COS OR ROMAINE LETTUCES 159 



excellent Cos Lettuce, which hearts up quickly and 

 is very extensively grown. 



3. Grise maraichere (syn. Paris Market Cos), a 

 variety highly esteemed for cloche culture in the 

 neighbourhood of Paris. 



4. Verte maraichere (syn. Green Paris Market), a 

 variety not quite so large as the " blonde maraichere " 

 but somewhat earlier, and useful either for cloches or 

 the open air. 



The first sowing of Cos or Romaine Lettuces under 

 cloches may be made at the end of August, without 

 the use of hot-beds. The soil should be deeply dug 

 and well prepared, and afterwards covered with an 

 inch or two of fine mould (old manure and gritty soil 

 passed through a sieve). The surface is made flat 

 and sufficiently firm either by patting with the back 

 of the spade or a piece of board. 



Imprints of a cloche are taken on the surface as 

 many times as there are seed-beds to be sown. The 

 seeds are then sown within the circumference of each, 

 and lightly covered with fine soil, and gently watered. 



Shading. If the sun is too hot, the cloches covering 

 the little seed-beds should be covered with mats to 

 encourage quick germination. When this has taken 

 place, however, the mats must be removed, and if the 

 sun is still too strong a little whiting, chalk, or lime 

 mixed up in water may be smeared over the cloches 

 on the sunny side. The whitening of the cloches is 

 to prevent the young plants from being scorched, and 

 at the same time to allow sufficient light to percolate 

 through the shading so that the leaves shall not turn 

 yellow or become drawn. A little milk, or a piece of 



