Lettuce 



January to March, from which time sowings may be made succes- 

 sively in the open ground. In any and every case the finest Lettuces 

 are obtained by sowing in the open ground, and leaving the plants 

 to finish in the seed-bed without being transplanted. It will, of 

 course, occur to the practical cultivator that the two systems may be 

 combined, ^so as to vary the time of turning in, and thus from a 

 single sowing insuring a longer succession than is possible by one 

 system only. We will suppose small sowings made of three or four 

 sorts in January or early in February, and put into a gentle heat to 

 start them. A very little care will keep them going nicely, and of 

 course they must have light and air to any extent commensurate with 

 safety. When about three weeks old, it will be advisable to prick 

 these out into a bed of light rich earth in frames ; or if the season is 

 backward, and they need a little more nursing, prick them into large 

 shallow boxes, containing two or three inches of soil, which will be 

 sufficient provided it consists in great part of decayed manure, kept 

 always moist enough for healthy growing. The next step will be 

 to plant them out six inches apart, with a view to draw a certain 

 number as soon as they are large enough to be useful, leaving the 

 remainder at nine to twelve inches, taking care always to thin out in 

 time to prevent any leaves overlapping. Successive sowings made in 

 February and March will be treated in the same way, and will need 

 less nursing. In planting out, it is important to have the plants well 

 hardened, for they are naturally susceptible of wind and sunshine, 

 and if suddenly exposed to either will be likely to perish. And 

 again, when first planted out their delicate leaves will attract all the 

 slugs and snails in the garden, and the discreet way of acting is to 

 regard a plantation of Lettuce as an extensive vermin trap, and thus, 

 knowing where the marauders are, to be ready to catch and kill, or 

 to destroy them by sprinklings of lime, salt, or soot, in all cases being 

 careful to keep these agents at a reasonable distance from the plants. 

 Sowings in the open ground should be made, not on an ordinary 

 seed-bed, but on a plot loaded with rich manure at one spit deep, 

 and the seed should be put in drills one foot apart and one inch 

 deep. From the time the young plants are two inches high they 

 must be drawn freely for ' Cutting Lettuce,' or for planting out else- 

 where j this thinning to proceed until a sufficient crop remains to 

 finish off on the ground. The value of ' Cutting Lettuce ' is better 

 understood on the Continent than in this country. The small tender 

 plants are in daily use, and appear in the salad bowl with Water 

 Cress and Corn Salad, delicately dressed with delicious flavourings. 



73 



