102 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



Preparing the lettuce field. 



All rubbish should be removed from the land before the 

 field is plowed ; debris of any sort is not only annoying, 

 but also liable to interfere in cultivation and to cause 

 considerable loss. The soil should be a friable loam, with 

 little silt or fine sand present. It should be rich, but need 

 not be deep. All plowing and preparation may be shal- 

 low. 



A convenient way to plant in the field is to lay the rows 

 off at proper distances, and then make checks across the 

 rows. A plant is dropped at each check, and afterwards 

 the roots pressed into the ground with a dibber; or the 

 forefinger may be used for this purpose. The soil should 

 be pressed firmly about the plants, and the plants watered 

 thoroughly. 



Cultivation of lettuce. 



If the weather is dry, frequent shallow plowings by hand 

 should be given. In a wet season, the cultivation should 

 be deeper and more thorough, so as to allow the surplus 

 water to drain off rapidly. It is not suflicient merely 

 to keep the weeds down, but the soil must be kept loose 

 and friable all the time. 



Fertilizer. 



The fertilizer ingredients for lettuce should be as follows : 

 ammonia, 6 per cent; available phosphoric acid, 9 per 

 cent; potash, 12 per cent. Use 800 to 1000 pounds or 

 more (some growers use over three tons) to the acre of the 

 above formula. If the land is rich is humus, the amount 



