162 GARDENING FOR PROFIT. 



head of the list, believing it to be most generally useful 

 for all purposes. It is a sub-variety of the Curled Silesia, 

 rather more curled, and having more of a yellow shade of 

 green ; it is the kind winch is planted in cold frames al- 

 most exclusively, and is also largely grown as an early 

 open air variety between the Cabbage crop. This vari- 

 ety, properly speaking, does not head, but forms a compact 

 close mass of leaves. This condition of maturity is at- 

 tained quicker than in varieties that form firm heads, 

 which gives it the great desideratum — earliness. 



Curled Silesia. — A variety extensively sold in all seed- 

 stores, but we believe the preceding to be an improvement 

 upon it. The Curled Silesia is darker green, rather, less 

 curled, and does not mature quite so early as the Simpson. 



Green Winter Lettuce. — This, next to the Brown 

 Dutch, is the hardiest of all varieties, and for that reason 

 it is always largely grown ; many of the other varieties 

 failing in our frames in winter, while this comes through 

 unscathed. It is not much used for forcing, unless when 

 we are obliged to resort to it by having lost the others. 

 "When fully matured, it forms a solid head. 



Tennis Ball. — A favorite forcing variety, and, as the 

 names indicates, forming a hard head ; it makes few outer 

 leaves, and for this reason can be planted quite closely 

 under glass, from 6 to 7 inches apart. It is the variety 

 mainly used in our hot-bed and forcing pits. 



Black-seeded Butter. — A variety similar to the Tennis 

 Ball, but larger in all its parts, forming heads in the open 

 ground often 14 inches in diameter, and averaging fully 

 a pound in weight. We use it extensively as an early out- 

 door variety, and also to some extent in our cold frames. 



