304 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



to three inches long are the most salable, and a barrel will hold 

 from four to five thousand of them. The price at the factories 

 varies from one dollar to one dollar and a half per thousand, 

 and at these prices the crop is quite profitable. 



Lettuce. This plant is very hardy, and may be sown in 

 the fall and protected with evergreen brush or any light cover- 

 ing. If sown in spring, put the seed in as early as the land 

 can be worked. To grow crisp, tender lettuce, the land must be 

 very rich and in high cultivation. It is a profitable crop to grow 

 under glass for a city market. If you expect large, well de- 

 veloped heads, it must be thinned early, before the plants have 

 become spindled. Thin to a foot in the row for the large 

 varieties. There are many farmers who have never seen or 

 eaten good lettuce, because they allow the plants to be so 

 crowded that they do not develop perfectly. On rich soil, with 

 plenty of room and good culture, any of the large varieties may 

 be grown so that one plant will be sufficient for a meal for a 

 family of ten. 



The varieties are numerous, but a few will be sufficient for 

 the family or market gardener. Among the best kinds are : 

 Early Tennis Ball, Simpson's Early Curled, Early Curled Silesia, 

 Large Drumhead, and Prize Head. The last named is the best 

 summer variety I have ever seen, and the handsomest plant. 

 It is slow to run up to seed and is wonderfully crisp and tender. 



Melons, Musk. The same general directions given for 

 growing cucumbers, will apply to musk-melons. There is no 

 danger of getting the land too rich, or of cultivating too 

 thoroughly. Plant a little wider than for cucumbers. Five feet 

 each way will give over seventeen hundred hills to the acre, and 

 the Nutmeg varieties will usually yield eight or ten melons to 

 the hill, and if they can be sold at an average of two cents each, 

 a good crop will pay a large profit. The greatest trouble with 

 melons of all kinds is to get a stand early enough in the season, 

 as tne striped bug is nearly sure to visit them. 



By constant watchfulness and care and using plenty of seed 

 a stand can be secured. Make the hills rather broad, and ele- 

 vated three or four inches above the level, so that a heavy rain 



