LETTUCE Zoi 
be cut in the barrel. Three or four holes are bored in the 
bottom of the barrel for drainage if the packed barrel is 
first immersed in water. A plan followed in a 10-acre 
Ohio range is to take the barrels on a cart (Fig. 55) to 
the beds, where the lettuce is cut, trimmed and packed 
Fig. 79.—A basket of lettuce ready for market. 
with the stems of the plants in the center of the barrel. 
The heads are pressed down gently as the packing pro- 
ceeds, until the barrels are slightly more than full. They 
are then conveyed on the two-barrel cart to the packing 
house, weighed, and burlap covers placed over the lettuce, 
with paper underneath if additional protection is nec- 
essary for shipment during cold weather. The top hoop 
of the barrel is removed before the lettuce is packed, after 
which it is forced down over the burlap and secured with 
a few small nails. The packed barrel is forced under 
water with a special device and held there for about three 
minutes, when it is removed and allowed to drain. 
A large percentage of the Grand Rapids variety is 
marketed in splint baskets (Fig. 79) of 14 quarts capacity. 
These may be bought in 1,000 lots at 3 cents or less apiece. 
From three to six pounds of lettuce can be packed in a 
