ALLIACEOUS PLANTS. — THE CHIVE. 



47 



the largest and finest specimens should 

 be selected ; and as we in the North 

 have scarcely climate for saving this or 

 the onion, it has been found expedient to 

 plant them at the bottom of a south wall, 

 and to support the flower stems by it. 

 In such a way, considerable quantities of 

 good seed are annually produced about 

 Musselburgh, and in other warm locali- 

 ties. In better climates, the same mode 

 is followed as recommended for onions, 

 {which see.) 



The European names are — Porreau, or Ail a 

 tuniques, in French ; zahme Lauch, gemeiner 

 Lauch, Porro-Zwiebel, or Spanische Lauch, in 

 German ; Porro, or Porreta, in Italian ; Puerro 

 in Spanish ; Alho Porro in Portuguese ; Purio 

 in Swedish ; Pras in Russian ; Prei, Look, or 

 Porreye, in Dutch. 



§ 6. — THE CHIVE. 



Natural history. — The chive (Allium Schoe- 

 noprasum, L.) belongs to the same natural 

 order, and ranks in the same class and order in 

 the Linneean arrangement as the five last. It is 

 indigenous to various parts of Britain, occa- 

 sionally found in meadows and pastures, but at 

 no great elevation. 



Uses— The young leaves are the parts used ; 

 the roots, although bulbs, are very small, 

 and although partaking of the taste and pro- 

 perties of the rest of the family, have never, so 

 far as we are aware of, been used as an article 

 of food. The young leaves are used in mixed 

 salads as a substitute for young onions, and by 

 many are preferred, being milder in flavour. 

 They are used in a young tender state ; and, to 

 keep up a succession during spring, summer, 

 and autumn, the plants are repeatedly cut over, 

 whether the leaves are required or not, the in- 

 tention being to have them always young. 

 During winter they are obtained from plants 

 taken up in autumn, and potted and kept in a 

 mild temperature, say from 45 to 55. They 

 are very much used in soups, particularly in 

 Scotch families, for seasoning various dishes, 



shred in small pieces, and served up with beef- 

 steaks, being sprinkled over them just as they 

 are taken from the fire. They are next to indis- 

 pensable in omelets, and hence are much more 

 used on the Continent, particularly in Roman 

 Catholic countries, than in Britain. The process 

 of gathering them is to cut them over near the 

 ground, but so as to carry no earthy matter 

 with them, for much of their flavour would be 

 lost by washing. They are then tied up in 

 small bunches, ready for the kitchen. The cir- 

 cumstance of their being gathered in this way, 

 Loudon remarks, has caused them to be spoken 

 of in the plural, Chives. 



Mode of propagation, cultivation, Sfc. — 

 They are propagated by division of the 

 roots either in the spring or autumn. 

 Their roots, growing in bundles, admit of 

 this mode with great facility. They may 

 also be singled out and planted indivi- 

 dually, but this is seldom done. They 

 grow in bunches often 6 or 8 inches in 

 diameter. One of these may be divided 

 into a dozen or more pieces, each of which 

 will, in a few weeks, if planted in spring, 

 form a compact patch. Each patch 

 should stand clear of the other, so that in 

 forming a new bed of them, they should 

 be set a foot or 15 inches asunder. A 

 plantation will last for many years, but it 

 is well to renew them every third or 

 fourth year. All the cultivation they 

 require is to be kept clear of weeds, and 

 the leaves frequently cut over. They will 

 prosper in any ordinary garden ground, 

 and there is only one variety in cultiva- 

 tion. 



The European names are — Ciboulette, or Ci- 

 vette, in French ; der Binsenlauch, or Schnitt- 

 lauch,in German; Bieslook,or Suyprei, in Dutch; 

 Cipoletta maligia in Italian ; Cibollino de Ingla- 

 terra in Spanish ; Cebolinha de Ingalaterra in 

 Portuguese; Graslog in Danish; Luczer-lupny 

 in Polish. 



