232 VEGETABLE FORCING 
basket, but some of the markets prefer only three pounds 
in each basket. The basket, after being filled, is wrapped 
with brown paper which protects the lettuce from cold 
weather and keeps it clean. This is considered a very 
satisfactory package. 
Many growers in New York and throughout the New 
England States use bushel boxes for local markets, and 
they are popular packages with both producers and 
dealers. Larger boxes are used sometimes for distant 
shipments. Figure 80 shows trays of fancy head lettuce 
sold in the London market. 
Fig. 80.—Choice head lettuce grown in England. 
Various forms of crates are also used, especially for 
shipping head lettuce. 
Yields and returns.—The yield from a given area that 
is well managed will depend mainly on the time of har- 
vesting each crop. A successful grower of Grand Rapids 
considers 4,500 pounds a good yield for a fall crop from 
a 30 by 200-foot house; 3,000 for winter and 5,000 to 
6,000 for spring. One pound per square foot is a good 
yield. 
The price of lettuce when sold by the dozen heads 
varies from 20 cents to 75 cents, and occasionally more 
