68 



buist's family kitchen gardener. 



them. They should be planted out as early in Spring as the 

 reason will admit. The varieties of the Cos Lettuce can only 

 be successfully grown by sowing late in September, protecting 

 them in Winter, and transplanting them out eai iy in Spring. 

 The seed should always be sown thinly and evenly, on fresh- 

 dug ground, in very shallow drills, nine inches apart. Rake it 

 smoothly, and if in dry weather, press it gently with the back 

 of the spade. When they have grown an inch high, thin them 

 out to two inches apart. After they begin to touch each other, 

 give another thinning, when they can be transplanted, if re- 

 quired, into other compartments for a crop. • As it is an arti- 

 cle of every-day demand, a few seeds should be sprinkled in 

 with the more permanent crops, such as Beets, Onions, Carrots, 

 &c. Lettuce are impatient of being transplanted during 

 warm weather ; the late Spring sowings and the early Fall sow- 

 ings should therefore be made where they are intended to grow, 

 and thinned out as they advance in growth. I need scarcely 

 add that hoeing deep and frequent is indispensable to secure 

 a good crop. In this vicinity there are hundreds of acres of 

 this crop planted out in October and November, on the south 

 side of deep drills, drawn by the hoe ; after the ground has 

 become hard, these drills have straw strewn lightly across 

 them during Winter ; early in Spring it is removed, when the 

 plants grow rapidly, head early, and are off the ground in time 

 to plant it with Egg-plants and Tomatoes, thereby having two 

 very profitable crops off the ground in one year. 



Should it happen by accident or neglect, that there are no 

 plants for Spring crops, recourse must be had to sowing on a 

 slight hot-bed in February. When the plants are up, thinned 

 out, and properly hardened, they are planted out about the end 

 of March, or first of April, and treated as before directed. 

 Lettuces may be had in perfection throughout the whole Winter, 

 ■ if planted in a sunk pit (see p. 15) or frame, early in October, 

 and protected from frost by glass sash and straw mats, giving 

 plenty of air during sunshine, but never allowing a draft from 



