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.