PETER HENDERSON & CO.— INTRODUCTORY. 



& Double CropCatiliflow er <£ I^etttice 



In the vicinity of our large cities there are acres of glass devoted to the forcing or forwarding of 

 lettuce, radishes, etc. The principal crop, however, is lettuce, which is raised during the winter 

 months, either in the old-fashioned hotbeds, heated with stable manure, or else in the more recent 

 greenhouses, heated by hot-water pipes. But by far the largest quantity of early or forced lettuce is 

 grown in the "cold frames."' such as are used for keeping the plants over winter. These are simply 

 two boards set on edge, and placed parallel to one another : the one at the back being about one foot 

 in height, the front one about nine inches— the distance apart being according to the length of the 

 sash, which is usually six feet. These frames are always placed in a position naturally sheltered from 

 the northwest, or else a high board fence is built to shelter them. The soil is pulverized and enriched 

 in the best possible manner, and the lettuce is planted usually (here) about the first week in March, or 

 nearly a month before operations can be begun in the open field. "When the ordinary size of sash 

 (3x6 feet) is used, about fifty lettuce plants are set under each sash, or five rows of ten plants in each, 

 as shown in Fig. 1. But when a double crop of lettuce and cauliflower is grown under the same sash, 

 they are planted (as shown in Fig. 2) with three entire rows of lettuce, and three of the lettuce plants 



1 —SASH OF LETTUCE 



o • • 



• • • 



X . X 



• • • 



• • t 



X . X 



• • 



• « • 



X . X 



• • • 



-LETTUCE AND CAULIFLOWER. 



in the other two rows replaced by cauliflower, the cross (X) showing where the cauliflower plants are 

 placed. Thus planted, each sash contains forty -four plants of lettuce, and six plants of cauliflower. 

 Presuming that both are planted on March 1st, and protected in the usual way with 

 sash, the lettuce will be fit for use, and cut out by about May 1st, leaving the whole space in the frame 

 to be occupied by the six plants of cauliflower, which, at this season, protected by the glass, will now 

 grow so rapidly, that it will be necessary to add to the frames another board in height, so as to give 

 it head-room. With proper attention to airing and watering, an excellent crop of cauliflower is 

 almost certain by the end of May, or about three weeks sooner than it would mature out-doors, t if it 

 matured at all; for all cultivators know how precarious a crop cauliflower is when planted in the open 

 ground in our hot, dry June weather. In England the crop rarely fails, when planted in spring out- 

 doors, for there they get very nearly the conditions of temperature which we give when forwarded 

 under glass in the way above described. . . The advantage of this double crop is apparent. 

 Only six plants of lettuce are lost by the presence of the cauliflower, while three weeks' longer use of 

 the sash matures the cauliflower, which at that season readily sells in New York at from $0.00 to $9.00 

 per dozen, and by averaging the lettuce at $5.00 per 1C0, a moderate estimate for the double crop of 

 lettuce and cauliflower per sash would be $5.00. The variety of lettuce used is the Boston Market, 

 and of cauliflower, the Early Erfurt. Though the new dwarf sort, known as Henderson's Early 

 Snowball, will probably, with its compact growth and short leaves, do even better. 



Peter Henderson in American Agriculturist. 



