CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 



357 



495. Planting. — Soil preparation sliould be thorough. 

 Plants that have been well hardened may be set in the 

 open ground as early as cabbage. When planted alone, 

 they are usually set i foot apart each way, although 14 

 inches gives a better chance for cultivation. Seed is sown 

 in the open from early spring until late fall, and all win- 

 ter in the far South. It is customary to drill in rows 

 about I foot apart and to thin to a foot or less. (See Fig- 

 ure 85.) In home gardens the plants are often thinned 



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FIG. 85. HEAD LETTUCE ON THE LEFT. COS LETTUCE 

 ON THE RIGHT 



at first to about 4 inches and later to i foot. This 

 secures much better lettuce than when the seed is sown 

 in beds, all the plants allowed to grow and the mass of 

 leaves cut when wanted for the table. In the Norfolk 

 region the plants are set 10 x 10 in beds with alleys be- 

 tween. With some protection, as a natural forest or a 

 windbreak of hedges or a tight board fence, the plants 

 usually winter in excellent condition. Lettuce is one of 

 the most popular vegetables for companion cropping. 

 See Chapter XXIII. It is also grown in succession on 



