ACETARIACEOUS PLANTS. — THE LETTUCE. 



151 



kept in view throughout its growth, as 

 the energies of the whole plant ought to 

 be directed to the formation of the bulb- 

 like root. 



Subsequent cultivation. — Keep the ground 

 thoroughly stirred up between the rows ; 

 and when the bulbs have nearly attained 

 their full size, they should be covered 

 lightly with soil, to blanch them white, 

 and to render the outer coating of their 

 skin more tender. In warm dry weather 

 give abundance of water, to encourage 

 the swelling of the bulbs, for on their 

 size and tenderness their merits depend. 



Taking the crop, and subsequent preserva- 

 tion. — The crop will be fit for use in Oc- 

 tober ; and in November, upon the ap- 

 pearance of severe frosts, they should be 

 pulled up, with their leaves attached, and 

 planted, in sand somewhat moist, in a 

 cold pit covered with wooden shutters, 

 where they will continue a sort of exist- 

 ence through the winter, and become 

 somewhat intenerated by absence from 

 light and moderate humidity. The usual 

 practice is to cut off the leaves and bury 

 the bulbs in pits under ground. 



General remarks. — Seed is saved in the same 

 way as celery, and may be employed for the 

 same uses. It retains its vegetative property 

 ten or twelve years. It is the Celeri-rave of the 

 French, and the Knott-cellerie of the Germans. 

 It is also called Knob-celery, Knoll-celery, 

 Celeri navet. There is also a sub- variety veined 

 with red, and another with curled leaves, or 

 Celeri-rave a feuilles frisees. 



Insects and diseases. — Celeriac is liable to be 

 attacked by the celery-fly, Tephritis onopordinis, 

 (which see.) We are not aware that the roots 

 have hitherto been attacked by the Piophila apii, 

 which has of late years been detected in the 

 stems of celery. 



§ 3. — THE LETTUCE. 



Natural history. — Lettuce (Lactuca satica L.) 

 belongs to the natural order Compositse, and 

 sub-order Cichoracea?, tribe Lactucese, and to 

 the class Syngenesia, and order iEqualis, in the 

 Linnsean arrangement. The generic name is 

 derived from the Latin Lac, milk, from the 

 milky juice which abounds in most of the genus, 

 and has been of much importance in medicine. 

 That of Lactuca verosa, for example, is highly 

 narcotic, and has been even employed with 

 great advantage as a substitute for opium. The 

 production of the opium qualities, which exist 

 in all this genus, is much lessened by cultiva- 

 tion, and especially by blanching; hence blanched 

 endive is less poisonous than it would be if 

 eaten in its natural state. It would be curious 



to know if this had anything to do with the 

 process as a branch of culture. The lactucarium 

 brought into notice some years ago by Dr Dun- 

 can of Edinburgh, who found it could be ad- 

 ministered where poppy opium could not with 

 safety, was prepared from the juice of lettuce. 



The native country of the lettuce is unknown; 

 it, however, appears to have been cultivated in 

 Britain since 1562. According to Herodotus, it 

 was in use 550 years before Christ ; yet Pliny 

 says the ancient Romans knew but one sort. In 

 his time they were cultivated so as to be had 

 at all seasons of the year, and even blanched to 

 render them more tender. Gerard is the ear- 

 liest English author who writes of them. He 

 gives an account of eight sorts cultivated in his 

 day. It is quite evident, from the names of 

 many of our still cultivated sorts, that they 

 must have reached us from the Greek islands 

 — Cos, for example — and from various places in 

 the Levant. Italy, Egypt, and the south of 

 France have contributed their share. 



Uses. — As one of our best salad herbs, the 

 lettuce is well known — eaten raw in French 

 salads, with cream, oil, vinegar, salt, hard-boiled 

 eggs, &c. It is also eaten by many with moist 

 sugar and vinegar, and some prefer it with vine- 

 gar alone. 



It is excellent when stewed, either alone or 

 eaten with partridge ; and in most vegetable 

 soups it forms an ingredient, and is an excellent 

 addition to Scotch broth and hodge-podge, as a 

 substitute for cabbage. It is eaten at almost 

 all meals by the French ; by the English after 

 dinner, if not served as adjuncts to dishes dur- 

 ing the repast ; and by many after supper, the 

 time when the Romans first ate them — but in the 

 time of Domitian they changed this order, and 

 served them with their first entries at their 

 feasts, much as is done in many parts of the 

 Continent at this day. In a raw state lettuce is 

 emollient, cooling, and in some degree laxative 

 and aperient, easy of digestion, but containing 

 little nourishment. 



Propagation. — The only mode ef propa- 

 gation is by seed. 



Sowing and planting. — As lettuce is re- 

 quired throughout the whole year, sow- 

 ings must be made from the beginning 

 of February to the end of September— say 

 twice in February and March, and three 

 times each other month. But where young 

 lettuce is required when about 2 inches 

 high, the seed will require to be sown 

 once a-fortnight during winter, and once 

 a-week during summer and autumn. The 

 hardy kinds, to stand over winter for early 

 spring use, should be sown in August 

 and September. The first crop sown in 

 February should be upon a slight hot-bed, 

 and when about 2 inches high should be 

 transferred to a colder bed covered with 

 glass, and protected from frost. These 

 may, in the beginning of April, be trans- 



it 



