A B C OF FLORIDA TRUCKING S3 



southern portion from October until January. It requires 

 an ounce of seed to make about three thousand plants, and 

 it takes from 25,000 to 30,000 plants to set an acre. 



PLANTING. 



Make up the seed beds as directed in Chapter VII, having 

 the rows across the beds six inches apart, and plant not over 

 one-quarter of an inch deep, as the seed should be planted 

 very shallow. Some truckers prefer to sow the seed broad- 

 cast, claiming they get better plants, but if you will sow the 

 seed very thinly in the row you can' make just as good 

 ones ; and where you have them in the rows you can keep 

 the ground stirred, making them grow faster. I prefer to 

 soak lettuce seed over night before planting, then mix with 

 dry sand and sow. This method has two advantages — it 

 not only makes the seed germinate quicker and better, but 

 the ants won't bother seeds that have started to sprout; 

 and any one who has ever tried to raise lettuce in Florida 

 knows that unless something is done to stop them they 

 will carry off the seed as fast as you can put it in the 

 ground, and this is easier said than done. Another method 

 to keep ants from carrying off the seed is to make up the 

 seed beds close to the well, and have ditches all round them, 

 keeping these full of water. In this way you can keep 

 the ants off the beds entirely. Keep the plants growing 

 from the time they come through the ground until you 

 give them the last working in the field. This can be accom- 

 plished in the seed bed by constant working with a small 

 weeder. If the plants turn yellow or get a backset from 

 any cause, mix up a solution of nitrate of soda and water, 

 using one quart of soda to fifty gallons of water, and sprin- 

 kle the plants with this mixture twice a week until they 

 turn green and start to growing. When the plants are 



