VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AAD CULTURE. 355 



produce heads, even with the best culture. Lettuce likes 

 a good mellow soil, enriched with well-rotted manure. 

 Good heads will not grow on poor ground. Lettuce may 

 be sown in autumn for six or eight weeks before the hard 

 frosts come on, and transplanted into frames for winter 

 cutting, or, protected with a little straw, it will stand 

 through the winter in the open air and be planted out for 

 heading in early spring. A second sowing should be made 

 at the first opening of spring, and then at intervals until 

 the summer's heat comes on. 



If there has been no fall sowing, a little should be sown 

 the latter part of winter under glass, for which select 

 Early Cabbage. Give it plenty of air, but keep it covered 

 nights and cold days, and as the weather grows mild, 

 leave off the glass altogether a little while before setting- 

 out in the open air. Fall-sown Butter lettuce may also 

 be transplanted under glass at nine inches apart, and the 

 table be kept supplied in this way with fresh heads all 

 winter. Plenty of air must be given them, and they 

 should be covered in freezing weather only. For a fall 

 heading, a crop can be sown at the same time with turnips 

 in a shady situation, which, being transplanted, will give 

 good heads. The fall and summer sowings do much better 

 if thinned to a suitable distance, and allowed to head 

 where they stand, as lettuce plants are impatient of trans- 

 planting in hot weather; but they may be safely moved 

 if shielded by sun shades. 



Lettuce should be sown in drills eight inches apart. An 

 ounce of seed will produce about ten thousand plants. 

 Let the seed be very lightly covered, and if dry weather, 

 press the earth upon it by walking over it on a board, or 

 patting it with the back of the spade. Beds about four 

 feet wide are most convenient. If the lettuce comes up 

 too thickly in the drills it must be thinned, as the plants 



