The garlic is the strongest of all the bulb family in flavor. It is grown from “cloves,” as the separate sections of the bulb are called, and is planted early. It does not fully mature until the end of the summer or early fall. SHALLOT. Shallot is much like garlic, only it is milder, and is grown in the same way. There is one interesting difference, however, between the two. The “cloves” of the garlic are all encased in one outer skin, those of the shallot grow separately. CIBOULE AND CIVES. The Ciboule or Welsh onion, and Cives, are grown for their leaves which are used for seasoning. The Ciboule is the most like the common onion and grows the same way and requires the same cultivation. Cives grow in dense tufts and are propagated by separating the tufts and planting a section. They are perennial, and make a good border for the garden walk, combining grace and toothsomeness. ONIONS. It pays to grow onions intelligently. They take lots of care, but they repay the time and trouble. You cannot get the best results from onions by beginning now, at the moment you start your garden, to sow your seed. Onions require that you should begin last year, so to speak. The ground should be well plowed in the fall, after having been in use with good tillage all the previous season, and the surface soil must be in super-excellent condition. The onion is practically a surface feeder, and as the seed sprouts slowly, and the baby plants are delicate and slender-rooted, conditions must be absolutely right for a good growth. In fact, no other vegetable crop, grown on a large scale, requires such fine surface soil. Hard or baked soil is sure to give a poor crop. The surface must be kept loose and in good tilth, and low, level land is the best place for your onion patch. When the ground has been plowed, go over it carefully and break up all the clods or lumps, and remove all stones and weeds. Do not use coarse, fresh stable manures, as that leaves the ground too coarse in texture, and moreover increases the probability of weeds, and weeds are death to onions. Only fine, old, well-rotted stable manure may be used, and this must not be plowed under, as it is the surface soil which must be rich. Commercial fertilizers, especially the sorts rich in potash, are of great value in growing onions, and, because of their potash, wood ashes make an excellent top dressing for the onion patch. Keep the soil finely pulverized and you will then have ideal conditions for planting your crop. Next get good seed. Good onions often give poor seed, but cheap seed always means poor onions, so buy the best seed always.