1869.] THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 353 



more apt to run to seed, it is a good plan to plant from the middle of 

 June till the middle of July on north borders, and to manure, water, and 

 mulch liberally. Another excellent practice is to sow in drills a foot 

 apart, and as soon as they are in rough leaf thin out to 6 inches be- 

 tween the plants ; and finally thin out every other plant, transplant- 

 ing those last removed to make a succession. Making three or four 

 sowings in this manner during the heat of summer is one of the surest 

 ways of keeping up a suj^ply, as they are not so apt to run to seed 

 as transplanted plants. In the heat of summer, on light soils 

 in hot parts, it requires liberal doses of manure and deep trenching 

 to produce fine Lettuce ; while in Scotland, in ordinary seasons, I 

 have seen the very finest Lettuce produced on Celery -ridges planted in 

 June. The great depth of soil afi"orded by the ridge to some extent 

 accounts for this result. 



After the middle of July the sowing of the more tender summer 

 varieties should be discontinued, for they are apt to suffer from damp 

 when the colder and damp nights of autumn set in ; and the finer and 

 more blanched, the more susceptible they are of being injured. 

 Two sowings of the Hardy Brown Cos made about the 12th and 24th 

 of July keep up a supply till December. The earlier of these two 

 sowings will give the last supply from the open ground, and later sow- 

 ings can be lifted and put into frames as soon as there is danger of 

 frost severe enough to injure them. Where there is accommodation, 

 another sowing of the same sort should be put in the first week in 

 August, to be planted in open cold pits or frames, where they can be 

 protected with glass to bring them safely through the winter for early 

 spring supply, for if above a certain size they do not stand with- 

 out protection. Thus there are a lot of plants fit for use in the early 

 part of November, either to be protected where they are grown, or to 

 be carefully lifted with balls and put under the protection of glass if 

 possible ; and a later set to put under glass, to be fit for use from 

 Christmas onwards through the winter. They are as much likely to 

 be injured from a damp stagnant air in frames or pits as from frost. 

 The situation should therefore be open and well exposed, and well aired 

 on every favourable occasion. 



The varieties of Lettuce that are found most acceptable are the Cos 

 varieties. The Cabbage varieties are more apt to be termed frothy by 

 butlers, and I have known them objected to entirely by some salad 

 epicures. The Neapolitan and All -the -Year- Round are, however, 

 excellent Lettuce ; and the Hardy Hammersmith is useful from its 

 hardiness, for if sown in August it stands the winter well and comes 

 in early. The little-known Gothee variety, which makes a compact 

 hard head close to the ground, is fine-flavoured, and stands longer than 



