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THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



I. Winter Varieties of Cos Lettuce 



Green Winter Cos Lettuce. 



Wi7iter 



Leaves 

 twisted 



Green Winter Cos Lettuce {Black-seeded). — Leaves of young 

 plant smooth, dark green, rather flat and rounded, but narrowed 

 towards the end ; margin entire, with the exception of a few teeth 



on the lower third part. Full-grown 

 plant compact, with the leaves closely 

 pressed against one another, erect, and 

 slightly turned back at the ends ; blade 

 of the leaf shortly spathulate or oval, 

 smooth, and of a very light green colour, 

 with a glazed appearance; veins numerous 

 and very distinctly marked. The head 

 forms of itself without being tied up ; 

 it is not tall, but is firm, compact, and 

 very solid. This is a very old and very 

 excellent variety; it is very little affected 

 by frosty weather, and yields a heavy 

 crop for the moderate size of the 

 plants. 



The English Hardy White 

 Cos is only a paler-coloured sub-variety of this kind. 



Royal Green Winter Cos Lettuce {Black-seeded).- 

 of young plant shortly spathulate, slightly crimped and 

 towards the base, rather deeply toothed on the lower two-thirds 

 of the margin, and a uniform dark green. Full-grown plant 

 vigorous, with light green shining leaves, oblong, slightly crimped, 

 somewhat turned back at the 

 edges, until the head begins to 

 form, when they turn the other 

 way, becoming spoon-shaped as 

 they overlap one another; head 

 rather tall, solid, and blanching 

 without being tied up. This 

 variety is chiefly distinguished 

 from the preceding one by the 

 rosette which it forms before 

 heading being less spreading, 

 stiffer, and of a paler and more 

 glistening green colour. 



Red Winter Cos Lettuce „ , ^ ^ , 



/E)7 z. J j\ ^7 1 ^ Royal Green Winter Cos Lettuce. 



{Black-seeded). — Young plant 



deeply tinged with brown red ; leaves spathulate, flat, smooth, and 

 slightly toothed at the base. Head of full-grown plant tall, long, 

 entirely green with the exception of a brown-red tinge on the top ; 

 outer leaves long, rounded at the ends, very entire, nearly flat, and 



