ACETARIACEOUS PLANTS. — THE LETTUCE. 



155 



justice to the Belgian, German, and Dutch gar- 

 deners, we must say that their lettuce so grown 

 is equal at Christmas to what we usually see 

 in our own gardens in July and August. It 

 should, however, be observed that with them a 

 frame or two of such lettuce is considered as 

 great a triumph of skill as a house full of four- 

 pound queen pine-apples is with their brethren 

 in Britain. To keep up a winter supply, two or 

 three sowings are made, and consequently the 

 same number of plantings. At this season 

 frames are not required, as with us, for winter- 

 ing planting-out plants, and other requirements 

 in English practice, therefore every frame and 

 glass sash at the command of the Continental 

 gardener is employed in the production of his 

 lettuce crops. The same practice has been re- 

 peatedly tried in England — as at Longleat, Bul- 

 strode Park — but with very varied success. The 

 late Mr Nieman, a celebrated Dutch gardener, 

 brought over by the late Mr Labouchere, often 

 acknowledged to us the great difficulty he had 

 to contend with in the cloudy atmosphere at 

 Hylands in Essex, even when compared with 

 that of Holland. It is probable, however, that 

 the more variable state of our climate had its 

 share in his difficulties. A remark of this ex- 

 cellent cultivator is worth recording in this 

 place — namely, that the difference even of two 

 days in plantations made in October not unfre- 

 quently caused a difference of from a month to 

 six weeks of their attaining maturity towards 

 spring. The plants are kept as close to the 

 glass as is possible without their touching it, 

 and the reason for placing each plant exactly 

 under the centre of a pane of glass is to prevent 

 the chance of drip falling into its heart, which 

 would utterly destroy it. For this purpose, also, 

 the glass should be kept in the best possible 

 repair, and the laps should be leaded or other- 

 wise secured. 



Taking the crop. — As lettuce is gathered 

 for use, the whole plant should be pulled 

 up by the roots ; but as there would be a 

 great chance of the earth, particularly 

 from amongst the fibres, getting in 

 amongst the leaves in their transit to the 

 vegetable-house, it is better to cut the 

 roots off and bury them in the ground 

 in which they grew. The outer leaves 

 should be cut off, and the root part of 

 the stem cut clear over with a sharp 

 knife, the whole plant carefully washed 

 and rinsed in clean water, after having 

 been steeped a few minutes in the salt- 

 water tan ; any of the tips of the leaves 

 injured by frost in winter, or by insects 

 or drought in summer, should be care- 

 fully cut off, and the utmost vigilance 

 exercised that aphides and other insects 

 are not allowed to remain attached to 

 the leaves, and that all sandy and earthy 

 particles be carefully washed out; the 

 lettuce should then be set on end, the 



top undermost, in a clean salad-basket, 

 to allow the water to drain completely 

 out; and it should be understood that 

 it, as well as all other salads, receive no 

 further cleansing after they are sent from 

 the garden. 



Approved sorts, and their qualities. — Lettuce 

 is divided into two very distinct tribes or sub- 

 families — namely, the Cos and the Cabbage 

 kinds. The former are of upright growth, 

 hardy, and in general firm and crisp ; the latter 

 less hardy, and more soft and flaccid, and even 

 on that account preferred by some. The same 

 difference exists in regard to their merits for 

 cooking, some preferring the one and some the 

 other. French cooks usually choose the cab- 

 bage kinds. 



Green Paris cos. — This is the best variety of 

 cos lettuce at present grown, and although less 

 hardy than the brown cos, it withstands our 

 ordinary winters when planted at the bottom of 

 walls. As a spring, summer, and autumnal 

 lettuce, we think it unrivalled, growing to a 

 large size, of a fine green colour, and, from the 

 manner in which the outer leaves cove over the 

 interior ones, becoming nicely blanched without 

 having to be tied together. It is known as Sut- 

 ton's superb green cos, Ady's fine large cos, and 

 Kensington cos. It is the Romaine verte Marai- 

 chere, and Chicon, ou Romaine verte Maraichere, 

 of the " Bon Jardinier." 



Paris white cos. — This is the sort most gene- 

 rally grown by the London market-gardeners, 

 millions of it being produced annually within a 

 few miles of London alone. Next to the green 

 Paris cos this is the largest, the best, and the 

 longest in running to seed of all the summer let- 

 tuces we have grown. It is less hardy than either 

 the last or the following, and with them may 

 be considered all of this class required in any 

 ordinary garden. This opinion is, we observe, 

 confirmed by Mr Thompson in the sixth volume 

 of " The Journal of the Horticultural Society," 

 p. 26, who remarks, " It was sown April 1 Oth, 

 and had not commenced to run July 27th, 

 while all the other cos lettuces sown on the 

 same day were showing flower." Known also 

 as London white cos, Sutton's superb white cos. 

 It is the Romaine blonde Maraichere of the 

 " Bon Jardinier," and is much cultivated, as well 

 as the last, around Paris. Seeds white. The 

 common white cos runs to seed sooner than 

 this variety. 



Brown cos. — This old and excellent sort still 

 maintains its position as being the hardiest of 

 all the class. It grows to a large size, blanches 

 well, and is exceedingly crisp and tender. It is 

 known as Bath cos, brown Bath cos, white- 

 seeded brown cos, Wood's improved Bath cos, 

 hardy brown cos, and Sutton's Berkshire brown 

 cos. This excellent variety is not much culti- 

 vated on the Continent ; the outside leaves 

 being of a brownish colour renders it with them 

 objectionable. Seeds white. 



Waites white cos. — An excellent variety, appa- 

 rently intermediate between the Paris green cos 

 and Paris white cos ; not quite so dark or green 

 as the former, yet somewhat greener than the 



