218 VEGETABLE FORCING 
7 by 9, is a great advantage in facilitating tillage, either 
with a light wheel hoe, narrow rakes or special tools. 
Rot and other diseases are more likely to cause serious 
losses when the plants are set close together, because of 
poorer circulation of air. 
Somewhat more time is required to harvest, trim, wash 
and pack closely set plants from a given area than if they 
were planted at greater distances. A special market, 
however, for small plants may more than justify close 
setting. 
Fig. 73.—Transplanting board used for setting lettuce. Note large pegs. 
Planting.—When a block of lettuce has been cut and 
marketed, the ground should be prepared and replanted at 
once. A delay of only one day, if the plants are ready, 
means some loss. Furthermore, the young plants should 
be transferred to the new beds before they have been 
checked or stunted in growth. Continuous growth from 
germination to harvest is essential to maximum yields of 
the highest quality. 
Some kind of a marker should be used for spacing the 
plants accurately. Fig. 73 shows an inverted marker 
used in a very large establishment. It will be noted that 
there are three rows of pegs, and the pegs are about 2 
inches in diameter. The workmen kneel on the boards 
while they are transplanting, and when the board marker 
is moved the holes are made ready for three more rows of 
