LAC 
■ports a /tender ftyle, crowned by two reflexed fligmas , and 
afterward becomes one oblong pointed feed , crowned with 
a Jingle down., fitting in the ficaly empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft: Section of 
Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, intitied Syngenefia Polyga- 
mia aequalis, which includes thofe plants whofe flowers 
are compofed of all hermaphrodite, or fruitful florets, 
and have their ftamina and ftyle connected. 
It would be befide my purpofe to mention in this 
place the feveral forts of Lettuce that are to be found 
in botanic writers, many of which are plants of little 
ufe, and are never cultivated but in botanic gardens 
for variety •, fome of them are found wild in many 
parts of England. I fhall therefore pafs over thofe, 
and only mention the feveral varieties which are cul- 
tivated in the kitchen-garden for ufe : i . Common or 
Garden Lettuce. 2. Cabbage Lettuce. 3. Cilicia Let- 
tuce. 4. Dutch Brown Lettuce. 5. Aleppo Lettuce. 
6. Imperial Lettuce. 7. Green Capuchin Lettuce. 
8. Verfailles, or Upright White Cos Lettuce. 9. Black 
Cos. 10. Red Capuchin Lettuce. 11. Roman Let- 
tuce. 12. Prince Lettuce. 13. Royal Lettuce. 14. 
Egyptian Cos Lettuce. 
The firft of thefe forts is commonly fown for cutting 
very young, to mix with other Small fallad herbs, and 
is only different from the fecond fort, in being a de- 
generacy therefrom, or otherwife the fecond is an im- 
provement by frequent cultivation from the firft •, for 
if the feeds are faved from fuch plants of the fecond 
fort as did not cabbage clofely, the plants produced 
from that feed will degenerate to the firft fort, which 
is by the gardeners called Lapped Lettuce, to diftin- 
guifti it from the other, which they call Cabbage Let- 
tuce. The feeds 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 (efpecially in dry feafons, when thefe plants al- 
ways produce the greateft quantity of feeds,) though 
fometimes this feed is fold in the feed-fhops, and by 
perfons who make a trade of felling feeds, for the 
Cabbage Lettuce, which is often the occafion of peo- 
ples being difappointed in their crop •, fo that this fort 
Ihould never be cultivated but to be cut up very 
young, for which purpofe this is the only good fort, 
and may be fown any time of the year, obferving only 
in hot weather to fow it in fhady borders ; and in the 
fpring and autumn upon warm borders, but in win- 
ter itlhould be fown under glaffes, otherwife it is Sub- 
ject to be deftroyed by fevere frofts. 
'The Cabbage Lettuce may alfo be fown at different 
times of the year, in order to have a continuation of 
it through the whole feafon. The firft crop is gene- 
rally fown in February, which fhould be upon a 
warm fpot of ground, and when the plants are come 
up, they fhould be thinned out to the diftance of ten 
inches each way, which may be done by hoeing them 
out, as is praCtifed for Turneps, Carrots, Onions, &c. 
provided you have no occafion for the fuperfluous 
plants, otherwife they may be drawn up, and trans- 
planted into another fpot of good ground at the fame 
diftance, which, if done before the plants are too 
large, they will Succeed very well, though they will 
not be fo large as thofe which are left upon the 
fpot where they were fown, but they will come Some- 
what later, which will be of Service where people do 
not continue Sowing every fortnight or three weeks in 
Summer. 
You muft alfo obServe in Sowing the Succeeding crops, 
as the feafon advances, to chufe a fhady moift Situ- 
ation, but not under the drip of trees, otherwife, in 
the heat of Summer they will run up to feed before 
they cabbage. In the beginning of Auguft you fhould 
fow the laft crop, which is to ftand over winter ; 
the feeds fhould be fown thin upon a good light foil, 
in a warm Situation, and when the plants are come 
up they muft be hoed out, fo as they may ftand Singly, 
and cut down all the weeds to clear them. In the be- 
ginning of October they fhould be tranfplanted into 
warm borders, where, if the winter is not very fevere, 
they will Stand very well •, but in order to be Sure of 
L A C 
a crop, it will be advifeable to plant a few upon a bed 
pretty clofe together, where they may be arched over 
with hoops, and in fevere frofts they fhould be co- 
vered with mats and Straw, or Peas-haulm, to Secure 
them from being deftroyed •, and in the Spring of the 
year they may be tranfplanted out into a warm rich 
foil, at the diftance before-mentioned but Still thole 
which grew under the wall, if they efcaped the win- 
ter, and were Suffered to remain, will cabbage Sooner 
than thofe which are removed again ; but you muft ob- 
ferve not to place them too clofe to the wall, which 
would occafion their growing up tall, and prevent 
their being large or hard. 
In order to Save good feeds of this kind, you fhould 
look over your Lettuces when they are in perfection, 
and fuch of them as are very hard, and grow low, 
fnould have flicks thruft into the ground, by the Sides 
of as many of them as you intend for feed, to mark 
them from the reft ; and you fhould carefully pull ud 
all the reft from amongft them as foon as they begin 
to run up, if any happen to be left, left when they are 
run up to flower, they Should, by the intermixing 
their farina with the good ones, degenerate the feeds. 
It may be fome perfons may object, that fuppofe 
fome bad ones Should happen to be left among them 
(for feeds to fow for fmall fallads,) yet the good ones 
being marked, the feeds need not be mixed, and fo no 
danger can enfue from thence ; but notwithstanding 
ever So much care be taken to keep the Seeds Sepa- 
rate, yet, whether from the intermixing of the farina 
during the time of their being in flower, or what other 
caufe, I cannot fay, but it hath been frequently ob- 
served, that where good and bad plants have been left 
for feed upon the fame fpot, the feeds of the good plants 
which were carefully faved Separately, have very much 
degenerated, and proved worfe than fuch as have Seeded 
by themfelves. The Seeds fhould always be Saved 
either from thofe which flood through the winter, or 
thofe which were fown early in the Spring, for the 
late ones very Seldom perfeCt their feeds. 
The Cilicia, Imperial, Royal, Black, White, and Up- 
right Cos Lettuces may be fown at the following times ; 
the firft feafon for Sowing thefe feeds is at the latter 
end of February, or the beginning of March, upon a 
moderate hot-bed, or on a warm light foil in a Shel- 
tered Situation ; and when the plants are come up 
and are fit to tranfplant, thofe which were fown on 
the hot-bed fhould be planted on another warm bed 
about four inches afunder, row from row, and two 
inches diftance in the rows, obferving to fnade them 
from the fun till they have taken new root ; after 
which they Should have a larger fhare of air ad- 
mitted to them daily, to prevent their drawing up 
weak ; but if the feafon proves favourable, they 
fhould be tranfplanted the beginning of April to 
the place where they are to remain, allowing them 
Sixteen inches room every way, for thefe large forts 
muft not be planted too near each other thole which 
were fown in the full ground will be later before they 
come up, fo fhould be either hoed out, or trans- 
planted into another fpot of ground (as was directed 
for thofe fown on the hot-bed allowing them as 
much room) efpecially if the foil be good ; after 
they have taken new root, you muft carefully keep 
them clear from weeds, which is the only culture 
they will require, except the Black Cos Lettuce, 
which fhould be tied up when they are full grown (in 
the manner as was directed for blanching of Endive,) 
to whiten their inner leaves, and render them crifp, 
otherwife they are Seldom good for much, rarely cab- 
baging without this affiftance. 
When your Lettuces are in perfection, you fh’ould 
look over them, and mark as many of the heft of them 
as you intend for feed (in the fame manner as was 
before dire&ed for the common Cabbage Lettuce,) 
being very careful not to Suffer any ordinary ones to 
feed°amongft them, as was before obferved, which 
would prove more injurious to thefe forts than to the 
common, as being more inclinable to degenerate with 
us, if they are not carefully faved. 
You 
