LAC 



LAC 



near an inch in \\ idth, the other much narrow- 

 er, duep green on both sides, unspotted, shin- 

 jno-, quite entire, and not rough about tbcedge: 

 the scape round, shining, pale green, unspotted, 

 almost upright, weak; the racenie upright, 

 three inches long, with about twenty f]o\\'ers, 

 somewhat remote, and inodorous : the biactes 

 sessile, concave, acuminate, whitish : the pedi- 

 cels one-flowered, round, almost upright, the 

 length of the bractes at least: petals whitish, 

 the three outer wholly green above the middle, 

 the inner marked there only with a green line. 

 It is a native of the Cape. 



In the third the leaves two, radical, lanceolate, 

 like those of the conimon white lily, thin, not 

 fleshy, dusky-spotted on the U|3per surface : the 

 scape round, like that of the garden hyacinth, 

 scarcely a foot high, dusky-spotted : the flowers 

 alternate : the petals lanceolate, unequal ; the 

 three outer fastened lo the inner ones, which do 

 not at all cohere at the base : the filaments de- 

 clining, inserted into the receptacle: the anthers 

 blood-red : stigma white : the stem is almost 

 comose, with abundance of awl-shaped bractes 

 that spring out below the upper rudiments of 

 the flowers. 



It varies with \t11ow, saffron-coloured, blood- 

 red purple at the lip, and greenish yellow co- 

 rollas ; also in the proportion between the inner 

 and outer petals ; and in the breadth of the 

 leaves. It is a native of the Cape. 



Cidiure. — The^^' plants may be increased by 

 offsets from the bulbs, and by seeds, when they 

 are produced. 



The oflTsets should be planted out in pots of 

 light fresh earth, when the bulbs are in a state of 

 inactivity of growth, placing them in a warm 

 border to be covered with hand glasses, or, what 

 is better, in a dry stove or green-house. 



They bear forcing tolerably, and their flower- 

 ing is much proinoied by being preserved in the 

 warmth of the s.ove. 



They afi'ord vauety among collections of pot- 

 ted bulbous-rooted ilowering plants. 



LACTUCA, a genus containing a plant of the 

 herbaceous annual kind. 



It belongs t'.) tt)e class and order Si/ngenesia 

 Polij gamia ^ juulis , and ranks in the natural 

 order of Compositce Semifloscnlosce. 



The characters are^ that the calyx is common, 

 imbricated, ^vlindric : scales very niany, sharp, 

 membranaceous on the n:argin: the corolla 

 compouii'.i, mibrieated, uniform : corollets her- 

 maphrotiite, very many, equal : proper one-pe- 

 talled, iigulate, truucated, four- or five-toothed : 

 the stannna have five capillary filaments, very 

 short : anther cy'indric, tubular : the pistiilum 

 is a suboyate geiur : style filiform^ length of the 



stamens: stigmas two, reflex : there is no jnri- 

 carpium : calyx converging, ovate-cylindric : the 

 seeds solitary, ov.-ite, acuminate, even, com- 

 pressed: down capillary, on a long stipe attenu- 

 ated below : the receptacle naked." 



The species is L. saliva, Common Garden 

 Lettuce. 



It has the leaves large, milky, frequently 

 wrinkled, usually pale green, but varving much 

 in colour, form, &c. in the difierent varieties : 

 the stem strong, round, two feet or three quar- 

 ters of a yard in height, bearing abundance of 

 small yellow flowers. Its native place is un- 

 known ; and it is not improbable but that it 

 may be improved by cultivation from one of the 

 wild sorts. 



There are several varieties cultivated: the prin- 

 cipal of which are, of the Cabbage Lettuce 

 kind, thtj Hardy Green, White Ilouev, Great 

 Admirable White, Biown Dutch, Small Early, 

 White Ball, Green Ball ; and of the Coss Let- 

 tuce kind, the Green Coss, White Coss, Eirvp- 

 tian Coss, Spotted Coss, Black Coss, Br"own 

 Cilicia, Green Cilicia, Red Capuchin, Green 

 Capuchin, Large Imperial, the Roman, the 

 Prince: but the three or four first of the dif- 

 ferent sorts are the most valuable, and it is of 

 much consequence to have the best kinds. 



Culttire. — This species, and all the varieties, 

 are raised by sowing the seed annually, at dif- 

 ferent times, as in February and the three fol- 

 lowing months, for the summer supply of 

 plants; and in August and the.foUowing month, 

 for the autumn, winter, and very early spring 

 supplies. 



These diflTerent sowings should be performed 

 upon beds of fine light dry earth, in an open 

 situation, and exposed to the sun. Some of 

 the late sowings may be made under hand 

 glasses, or in frames or boxes, in order to have the 

 young plants protected from frosts. Each of the 

 varieties or sorts should be sown separately, and 

 distinct from the otiiers, and be slightly raked in. 



It is s;)metimes the practice to sow them 

 among other low growing crops, such as ra- 

 dishes, spinach, onions, &c. to save s;round ; 

 but this should always be avoided as nuich as 

 jMssible, as a very small portion of land is suf- 

 iicient for raising large supplies of plants. 



For the very early spiing use, as open Let- 

 tuces, the early white cabbage sorts are the most 

 proper ; but for the main crops, to remain for 

 full growth, the principal sorts of the Coss and 

 Cabliage kinds must be employed. 



When the plants appear, they most be kept 

 perfectly free iVoni weeds, and properly thinned. 

 As they attain a proper growth, as three or four 

 inches in height, some of the diflTerent sons 



