Which Lettuce, and Why —3y Adolph Kruhn, ¥s%. 
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MAN WHO HAS NOT YET FOUND THE ONE CERTAIN WAY TO HAVE PERFECT 
LETTUCE FROM FROST TO FROST—SECOND ARTICLE IN “WHICH AND WHY” SERIES 
grown 
AS 1 
Crisphead type, so called because of strong, incurving midrib, 
giving appearance of a cabbage. Heat resisting. (Icebere) 
Y HEART goes out to the poor 
home gardener who is con- 
fronted by the necessity of 
selecting varieties of lettuce 
from the pages of the average seed cata- 
logue; presuming even that he knows 
his needs and starts out to read des- 
criptions which, he expects, will 
point out to him the sorts that may 
fill his requirements. He finds that 
practically all sorts are of “pleasing” 
green color, form “solid” heads 
quickly, are of “delicate” flavor, etc., 
etc. Finally he stops in disgust and 
either plants what he always did or 
lets his neighbor tell him what he 
ought to do—pboth undesirable 
courses. 
And yet, a thorough analysis re- 
veals the fact that the list of really 
dependable sorts of lettuces for the 
home garden has undergone fewer 
changes during the last ten years than 
almost any other class of vegetable. Of 
course, there is the usual quota of new 
sorts; there are also varieties which ten 
years ago were novelties and which may 
now. be considered dependable stand- 
ards. But, everything considered, the 
best lettuces of ten years ago are still 
among the leaders of to-day—carefully 
hidden in most catalogues among a 
maze of more or less worthless sorts to 
which the seed world clings for reasons 
of its own. 
"a a 
Early Butterhead type (Wayahead). This is the kind of lettuce for the 
connoisseur who wants quality first 
Cos or Romaine type. 
folded leaves of markedly strong flavor 
Although lettuce, in common 
with all other growing things, 
has certain soil preferences, yet 
it thrives on quite a large va- 
riety of soils so that it can be 
successfully almost 
anywhere in this 
country. These fac- 
tors determine which 
sorts it is wise to 
grow: (1) The soil 
available, (2) the cli- ~ 
mate, and (3) the 
amount of work you 
are willing to do. I 
don’t know but that I 
should name the last 
factor first, and I 
would, were it not for 
79 
Upright habit, with stiff, tightly 
the fact that it might “scare” some of 
our good “gardeners” before the start. 
Loose-leaf type. Early, but does not form a “head” and is best 
used for garnishing. (Grand Rapids) 
DEFECTS OF “IDEAL”’ SOIL 
The ideal soil for growing perfect 
lettuce of any kind is a deep, mcllow 
loam, well enriched with plenty of 
manure, a soil that will hold plenty of 
moisture, warm up quickly in the spring 
and release a maximum amount of plant 
food in the shortest possible time. Not 
one out of ten home gardeners has such 
soil! But that need not discourage 
them. Part of the trials, results of 
Which are recorded here, were con- 
ducted on just such soil and here is 
what I found: 
The ideal soil too strongly shows 
up the deficiencies of each sort; it 
would cause the average gardener to 
condemn otherwise good sorts and, - 
above all, it will not give him a true 
idea of real flavor in lettuce. For 
there is some difference in flavor of the 
various sorts, other opinions notwith- 
standing. 
The “standing” quality of lettuce 
grown on ideal soil is very much in- 
ferior to that of the same sorts grown 
on poor clay. Nor are the heads as 
solid (especially the summer sorts and 
crispheads) and the flavor is uniformly 
milder, sometimes even ‘flat.”’ There- 
fore, be satisfied with whatever soil you 
have and select from among the fifteen 
leaders named in this article the sorts 
that will serve you. Thorough cultiva- 
tion will offset the shortcomings of any 
soil in connection with lettuce. 
On the other hand, don’t attempt to 
Summer Butterhead type. Makes a solid head and has rich flavor with tender texture. 
(All Seasons) 
