LETTUCE 215 
The rate of growth of the plants should be carefully 
considered when making sowings. For example, the 
seedlings grow much more rapidly in the fall and spring 
than at midwinter. Ordinarily, the plants should not 
stand in the seed bed for a period longer than three weeks. 
In most instances it is better to prick them out in about 
ten days or less, and then they will be in no danger of 
becoming weak and spindling from being crowded, and 
there will be less danger of damping-off. 
It is important to use no more soil than will barely 
cover the seed. Some growers prefer to use no soil over 
the seeds, but to keep them moist with burlap until they 
have germinated and then the covering is promptly re- 
moved. This practice saves time and produces excellent 
results. Others barely cover the seed and are careful to 
maintain uniform moisture conditions in the beds so that 
germination will be uniform. The seed beds dry out very 
rapidly during August and the early fall months, so that 
some shade is usually necessary. 
Many growers sow in solid beds or on raised benches 
without the use of flats. A large number of growers, 
however, employ flats because they find them convenient 
and they believe better plants can be grown in them. If 
the transplanting is attended to promptly, 2,500 to 5,000 
plants may be started in a flat 16 by 24 or 12 by 30 inches 
in size. 
It is doubtful whether lettuce should ever be set closer 
than 2 by 2 inches apart at the first transplanting. At 
some seasons of the year and under the most favorable 
conditions the plants will begin to crowd each other in 
two to three weeks, when they should be transferred to 
the permanent beds. At each sowing and transplanting 
an estimate should be made of the number of plants that 
will be needed to fill the beds and to take the place of 
successive cuttings. It is better to err on the side of 
having too many than too few plants. When there is a 
surplus, the weaker may be discarded. This will count 
