The Bulletin. 7 



The soils which may be used may be divided into three classes — 

 light soils, heavy soils {i. e., those containing a goodly amount of 

 clay), and medium soils, of a loamy character. 



Of the light soils it may be said that they warm up early in spring, 

 give early crops and produce lettuce of delicate texture, but the heads 

 are not so firm as those grown on heavier soil. These soils are bene- 

 fited by large applications of stable manure, but after the applica- 

 tions the soils should be rolled or packed so as to render them more 

 firm. Better results will thus be secured. Very light soils will not 

 retain their fertility as well as heavy soils. Plant food is leached 

 from them or carried away, beyond the reach of the plant roots, much 

 more rapidly than in heavier soils. This difficulty can be lessened 

 by incorporating a great deal of vegetable matter in them, either in 

 the form of stable manure or supplied from a crop of cowpeas or some 

 other legTime grown on the soil and plowed under. 



Clay lands, if very heavy, are not ideal for lettuce-growing. They 

 do not warm up rapidly enough, the plants grow slowly, while the 

 leaves become strong and fibrous, but the heads are firm, solid and 

 hard. Soils inclined to be very heavy need large amounts of vege- 

 table matter, quite as much as will be found necessary in light soils. 



All* things considered, the ideal soils for the development of the 

 lettuce crop are those of the nature of sandy loam, resting on a clay 

 subsoil, twelve or fifteen inches below the surface. Soils intermediate 

 in character between the two mentioned above will yield good crops 

 for the early market and at the same time retain their fertility. If 

 properly managed, they will increase in fertility from year to year. 



A soil retentive of moisture and plant food has a more or less im- 

 pervious clay subsoil. ISTo matter how suitable the surface portion, 

 unless there be a firm clay bottom beneath it, the plant food on be- 

 coming soluble is quickly leached out and lost if it is not taken up by 

 the crop. Deep, sandy soils, though quick fti their action if con- 

 stantly irrigated and fed, are nevertheless expensive in fertilizers 

 and irrigation. If one is selecting a soil for lettuce-growing or, in 

 fact, for any truck crop, it is well to look carefully into the nature 

 and position of the subsoil. 



At the Geneva experiment station soils of different compositions 

 were used in growing lettuce in greenhouses. The following is a 

 summary of the results of their work : 



Tests of dififerent soil mixtures for forcing head lettuce have been continued 

 for three winters. A medium clay loam, with various proportions of stable 

 manure and sand, pure sand with manure, and a very light sandy loam with 

 manure, have been tried. The clay loam, with heavy application of stable 

 manure, gave the best results. Light, sandy loam, with hea\T application of 

 stable- manure, was least satisfactory. On pure sand, with a good dressing of 

 stable manure, the lettuce made a vigorous growth, but the heads were less 

 firm and the texture more delicate than with the lettuce which was grown on 

 the clay loam. — Bui. No. I46, Neic York Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. 



