SOLID BEDS VS. BENCHES. 95 
moisture are uniform. This is more especially true of 
the heading varieties. Our own experience has fully 
demonstrated the superiority of solid earth beds over 
benches, for lettuce. We have had good crops in 
benches, but they have required special attention to heat- 
ing and watering, and even then the results are generally 
32. A ground bed, with Grandi Rapids lettuce. 
precarious. If, however, the benches have no bottom heat 
—that is, if there are no heating pipes close under them 
and if the sides are open below—very good results, par- 
ticularly with the loose or non-heading sorts, may be had 
from year to year. The benches, when used, should con- 
tain about six inches of earth. Fig. 32 shows an earth 
bed, about g inches deep, in which we have had ex- 
cellent success with lettuce. 
