208 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
of much consequence if no steps whatever have been taken towards 
securing a supply of salading for the winter season. Exception 
must, however, be made to beetroot, which is quite indispensable, 
and must be raised from seed sown some time in May. The most 
useful of the winter saladings are lettuce and endive, for from these 
and a few slices of beet-root, a first-class salad may be prepared ; 
and special attention should, in consequence, be directed to securing 
the needful supplies. Chicory and dandelion are both useful, as it 
is quite an easy matter to obtain a plentiful supply, and the leaves, 
when nicely blanched, give the salad a peculiarly elegant appear- 
ance; but the slight bitterness characteristic of these things is not 
liked by some people, and, provided there is no scarcity of lettuce 
and endive, they may be both dispensed with. 
Lerruce is undoubtedly the most valuable of all the saladings, 
for with a little management, a good supply may be had throughout 
the winter. A multiplicity of sorts is not desirable, for they only 
perplex the cultivator, and add materially to the labour. Four sorts 
will be quite sufficient, namely : Hick’s Hardy Green Cos and Victoria 
Cabbage, for the first two sowings, and Brown Bath Cos and Hammer- 
smith Cabbage for the last sowing. To secure a good supply from 
October to the month of April, three sowings will be necessary, and 
these should be made on July 15th, August 15th, and September 
15th, or thereabouts. It will not be of much consequence if the 
sowings are made a few days before or after the dates here given, 
with the exception of that in September, which may be a few days 
earlier, but it must not be later, or the season will be too far 
advanced for them to attain their proper size. The produce of the 
first sowing will come into use by the end of September, and, with 
the aid of cold frames, may be had in perfection until quite the 
end of November. Protection the lettuce must have, for they will 
have solid hearts and suffer considerably from exposure to the 
autumn frosts and rains. They should be lifted carefully, with 
moderate balls of soil, and be replanted in a cold frame. The 
second sowing should be made in a small bed, and the plants be 
put out as soon as they become large enough to be moved with safety. 
In planting lettuces from the seed bed, put the largest in an open 
quarter, the second size on a south border, and the third size in a 
double line at the foot of a south wall. The largest plants must be 
lifted early in October, and put in frames as already advised. The 
second size must have frames of some kind put over them as soon 
as protection becomes necessary, and they must therefore be arranged 
in beds of a convenient size, to receive the frame. Those of the 
third size can be readily protected from frost and wet by means of a 
broad board placed over them, in a sloping direction, with the upper 
edge resting against the wall. The plants raised from the last 
sowing should, some time in October, be planted under hand- 
glasses, or in cold frames. They will not attain a very large size; 
nevertheless, they will be most useful for yielding a supply from 
February onwards. A portion of the plants may be put out on a 
south border, with a chance of their standing the winter. If they 
are uninjured, they will be exceedingly valuable for forming a 
