t.

==SHALLOT==

==Allium ascalonicum==

The old-fashioned mode of culture is to plant on the shortest, and lift
the crop on the longest, day; but that is only applicable to the milder
parts of the country. As a rule, spring is the best time for planting,
and it should be done as early as the ground can be got into working
order--certainly not later than the middle of April. The soil should be
in a friable condition, and it must be trodden firmly, after the manner
usual for an Onion bed. Merely press the bulbs into the soil to keep
them in position, and put them in rows one foot apart, and nine inches
apart in the rows. They should not be earthed up, but, on the contrary,
when approaching maturity the soil should be drawn away so as to expose
the bulbs, for this facilitates the ripening process.

To store the roots for any length of time it will be necessary to have
them well ripened, and this point demands consideration. If dry weather
could be insured for harvesting the crop, it might be allowed to finish
in the ground; but as this cannot be relied on, it is a wise precaution
to lift the crop on some suitable opportunity before it is quite ready,
and allow the ripening to be completed in a protected airy place.

==SPINACH==

==Spinacia oleracea==

Spinach plays an important part in the economy of the dinner table.
There are unfortunate beings who cannot eat it, for they describe it as
bitter, sooty, and nauseous. Probably an equal number of persons
entertain a very high opinion as to its value. The rest of mankind
proclaim it a wholesome, savoury, and acceptable vegetable. Spinach will
grow anywhere and anyhow; but some little management is needed to keep
up a constant supply of large, dark green leaves, that when properly
cooked will be rich in flavour as the result of good cultivation. To
produce first-class Spinach a well-tilled rich loam is needed, but a
capital sample may be grown on clay that has been some time in
cultivation.

==Summer Spinach.==--The early sowings of Round or Summer Spinach should
be in a sheltered situation, but not directly shaded. Sow in drills
twelve to fifteen inches apart, and one inch deep, beginning in January,
although the first sowing may fail, and continue to sow about every
fortnight until the middle of May. The earliest sowing should be on dry
ground, but the later sowings will do well on damp soil with a little
shade from the midday sun. It is important to thin th