98 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



fungicides is potassium sulphide (liver of sulphur) which 

 may be obtained at any drug- store. This is applied by 

 dissolving about one-half ounce in a gallon of water and spray- 

 ing the plants. It is less conspicuous on the foliage than is the 

 Bordeaux mixture and if used in season is very effective in 

 keeping down most fungous diseases. Whenever a plant is 

 observed to be diseased it should at once be removed and 

 destroyed. "Eternal vigilance is the price of success." 



II. VEGETABLES GROWN IN WINTER. 



In any garden work, and this is specially true of the winter 

 garden, the secret of success is to have something on the ground 

 constantly. It costs but little more to have some plants half 

 grown and ready to take the place of the first crop when mar- 

 keted than it does to devote the whole house to a crop and 

 then wait several weeks for the next to come on. In case of 

 plants not readily handled, "catch crops" may be grown in the 

 interim. 



The most important crops used in winter gardening are: 

 Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes. Besides these 

 staple crops, there are many of minor importance in themselves 

 but which may form important factors in keeping up a succes- 

 sion of crops or in utilizing otherwise waste space. Among 

 these are: Asparagus, bean, cauliflower, cress, parsley, pep- 

 per, etc. 



Lettuce. 



Lettuce is one of the most satisfactory crops for the beginner 

 in greenhouse gardening. It is easily managed; requires a 

 smaller outlay for a suitable house than is necessary for 

 most crops; it is always in demand, and is not a total loss 

 if not marketed within a certain limited time. The plate repre- 

 sents the lettuce house at the Experiment Station as seen in 

 January. The lower bench was at this time devoted to other 

 purposes. It is often used, however, for carrying forward young 

 plants. From three to four months are required for lettuce 

 to attain the best condition for marketing, though with some- 

 what strong bottom heat we have taken off a crop in ten weeks 

 from the time the seed was sown. So in growing lettuce for 



