120 
GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 
should be tossed about for a moment in a piece of cheese- 
cloth or mosquito netting. Then lay it directly on the ice. 
The delicious crispness and coolness of prime lettuce can- 
not be equaled ; indeed, its food value lies largely in its 
refreshing qualities. Lettuce is the chief constituent of most 
salads ; eaten with an oil dressing and a dash of vinegar, 
not too much, it is considered most wholesome. There are 
several varieties of lettuce which are now only slightly known 
in America, but which could easily become popular ; their 
flavor, according to the taste of many persons, is superior. 
Ojiions. Onions have the name of being one of the best 
stimulant vegetables known; they deserve to be even better 
appreciated than they are. Onions are bulbs ; they may be 
grown from the seed or from onion sets. Sets are baby onions, 
formed by division of the parent bulb. Growing onions from 
the seed requires very careful handling, for the seedlings are 
mere wisps ; this makes prompt cultivation most important, 
because if weeds once get the right of way, it is almost impos- 
sible to kill them. In this case a steel rake loosens the earth 
well, for it allows the seedlings to pass between its teeth. Seeds 
may be sown in a box indoors in January or February. The 
plants must then be pricked out into deeper boxes and finally 
planted in rich, firm ground at the end of April. They will 
be ready for harvesting by the end of August, when they 
should be drawn from the ground and thoroughly sunned. 
A more satisfactory method, however, is to plant the sets. 
The first year they can be purchased from seedsmen. Onion 
sets should be put into the ground at the earliest possible 
moment, and the bed reserved for them must be as richly 
prepared as possible. Well-rotted manure, poultry drop- 
pings, bone ineal, and wood ashes are sometimes all dug in 
together. Plant the sets in rows about six inches apart. 
Put them in just deep enough for the green top to show 
