September 7, 191S 



II R T I C U L T U E E 



243 



Vegetabie Culture 



Questions by our readers i;, line witli any of tlie toiucs presented 

 on tliis page wiii be cord illy received and promptly answered 

 bv Mr. Johnson. Sucli coimuunications sliould invariably be ad- 

 dressed to the office of H( IKTICULTURE. 



CONDCCTEll nV 



A-^i>-^ 



Winter Lettuce 



Chief among salads and not \\ i thout value as a cooked 

 vegetable, lettuce is always in gie.at demand. It must 

 be at once admitted that in private gardens especially 

 a winter supply is provided for in various ways. What- 

 ever the method, however, plans must now be adopted 

 to meet the demand or to insure, if necessary, a con- 

 stant supply. In some gardens lettuces from Septem- 

 ber and October sowings are grown to stand the winter 

 in cold frames and turn in early the following spring, 

 while the main winter crop is raised from frequent sow- 

 ings in the greenhouse. As to the safe wintering of let- 

 tuce in cold frames, the rule which applies to the win- 

 tering of most pilants under these conditions applies 

 also in the case of lettuce. Do not promote a strong 

 succulent growth in the early stages for after a spell of 

 mild weather a sudden freezing v ould mean havoc to an 

 otherwise thriving crop. It is obvious then that the 

 soil for this purpose should be free from recent manur- 

 ing if the plants are to survive the rigors of winter in 

 cold frames. The cabbage-headed varieties are the 

 most desirable. The most smtaMe vir'etie^ for winter 



forcing are Belmont Forcing. Tennis Ball (white 

 seeded) and Commodore Nutt. The latter, of the Tom 

 Thumb class, is a splendid variety. Grand Rapids, 

 though not a head lettuce is worthy of a place where 

 growing space is limited and is by far the most profit- 

 able 'for market. The chief value of this variety to the 

 private grower is that it may be grown to meet an 

 emergency and to the holder of the small greenhouse it 

 is invaluable. Small but frequent sowings in gentle 

 heat can be made to furnish a continuous supply. If 

 seedlings are pricked off three inches apart each way 

 into flats, when a few inches in height these plants may 

 be cut and used without waste. This, we believe, is the 

 most practical method of raising lettuce at nominal 

 cost during the winter months, as the flats may be 

 made to occupy odd comers in the greenhouse. 



Cauliflower 



The sowing of cabbage and cauliflower seeds during 

 September with a view to -wintering the seedlings in 

 frames and having stock available for early spring plant- 

 ing is a method not generally practiced. The reason 



for this is that quickly maturing varieties sown in heat 

 in early spring may lie nursed along and planted out 

 as soon as weather jiermits, and also that the produce 

 of southern growers may be bought at a reasonable 

 rate in the home market. Gardeners who have a few 

 sash that would otherwise he idle ditring winter would 

 do well to give fall sowings a trial. By making two 

 sowings, the first about the middle of September and a 

 second sowing at the end of the month, it will be found 

 that these sowings result in larger and firmer heads 

 than are obtainable from spring raised plants. Too 

 early sowings are likely to give trouble by producing 

 "Ijuttons." It is therefore better to defer rather than 

 be in undue Jiaste in the matter of fall sowing. Sow 

 the seed thinly on ground not too rich and prick out the 

 seedlings into frames, allowing four inches from plant 

 to plant. The soil should be rather poor, as free growth 

 must not be encouraged, and for similar reasons give 

 the plants all the light and air possible until severe 

 weather sets in, when they will need protection to pre- 

 vent injury from frost. Plants so treated may be trans- 

 ferred to a sheltered position outdoors in the spring or 

 they may be planted in rich soil and brought forward 

 in cold frames. 



Onions 



Main crop onions must be harvested as soon as the 

 crop shows signs of ripening: If left in the ground too 

 long many of the finest lutlbs may be ruined, so that it 

 is really better to get them under cover to finish ripen- 

 ing rather than run the risk of losing some of them 

 from decay. 



Potatoes 



The digging of potatoes should not be postponed when 

 it is Imown the tubers have completed their growth. 

 The heavy rains and hot sun of September together 

 with nights of extreme cold often bring disease into the 

 potato crops and a few days will frequently make a vast 

 difference in the percentage of diseased tubers. The 

 question of ripeness should not be regarded too serious- 

 ly. If the skins are rubbed up a little no great amount 

 of harm is done as new skins are formed in quick time. 

 Choose fine weather for harvesting the crop and try to 

 get all potatoes that are lifted, under cover the same 

 dav. 



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