LETTUCE 231 



be cut in the barrel. Three or four holes are bored in the 

 bottom of the barrel for drainage if the packed barrel is 

 first immersed in water. A plan followed in a 10-acre 

 Ohio range is to take the barrels on a cart (Fig. 55) to 

 the beds, where the lettuce is cut, trimmed and packed 



Fig. 79. A basket of lettuce ready for market. 



with the stems of the plants in the center of the barrel. 

 The heads are pressed down gently as the packing pro- 

 ceeds, until the barrels are slightly more than full. They 

 are then conveyed on the two-barrel cart to the packing 

 house, weighed, and burlap covers placed over the lettuce, 

 with paper underneath if additional protection is nec- 

 essary for shipment during cold weather. The top hoop 

 of the barrel is removed before the lettuce is packed, after 

 which it is forced down over the burlap and secured with 

 a few small nails. The packed barrel is forced under 

 water with a special device and held there for about three 

 minutes, when it is removed and allowed to drain. 



A large percentage of the Grand Rapids variety is 

 marketed in splint baskets (Fig. 79) of 14 quarts capacity. 

 These may be bought in 1,000 lots at 3 cents or less apiece. 

 From three to six pounds of lettuce can be packed in a 



