LAC 



pert: p. Jl'nder Jlyk^ crczvned hy tv:o rejlexed fiigmas^ r.nd 

 afteyjcard lecones one cllong pcintedfecd^ ircv:ned ix;ith 

 a ftngle dcivn-i fitting in the fcaly empalenient. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 

 Linnreus's ninetecnthclafs, intitled Syngcnefia Polyga- 

 mia asqualis, which includes thofe plants whofc flowers 

 are compofed of all hermaphrodite, or fruitful florets, 

 and have their ftamina and,ftyle connefted. 

 It would be befide my purpofe to mention in this 

 place the feveral forts of Lettuce that are to be found 

 in botanic writers, many of which are plants of little 

 ufe, and are never cultivated but in botanic gardens ^ 

 for variety ; fome of them are found wild in many 

 parts of England. I fliall therefore pafs over thofe, 

 and only mention the feveral varieties which are cul- 

 tivated in the kitchen-garden for ufe : i. Common or 

 Garden Lettuce. 2. Cabbage Lettuce. 3. CiliciaLet- 

 tuce. 4. Dutch Brown Lettuce. 5. Aleppo Lettuce. 

 6. Imperial Lettuce, 7. Green Capuchin Lettuce. 

 8. Verfailles, or Upright White Cos Lettuce. 9. Black 

 Cos. TO. Red Canuchin Lettuce. 11. Roman Let- 



tuce. 



10. Red Capuchin Lettuce. 

 12. Prince Lettuce. 13. Royal Lettuce. 14 



Egyptian Cos Lettuce. 



The firft of thefe forts is commonly fown for cutting 

 very young, to mix with other fmall fallad herbs, and 

 is only difl-erent from the fccond fort, in being a de- 

 generacy therefrom, or otherwife the fecond is an im- 

 provement by frequent cultivation from the firft > for 

 if the feeds are faved from fuch plants of the fecond 

 fort as did not cabbage clofely, the plants produced 

 from that feed will degenerate to the firft fort, which 

 is by the gardeners called Lapped Lettuce, to diftin- 

 guifli it from the other, which they call Cabbage Let- 

 tuce. The feeds of the firft, which are commonly 



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a crop, it will be advifeable to plant a few upon a bed 

 pretty clofe together, v/here they may be arched over 

 with hoops, and in fevere frofts they fliould be co- 

 vered with mats and ftraw, or Peas-haulm, to fccure 

 them from being deftroyed ■, and in the fprino- of the 

 year they may be tranfplanred out into a warm rich 

 foil, at the diftancc before-mentioned j but iiill tho^'e 

 which grew under the wall, if they efcaped the win- 

 ter, and were fuff^ered to remain, will cabbaf^e Iboncr 

 than thofe which are removed again y but you mult ob- 

 ferve not to place them too clofe to the wall, which 

 would occafion their growing up tall, and prevent 

 their being large or hard. 



In order to fave good feeds of this kind, vou fhould 

 look over your Lettuces when they are in perfeftion 

 and fuch of them as are very hard, and grow low' 

 fliould have fticks thruft into the ground, by the fides 

 of as many of them as you intend for feed, to mark 

 them from the reft -, and you ftiould carefully pull up 

 all the reft from amongft them as foon as they beo-in 

 to run up, if any happen to be left, left when they are 

 run up to flower, they Ihould, by the intermixino- 

 their farina v/ith the good ones, degenerate the feeds! 

 It may be fome perfons may object, that fuppofi 

 fome bad ones fliould happen to be left amoncr them 

 (for feeds to fow for fmall fallads,) yet the good ones 

 being marked, the feeds need not be mixed, and fo no 

 danger can enfue from thence j but notv/ithftandin 



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or 



ever fo much care be taken to keep the feeds fepa- 

 rate, yet, whether from the intermixing of the farina 

 during the time of their being in flower, or what other 

 caufe, I cannot fay, but it hath been frequently ob- 

 ferved, that where good and bad plants have been left 

 for feed upon the fame fpot, the feeds of the good plants 



faved from any of the plants, without having regard J which were carefully faved feparately, have very muck 



to their goodnefs, are generally fold at a very cheap] -^ degenerated, and provedworfethanfuch as hav^efceded 



rate (efpecially in dry feafons, when thefe plants al- I by themfelves. The feeds ft)ould always be faved 



ways produce the greateft quantity of feeds,) though I either from thofe which ftood through the winter, or 



fometimes this feed is fold in the feed-lhops, and by | thofe which were fown early in the fpring, for the 



perfons' who make a trade of felling feeds, for the I late ones very feldom perfed their feeds. 



Cabbage Lettuce, which is often the occafion of peo- 

 ples being difappointed in their crop ; fo that this fort 

 fhould never be cultivated but to be cut up very 

 young, for which purpofe this is the only good fort. 



The Cilicia, Imperial, Royal, Black, White, and Up- 

 right Cos Lettuces may be fown at thefollowing times ; 

 the firft feafon for fowing thefe feeds ts at the latter 

 end of February, or the beginning of March, upon a 



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and maybe fown any time of the year, obferving only I moderate hot-bed, or on a warm light foil in a llieK 



in hot weather to fow it in fhady borders ; and in the J tered fituation j and when the plants are comt Op. 



fpring and autuoin upon warm borders, but in win- and are fit to tranfplant, thofe which were fown on 

 ter it fhould be fown under glaflis, otherwife it is fub- I . the hot-bed ftiould be planted on another warm bed 

 jcft to be deftrd^ed by fevere frofts. J , about four inches afunder, row from row, and two 



The Cabbage Lettuce may alfo be fown at different { inches diftance in the rows, obferving to fliade them 

 times of the year, in order to have a continuation of 

 it through the whole leafon. 



The firft crop is gene- 

 rally fown in P'ebruary, which ftiould be upon a 



- warm fpot of ground, and when the plants are come 

 up, they ftiould be thinned out to the diftance of ten 

 inches each way, which may be done by hoeing them 

 out, as is praflifed for Turneps, Carrots, Onions, &c. 

 provided you have no occafion for the fuperfluous 



. plants, otherwife they may be drawn up, and tranf- 

 planted into another fpot of good ground at the fame 



- diftance, which, 'if done before the plants are too 

 large, they will fucceed very well, though they will 

 not be fo large as thofe which are left upon the 



^ fpot where they were fown, but they will come fome- 

 what later, which will be of fervice where people do 

 not continue fowing every fortnight or three weeks in 



• ^fummer. . ^ " ^ 



-You muft alfo obferve in fowing the fucceeding crops, 

 as the feafon advances, to chufe a ftiady moift fitu- 

 ation, but not under the drip of trees, otherwife, in 



. the heat of fummer they will run up to feed before 

 they cabbage. In the beginning of Auguft you ftiould 

 fow the laft crop, which is to ftand over winter ; 

 the feeds ftiould be fown thin upon a good light foil, 

 in a warm fituation, and when the plants are come 

 up they muft be hoed out, fo as they may ftand fingly, 

 and cut down all the weeds to clear them. In the be- 

 ginning of October they fliould be tranfplanted into 

 warm borders, where, if the winter is not very fevere, 

 they will ftand very well j but in order to be fure of 



from the fun till they have taken new root ; after 

 which they ftiould have a larger fliare of air ad- 

 mitted to them daily, to prevent their drawing up 

 v/eak ; but if the feafon proves favourable, they 

 ftiould be tranfplanted the beginning of April to 

 the place where they are to remain, allowing them 

 fixteen inches room every way, for thefe large forts 

 muft not be planted too near each other \ thofe which 

 were fown in the full groundwill be later before they' 

 come up, fo fliould be either hoed out, or tranf- 

 planted into another fpot of ground (as was directed 

 tor thofe fown on the hot-bed allowing them as 

 much room) efpecially if the foil be good ', after 

 they have taken new root, you muft carefully keep 

 them clear from weeds, which is the only culture 

 they will require, except the Black Cos Lettuce, 

 which fiiould be tied up when they are full grown (in 

 the manner as was direfted for blanching of Endive,) 

 to whiten their irmer leaves, and render them crifp, 

 otherwife they are feldom good for much, rarely cab- 

 baging without this afliftance. 

 When your Lettuces are in perfection, you fnould 

 look over them, and mark as teany of the beft of them 

 as you intend for feed (in the fame tnanner as was 

 before directed for the common Cabbage Lettuce,) 

 being very careful not to fuffer any ordinary ones to 

 feed amongft them, as was before obfervcd, which 



would prove more injurious to thefe forts than to t!ic 

 common, as being more inclinable tq degcnarare with 



us, if they arc not carefully faved. 



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