Vegetable Growin: 



By Various Authorities. 



LETTUCE GROWING. 



In head lettuce two points are of great importance : 

 firmness of the head and blanching of the leaves. The 

 head must be large and the formation of the leaves 

 composing it as tight and hard as that of good cab- 

 bage. Next to the compactness of the head the leaves 

 forming the latter must be tender, crisp and well 

 blanched. The entire head should have a golden hue, 

 a sort of butter color, the ends uf the leaves tipped 

 with delicate pale green. 



The seed for spring lettuce is sown in hotbeds or 

 greenhouses in February. The rows may be two or 

 three inches apart and the seed should be sown spar- 

 ingly to avoid crowding of the ^-oung plants. For 

 seedbeds two-thirds of good garden soil, finely pul- 

 verized, and one-third of fine well-rotted manure are 

 an ideal combination. If the plants appear over the 

 ground they should be thinned out to the strongest. 

 Frequent w-aterings, which keep the seedbed always 

 moist, are very essential. If the plants have formed 

 two good-sized leaves they may be transplanted into 

 the open in March, being set from 10 to 12 inches 

 apart each way. 



Fine lettuce requires the richest kind of soil. Twen- 

 ty tons of well-rotted manure to the acre are enough, 

 but more is better. The beds are made on a slight ele- 

 vation ; the manure should be well worked into the 

 soil and must be fine, well pulverized and moist be- 

 fore the plants are set out. The beds should be con- 

 stantly worked and kept free of weeds, and if the rain- 

 fall is not sufficient they should be watered. Lettuce 

 to grow fast needs water and plenty of it. 



Next in importance and far supreior to the cabbage 

 varieties are the Cos lettuces, commercially known as 

 '"romaine." They are distinguished from the cabbage 

 varieties by the shape of their leaves, which are elongated 

 and almost always spoon-shaped ; the midrib is unusuallv 

 large and if well blanched forms a tender and thick 

 chard. They are grown the same way as common 

 lettuce, but as they do not form naturally a firm and 

 compact head the leaves have to be tied together in 

 order to blanch the inner ones. This is done about 

 three weeks before the heads are fully matured. Care 

 should be taken not to tie too tightly, for allowance 

 for three weeks' more growth must be made. 



Romaine lettuces are of oblong form and therefore 

 do not require so much room as head lettuce; this 

 makes them especially valuable for forcing under glass. 

 They can be set out six inches apart and will make 

 good growth at that distance. 



They are grown outdoors in the spring and fall. 

 The best sort for spring planting is the Paris White 

 Cos. This variety forms a long, tall head rounded on 

 top. The leaves forming the head are folded and of 

 a pale green color, with large white midribs. They 

 need a very rich soil and plenty of water. If grown 

 well they attain a very large size. 



For fall planting Green Winter Cos can be recom- 

 mended. "This variet}' forms heads not so large as 

 the Paris Wliite, but if properly tied makes a ver\' 

 solid head. Light frost affects this sort very little and 

 if given slight protection it can be left outdoors until 

 the middle of Decemljer. 



The flavor of this lettuce is far superior to that of 

 the ordinary kind, and the long, spoon-shaped, white- 

 ribbed leaves make a beautiful showing if served prop- 

 erly. 



Another variety is endive. This is a late fall and 

 early winter letttice, as it runs to seed easily in the 

 summer months. The seed is sown in the early fall in 

 the open ground, and when the plants have from seven 

 to eight leaves they are transplanted. As some varie- 

 ties grow very large they should be set out from 12 to 

 16 inches apart, in rich, well-manured soil. Constant 

 working of the soil and frequent watering will push 

 them forward rapidly. They form no head, but a dense 

 rosette, and their quality is judged by the compact 

 denseness of the rosette and the blanching. They are 

 worthless if poorly blanched. The blanching is done 

 a few weeks before they are gathered. If nearly full 

 grown the leaves are all tied up together so as to pro- 

 tect the heart of the plant from the action of the sun- 

 light. The plants are allowed to stand where they 

 grow, but thej^ must be well watered. Endive treated 

 in this way will be fit for the table in about 20 days. 

 If protected by marsh hay the plants will continue to 

 grow in temperate latitudes until the middle of De- 

 cember. The best variety is Green Curled Winter. If 

 full grown it forms a rosette that is from 12 to 18 

 inches across, the leaves being very much curled. — 

 Countrv Gentleman. 



BRUSSELLS SPROUTS. • 



The growing of Brussells sprouts and cabbage are 

 practically the same while in the young stage of 

 growth. Seed should be sown in a greenhouse or hot- 

 bed any time in March (according to your facilities or 

 local conditions.) Before the second leaf is made the 

 young plants should be transplanted into flats filled 

 with at least 3 inches of good soil and spaced 3 inches 

 apart. The plants should not be allowed to starve in 

 these flats, but should be planted out in the open 

 ground as soon as the soil and weather conditions will 

 permit. Brussells sprouts should never at any time be 

 crowded. The^- require good rich soil with plenty of 

 humus, and like cabbage, will stand plenty of manure. 

 Planted in a garden they should be set 3 feet apart in 

 the row and 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet between rows ; 

 plant diagonally. When plants are set the soil should 

 be trod firmly around the plant with your feet, so as 

 to get a compact growth. Do not let them suft'er for 

 want of water and keep all weeds cleaned out, and 

 give them constant cultivation. Of course, j^ou will 

 have to keep the cabbage worm off of them, using 

 what remedy you think best; as in case of green fly, if 

 they get in the young sprouts they are troublesome. 

 The beginning of August it gives good results to apply 

 some good concentrated fertilizer every two weeks 

 applied around the plants and raked in. If a storm 

 should knock the plants down it is best to put a stake 

 to the plants and tie them up. 



The trouble is in our State of Wisconsin the grow- 

 ing season is sometimes too short ; if a severe frost 

 comes in September sometimes the sprouts have not 

 developed enough. The plants should then he dug up 

 (leave what dirt will stay on the roots) and heel them 

 in soil either in a cold frame or a vegetable shed so that 

 they get plenty of air in day time and severe frosts 



