254 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Lettuce continued. 



round, in places where they are procurable. The spring 

 and early summer supply is, perhaps, generally the most 

 important. The most successful method adopted with 

 plants for this crop is to sow in frames about the middle 

 of September, and again in October. The frames should 

 be prepared some time in advance, by having a bed of 

 fermenting material, from 1ft. to 2ft. thick, placed beneath 

 them, and the inside filled up to within 1ft. of the glass. 

 About 6in. of light soil should be laid over the surface, 

 after the manure has been evenly trodden down. Fer- 

 menting material admits of free passage for water, and, 

 consequently, keeps the plants well drained ; its heating 

 properties are not required. Seeds may be sown broad- 

 cast, and the sashes kept on until germination takes place, 

 when air should be freely admitted in fine weather. 

 When the plants are large enough to handle, the weakest 

 should be thinned, so as to leave the others about 2in. 

 apart. But little water will be required during the 

 winter, the object being to induce a hardy and sturdy 

 growth, and prevent damping. This latter is chiefly to 

 be guarded against in winter time, as it frequently causes 

 much injury. Frost should merely be excluded by cover- 

 ings of dry litter, or similar material, and this should be 

 removed by day on all favourable occasions. Growth may 

 be encouraged as the days lengthen, and the plants be 

 gradually inured, and placed outside in February, where 

 they are intended to grow. The state of the weather, 

 and the severity of the season, must be taken into con- 

 sideration, as these may vary each year, and cause special 

 arrangements to be made. 



Lettuces like a rich, rather light, soil, which should 

 be manured deeply down, where the roots are situated. 

 A distance of about 1ft. apart each way allows sufficient 

 space for the plants to develop. If dibbers are used, 

 the holes should be well filled in, either at the time of 

 planting, or afterwards with a hoe. Growers of early 

 Lettuces on a large scale are particular in filling dibber- 

 holes from the south or sunny side, as, although appa- 

 rently a trifling matter, the plants are found to succeed 

 much belter than when the reverse plan is adopted. Fre- 

 quent hoeings in fine weather greatly encourage growth, 

 and also prove beneficial in keeping down weeds and de- 

 stroying slugs, which always prove very destructive to 

 young Lettuces. 



In mild and favourable localities, the foregoing method 

 of winter cultivation and protection is not generally 

 followed ; hardy varieties being selected and grown 

 on south borders outside. When intended for outside 

 culture, they should be sown a month or more earlier 

 than when frames are to be used for winter protection, 

 in order that the plants may be large, and better able 

 to withstand frost and wet. A sheltered border, sloping 

 to the south, should be selected, and none but hardy 

 varieties grown, such as the Hammersmith Hardy Green 

 Cabbage, and Brown or Bath Cos. In many gardens, 

 these varieties are sown about the middle of August, 

 and the plants transferred, during the autumn, to any 

 warm or sheltered positions ; the foot of a south wall 

 being usually one amongst others selected. Cabbage 

 varieties may be placed from 6in. to 9in. apart, and a 

 reserve stock should be kept in the seed-bed for filling 

 up any blanks that occur. If some of the plants from 

 this sowing are placed Gin. apart, on an old hotbed, 

 under glass, and kept protected during winter, they will 

 prove useful in spring, before those grown outside are 



Seed sowing of Lettuces in spring should be commenced 

 in a warm frame about the end of January, or early in 

 February, and be repeated at the end of the latter month 

 for a succession. Small plants thus raised must be 

 pricked out under hand glasses, or on a spent hotbed, 

 until they are sufficiently strong for placing in the open 

 ground. From the middle of March until August it is 



Lettuce continued. 



advisable to make successional sowings, according to 

 requirements, in open borders, at intervals of two or 

 three weeks ; then, if one lot should run to seed quickly, 

 because of hot weather, another will soon be coming on. 

 Timely thinning in the seed-bed is very important, as 

 the plants, if once allowed to draw, never do so well 

 afterwards. Few positions are unsuited for Lettuces in 

 summer, provided they are attended to, by careful 

 planting and watering at first, and there is sufficient 

 light to prevent the leaves drawing up instead of form- 

 ing close hearts. In small plantations, it is preferable 

 to transplant with a trowel in summer time, to pre- 

 vent a severe check being caused by injury to the 

 roots. Advantage should always be taken of cloudy 

 weather, if possible, for the operation. Any of the 

 autumn crops may be lifted before the appearance of 

 frost, and re-planted, rather closely, in any spare frame 

 or house, free from drip, and where frost is merely 

 excluded. By adopting this method of preservation, the 

 season of supply may be considerably prolonged. 



Seed-saving. Where it is desirable to save seed, the 

 finest specimens should be selected for the purpose, such 

 as form good hearts, and do not previously show a dis- 

 position to seed early. Different varieties must be kept 

 isolated, or separated in some way, when in flower, to 

 keep the product true to the original character. The 

 parts which flower, and, consequently, ripen the seeds 

 first, produce the best; and they should be secured in 

 preference to waiting for the ripening of the whole lot. 

 If the branchlets are collected, and laid on a cloth in the 

 sun, when the seeds are in a forward state, the latter soon 

 ripen, and may be rubbed out. Seeds may keep good 

 for three or four years, but they are always considered 

 best the second year, and should be tested before being 

 depended on afterwards. 



Sorts. The names of these are extremely numerous ; 

 but large numbers of supposed sorts, when grown under 

 similar conditions, have been found synonymous, or in- 

 sufficiently distinct to merit their separate names. The 

 following is a list of good varieties in each class; those 

 marked with an asterisk are specially recommended. 



Cabbage Lettuces. *ALL THE YEAR ROUND, ve 

 pact, and of good quality. BROWN DUTCH, much like 

 Dutch, except that the leaves are more brown where exposed ; 

 it forms a good-sized head, which blanches white, and is of ex- 

 cellent quality. *EARLY PARIS MARKET, a valuable early sort, 

 much grown in France. *HAMMERSMITH HARDY GREEN, leaves 

 thick, dark green, wrinkled ; one of the hardiest and most exten- 

 sively grown sorts of this class. LARGE WHITE, heads large, 

 somewhat flattened, withstands hot weather well ; a good sort 

 for summer use. MALTA, heads flat, compact, blanches well ; 

 leaves pale green, somewhat soft. 'NEAPOLITAN, heads large, 

 firm, and crisp, habit dwarf ; a good variety, of excellent quality, 

 considered the best for summer. STANSTEAD PARK, compact, 

 good for autumn sowing, with light protection in winter ; very 

 similar to White Dutch *TENNIS BALL, small sort, forming close 

 hearts, which are white and crisp. TOM THUMB, very compact 

 and of excellent quality ; good for all seasons. * WHITE DUTCH, 

 a hardy sort, which hearts readily ; larger than Hammersmith 

 Hardy Green. 



Cos Lettuces. ALEXANDRA WHITE, of immense size, crisp, fine 

 flavoured. *BROCKET HALL BROWN, hardy, and of excellent 

 flavour ; stands a long time before running to seed. *BROWN OR 

 BATH BLACK-SEEDED, large, hearts well when tied up ; a very 

 hardy variety, the best of all for standing the winter. EARLY 

 GREEN, tolerably hardy variety, smaller but a little earlier than 

 Paris Green. *MooR PARK, large and crisp, hardy, and not liable 

 to run to seed. NUNEHAM PARK, solid and crisp, grows to a large 

 size. *PARIS GREEN, resembles Paris White, except that it is 

 hardier ; the leaves are dark green before being blanched ; an 

 excellent variety, requiring no tying. *PARIS WHITE, large, 

 heart very white, crisp, and excellent ; blanches well without 

 tying ; generally esteemed as the best summer Cos variety in 

 cultivation. SUGARLOAF, good hardy variety for autumn sowing ; 

 requires no tying. 



Injurious Insects. In common with most salad herbs 

 and potherbs, Lettuce suffers from the ravages of many 

 kinds of larvae; and it is also the chosen food of a few 

 insects. The roots are eaten by the larvae of Click 

 Beetles (Wireworms) and of Cockchafers (May Bugs). 



ry hardy, 

 like the 



