154 VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



be well hardened off before being- planted out; it will, however, 

 stand quite a severe freeze if properly hardened off, and, as in 

 the case with many other crops, the plants may be covered 

 with earth on the approach of hard frost, providing it does 

 not remain over them more than a day or two. In the open 



Fig. 80. Black-seeded Simpson Lettuce. (Typical curly sort.) 



ground, lettuce plants should be set out about twelve inches 

 apart each way. It is frequently grown between rows of early 

 cabbage, cauliflower or other plants where it fills up other- 

 wise unoccupied space and comes off the land long before other 

 crops need the room it occupies. For late use, the seed is 

 often sown in the open ground in drills one foot apart and 

 the plants thinned to the same distance apart. It is custom- 

 ary also in the home garden to sow the seed and then cut off 

 the young plants as soon as they are large enough to use: 

 such lettuce, however, is not nearly so good as head lettuce 

 where the center is white, crisp and tender. It is a far better 

 plan to thin out the young plants so that they stand three or 

 four inches apart in the rows and in cutting continue the 

 thinning process so that the later plants will form good heads. 

 Of course, it is necessary to make successive sowings of let- 

 tuce in order to have it fit for table use over a long season. 

 Like all leaf crops, lettuce needs plenty of rich, easily avail- 



