Dr Johnson (Diet. in loco) remarks, that the name cibol is frequently used in the Scotch dialect, but that the / is not pronounced. By the term cibo or sybie, however, the Scots mean a young seedling onion of the common kind, gather ed for use before the swelling of the bulb : the true cibol is very little cultivated in Scotland, and is not distinguished by the amnion people.
Chives.
342. The Min' or Cive, (.411iunt Schernoprasum, L.) is a perennial plant, of more humble growth than any of its congeners in the garden. It is a native of Britain, but nut common : it occurs, among other places, in the south of Scotland, on low hills near Hawick ; it is figured in En glish Botany," plate 2441. The bulbs arc very small and flat, and grow connected together in clusters. When gathered for use, they are cut or shorn like tresses, and on this account are generally spoken of in the plural. The young leaves are employed principally as a salad ingre dient in the spring, being accounted milder than scallions. Occasionally the leaves and small bulbs are used together, slipped to the bottom, and thus forming, as it were, se parate little cibols. Sometimes they are added as a sea soning to omelets ; and they are useful for other culinary purposes.
Chives are readily propagated by palling the roots either in autumn or spring, and they will vow in any soil ur situ ation. They should be repeatedly cut during the summer season, the successive leaves produced in this way being more tender. A small bed or border thus managed, will afford a sufficient supply : it will continue productive for three or four years, when a new plantation should be made. Chives are sometimes planted as an edging ; and if they be allowed to grow up, they make a pretty enough ap pearance with their pale purple !lowers in June.
Garlic.
343. Garlic (Alumni sativum, L. ; Ail of the French) is a perennial plant, growing naturally in Sicily, and in the south of France. The leaves are linear, long, and narrow. It has a bulbous root, made up of a dozen or fifteen sub ordinate bulbs, called cloves. It was cultivated in England in t548 ; but had probably been known long before that period, When an entire bulb is planted, it does not fail to throw up a flower-stem in the summer ; but this is not wished. Garlic is therefore propagated by detaching the cloves, and planting them ; and in this way the tendency to flower is less. It may be propagated also by the seed ; but this mode is tedious, three years elapsing before a toler able crop is produced. The soil should be light and dry,
well delved, and broken fine. The sets arc placed lour inches distant from each other in every direction, and be tween two and three inches deep. The smaller the cloves, the more healthy and productive are the plants. They are put in in February or March. About the middle of June the leaves arc tied in knots, to prevent the stronger plants from spindling or running to flower, and to promote the swelling of the bulbs. The crop is taken up in August, when the leaves begin to wither. The roots are tied in bunches, and hung in a dry room for use. Garlic is used in seasoning various kinds of dishes, being in general in troduced only for a short time into the dish while cooking, and withdrawn when a sufficient degree of flavour has been communicated. It is much more employed in French cookery than in ours. An ordinary sized bed commonly fur nishes a sufficient supply for the use of a large family in this country.
Shallot.
344. The 'Shallot Odium ascalonicum, L.) is a perennial plant, a native of the Holy Land, where it was obset red by Hasselquist. Eschalot (or Eschalotte, F.) is the more cor rect denomination, the name being derived from Ascalon, a town in Palestine. In some old books it is styled barren onion, from the circumstance of its seldom sending up a flower stalk. In size and general growth the plant resem bles the chive; but it produces bulbous roots, composed of cloves like garlic. These are used for culinary put poses in the manner or garlic ; but they are milder,• do not coummnicate to the breath the offensive lb% om which gar lic or even raw onions impart.
The culture of shallots is greatly similar to that of garlic; only the offsets at cloves are planted more early, and the crop is somewhat sooner taken up. The smallest and long est cloves form the best sets. being least subject to grow mouldy. A good soil is desirable for them ; but one that has been manured for a former crop is to be preferred ; for in soil newly (lunged the plants are much more apt to be infested with maggots. Air Marshall very properly re commands planting in autumn where the soil is dry, and in spring where it is naturally damp. The severest frosts seem to have no effect in injuring the roots. The crop is taken up, in the end of summer, when the leaves become discoloured ; and the bulbs are hung up in nets in a coot airy place, for use.