318 SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



moisture and should be dusted if necessary with hellebore 

 to destroy the cabbage worms. 



Late cabbage may be sown in open beds and trans- 

 planted to the fields as late as the middle of June. The 

 early cabbages should be used as soon as ripe or the heads 

 will tend to burst open. 



Carrots. — These may be sown as soon as the soil is in 

 suitable condition in the spring. The earth must be 

 finely pulverized as the seeds germinate slowly. Inas- 

 much as the young plants are somewhat deUcate, they are 

 easily overcome by weeds. 



Perhaps we should mark the carrot rows, which are to be 

 eighteen inches apart, by sowing a few radish seeds in them. 

 These will germinate quickly, breaking the crust over the 

 carrot seeds. Our task after this is simply to thin out the 

 young carrot plants until they stand from three to five 

 inches apart and to cultivate them with the wheel hoe to 

 keep out the weeds and to keep a mulch on the surface of 

 the ground. 



Lettuce. — Few vegetables are appreciated any more 

 in the spring and early summer than fresh, crisp lettuce, 

 and, moreover, it is easily grown. 



The plants may be started in the hotbed and trans- 

 planted into the garden if we wish " to get ahead of the 

 season " ; or the seeds may be sown directly into mellow, 

 rich soil. Frequent cultivation should be given to hasten 

 the growth of the crop. 



Lettuce belongs to that group of plants called " salad 

 crops," and a good salad depends upon the crispness of the 

 material used. It may be sown at intervals of two or three 

 weeks in any space available in the garden until the heat 

 of summer comes on. It may be sown again as a fall crop. 



Onions. — Both the seeds and the sets of these vege- 

 tables may be planted. The latter produce the young, 



