274 GARDEN FARMING 



LETTUCE AS A FIELD CROP AT THE NORTH 



The outdoor culture of lettuce is a minor industry in localities 

 north of Baltimore as compared with that in the truck-growing re- 

 gions south of that point. At the North but few extensive areas 

 are devoted to lettuce alone, the almost universal practice being to 

 use it as a catch crop with later maturing plants. For this reason 

 the crop is usually started in hotbeds or frames and transplanted 

 to the field, so that, strictly speaking, the plants are not field prod- 

 ucts but the result of a mixed system of handling. The young 



FIG. 103. Head lettuce in the open field at the North 



plants are sown early enough in frames or hotbeds to allow them 

 to have leaves 2 or 3 inches in length by the time the ground can 

 be worked and it is safe to plant them in the open. 



When lettuce is grown as a field crop, as shown in figure 103, 

 the whole area is given, up to it, and it is often one of a succes- 

 sion of crops such as beans, cabbage, or potatoes. A common 

 method is to grow it as a catch crop between early cabbage, beets, 

 carrots, potatoes, or some other crop which can be planted at the 

 same time but which requires a longer period for its maturity. 

 When grown as a field crop it is planted in hotbeds or cold frames, 



