DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
S3 
feet during the heat of summer; but it is much too coarse for 
ihe lable -when the finer sorts are to be obtained. 
S. Le Cos. — This is a small, brittle variety, with crispy, 
ice-looking leaves, having rather loose, oblong heads. 
9. London White Cabbage. — This is a large-headed variety, 
•with crispy leaves, well suited for early summer use. 
Cultivation. — For ordinary open culture, commence sowing 
as early in the spring as the ground will admit, and continue 
to sow' at intervals until June or July, in order to keep up a 
succession of crops. 
For early winter use, very good lettuce may be had by 
sowing about the middle of autumn, in frames, in a sheltered 
'situation, covering them with glass, glazed muslin, or boards, 
when the weather becomes cold. In mild days, give the 
plants plenty of air; if boards are used, remove them to admit 
the light. 
The varieties of Cos lettuce can only be successfully grown 
by sowing late in September, protecting them in winter, and 
transplanting early in the spring. 
Lettuce delights in a deep, rich soil, not too heavy and moist, 
which should be .well dug and thoroughly pulverized at the 
time of putting in the seed. It should be thinly and evenly 
sown, in shallow drills, nine or ten inches apart. Cover the 
seed lightly by raking or otherwise, and if the weather be dry, 
beat the ground gently with the back of a spade. When the 
young plants have grown to a height of about an inch, thin 
them out about two inches apart. As soon as they begin to 
touch each other, give them another thinning, when they can be 
transplanted to other ground, or be brought to the table for 
use. As lettuces arc somewhat troublesome to transplant, 
during warm weather, late spring and early fall sowings should 
be made where they are intended to grow, and thinned out as 
they advance in growth. Deep and frequent hoeing is indis- 
pensable in all cases to secure a good crop. 
2* 
