L A 



L A 



LABLAB. Vide Phafeolus. ' 

 LAB RUM VENERIS. Vide 

 Dipfacus. 



LABRUSCA. Vide Vitis. 

 LABURNUM. Vide Cytifus. 

 LACRYMAJOBI, Job's Tears. 

 Vide Coix. 



LACTUCA, Lettuce. 



The Char ad en are ; 

 It hath a fibrofe Root, which is, 

 for the mojl part, annual : the Leaves 

 are Smooth, and grow alternately upon 

 the Branches :' the Stalks are, for the 

 mojl part, /lender and Jlif, and com- 

 monly terminate into a fort of Umbel: 

 the Cup of the Flower is oblong, fen- 

 dt r, and fcaly : the Seeds are oblong, 

 deprefs^d, and generally terminate in a 

 Point. 



It would be befide my Purpofe to 

 mention in this Place the feveral 

 Sorts of Lettuce that are to be found 

 in Botanic Writers, many of which 

 are Plants of no Ufe, and are never 

 cultivated but in Botanic Gardens 

 for Variety ; and fome of them are 

 found wild in many Parts of England. 

 I (hall therefore pafs over thole here, 

 and only mention the feveral Sorts 

 which are cultivated in the Kitchen- 

 garden for Ufe : I . Common or Gar- 

 den-lettuce. 2. Cabbage- lettuce. 3. 

 Cilicia Lettuce. 4. Dutch Brown 

 Lettuce. 5. Aleppo Lettuce. G.Im- 

 perial Lettuce. 7. Green Capuchin 

 Lettuce. 8. Verfailles or Upright 

 White Cos Lettuce. 9. Black Cos. 

 10. White Cos. 11. Red Capuchin 

 Lettuce/ 12. Roman Lettuce. 13. 

 Prince-lettuce, 14. Royal Lei t Ufe, 

 1$. Egyptian Cos Lettuce. 



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The flrft of thefe Sorts is com- 

 monly fown very young, for cuttings 

 to mix with other fmall Sallad herbs, 

 and is only different from the fe- 

 cond Sort, in being a Degeneracy 

 therefrom ; or oiherwife the fecond 

 is an Improvent by frequent Culti- 

 vation from the firll: for if the Seeds 

 are faved from fuch Plants of the fe- 

 cond Sort as did not cabbage clofely, 

 the Plants produced from that Seed 

 will all degenerate to the firft Sort; 

 which is by the Gardeners called 

 Laped-lettuce, to dirtinguiih it from 

 the other, which they call Cabbage- 

 lettuce. The Seeds of the firft, 

 which are commonly faved from any 

 of the Plants, without having regard 

 to their Goodnefs, are generally fold 

 at a very cheap Rate (e'peciaily in 

 dry Seafon% when thefe Plants aU 

 ways produce the greatelt Quantity 

 of Seeds) ; though fometimes this 

 Seed is fold in the Seed (hops, and 

 by Perfons who make a Trade of 

 felling Seeds, for the Cabbage-let- 

 tuce } which is often the Occafionof 

 Peoples being difappointed in their 

 Crop : fo that this Sort mould never 

 be cultivated but to be cut up very 

 young ; for which Purpofe this is 

 the only good Sort, and may be 

 fown any time of the Year ; obferv- 

 ing only in hot Weather to fow it 011 

 fhady Borders ; and in the Spring 

 and Autumn upon warm Borders ; 

 but in Winter it mould be fown un- 

 der Glaffes, otherwiie it is fubjeclto 

 be deftroy'd by fevere F rolls. 



The Cabbage-lettuce may alfo be 

 fown at different times of the Year, 

 in order to have a Continuation of it 

 thro 1 the whole Seafon. The firft Crop 

 is generally fown inFcbruary; which 

 fhould be upon an open warm Spot 

 of Ground; and when the Plants are 

 come up, they fnouid be thinn'd 

 out, to the Diltance of ten Inches 

 each Way ; which may be done by 



hoeing 



