three or four, yea, five days, without meat, bread, 

 or drink ; but the same man used to have con- 

 tinually a wisp of herbs that he smelt on, and 

 amongst these herbs some of strong scent, as 

 onions, garlic, leeks, and the like." The leek is 

 a valuable vegetable for the cottager, a small 

 piece of ground affording him a large and useful 

 supply during winter and spring, when green 



