CHAPTER XXIII. 

 LETTUCE. 



CABBAGE LETTUCE. Lactuca capitata. 



French laitues pommees; German, kopfsalat; Dutch, kropsalad; Italian, 

 lattuga a cappucio ; Spanish, lechuga acogollada ; Portuguese, alface repolhada. 



Cos LETTUCE. Idem. 



French, laitues romaines ; German, bind-salat; Dutch, roomsche latouw ; 

 Italian, lattuga romana; Spanish, lechuga romana; Portuguese, alface romana. 



Lettuce is emphatically a perfectly satisfactory garden plant in 

 California. It is unaffected by the ordinary winter temperatures of 

 our valleys and foothills, and it endures the heat, if moisture is ade- 

 quate, with only slight protection from the burning sun. It withers 

 and dies or it becomes tough and worthless, in the face of drought, 

 it is true, but any gardener who does not arrange better for its 

 growth does not deserve to enjoy its refreshing crispness. Who- 

 ever will provide the simplest arrangement to relieve its roots from 

 cold, standing water in winter, or who will 'keep its roots moist and 

 afford slight shade for its tender leaves from the interior heat in 

 summer, need never miss a day of lettuce-gathering. And even 

 these slight aids from the grower are not needed everywhere. In 

 regions naturally moderate, both in moisture and heat, and with a 

 few weeks of watering in midsummer, succession of lettuce is un- 

 broken throughout the year on any good garden soil which is well 

 cultivated. There is little lettuce forcing in California and, of course, 

 with such natural conditions, there is small need of any, and yet 

 during recent years, owing to the constant demand for lettuce all 

 the year, because of the increased importance of salads in the menu, 

 there has arisen new opportunity for forcing and shipment of lettuce 

 considerable distances by rail has advanced notably during the last 

 decade. In central California cities during the season of heaviest 

 rains it is hard to get bright, clean lettuces from local market gar- 

 dens, and much is brought from the Los Angeles district where there 

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