LETTUCE. 



107 



the last for the summer ; for if sowed later, it is very rarely that 

 the plants will loave or be good for any thing. This is what every 

 man may do that has ground in sufficient quantity and well-situated ; 

 but the lettuce is a thing which people desire to have very early 

 in the spring, and, if possible, in the winter. To have lettuces to 

 eat in the winter, they must be sowed in August or September, in 

 the natural ground, in the manner before described, and in Novem- 

 ber, before they have been mauled by the frost, they must be 

 taken up without much disturbance of their roots, and put into a 

 pretty good hot-bed made for the purpose, the mould for which 

 ought to be eight inches deep, at the least. They should be wa- 

 tered a little at planting, should stand nine inches apart every way, 

 should be shaded from the sun, if there be sun, for a couple of days, 

 should then have as much air given to them constantly as the wea- 

 ther will permit, should be kept clear from rotten leaves and pu- 

 trified matter of every description, should have a lining to the bed, 

 if the weather require it, should above all things, have as much air 

 as the weather will permit, and should, however, be kept safe from 

 being touched by the frost. If all these things be attended to 

 and if the season be not uncommonly adverse, you may have fine 

 lettuces by the latter end of December, and through the months of 

 January and February, an object the accomplishment of which 

 would be ensured by having a second bed made at the same time, 

 to contain plants a fortnight or three weeks younger. To have let- 

 tuces early in the spring : you sow in August or early in Sep- 

 tember, as before, transplant the lettuces in October into the 

 warmest and best-sheltered spots that you have. In beds about 

 three feet wide with hoops and rods placed over the beds soon 

 enough, in order to cover with mats in severe weather ; or instead 

 of hoops and mats, cover with a glass frame, and in very sharp 

 weather, with mats over that ; but whatever the covering may 

 be, take it off the moment the weather will permit you to do it with 

 safety. There are, indeed, sorts of lettuce that will generally stand 

 the winter without any covering ; in a warm place, and especially 

 on the south side of a wall. But these are the flat sorts that brinof 

 round heads, and are poor, soft, slimy things compared with the 

 coss lettuces ; though even these are better than none. The coss 

 lettuces grow upright, fold in their leaves like a sugar-loaf cabbage, 

 have a crispoess and sweetness which the others have not. If any 

 of these, or indeed of any other sort of lettuce, have stood uncovered 



