308 
A CATECHISM OF GARDENING. 
mild spring weather allows the tender plants to be set abroad. The 
rows should be twelve inches asunder, and the plants about nine inches 
apart in the rows. 
What is further to he observed in growing lettuce ? That they 
are planted on very rich ground which should be frequently hoed ; 
and when the plants have nearly attained full size, the forwardest 
should he tied up to assist whitening the heart. Sometimes this crop 
is sowed thinly in shallow drills; the supernumeraries are drawn for 
transplanting, which prolongs the supply from one sowing. 
Is it not usual to sow lettuce with other crops P Yes ; both the 
coss and cabbage sorts are sowed with spinach, in August, and the 
former among onions in March. Those sowed among spinach are 
intended for transplantation, if they survive the winter; and those 
raised among onions are drawn for use as soon as fit, or when they 
damage the onions. 
How many sorts of lettuce are cultivated ? About twenty vari¬ 
eties ; but the hardy white, hardy green, green, and Egyptian coss 
kinds, are the best for common use. The brown Dutch, common 
white, and grand admirable cabbage sorts, are preferred for kitchen 
use. All are used as salad herbs, in every stage of their growth ; 
but the larger and whiter hearted the coss varieties are, the more they 
are prized. 
Is not endive allied to lettuce ? No, notwithstanding their pro¬ 
perties and uses are alike, endive is less crisp and more bitter than 
lettuce ; but it is capable of being beautifully blanched ; and thereby 
becomes palatable; it is also more hardy than lettuce, and therefore, 
is chiefly used in the winter months. 
When should endive be sowed P If sowed early in the year, the 
plants soon run to seed. The middle of the months of June, July, 
August, and September, are the proper season for sowing, in order 
to have a full supply through the autumn, winter, and spring. Whe¬ 
ther the plants remain in the seed-bed, or are transplanted in rows 
into fresh beds, they require at least twelve-inch spaces, as the leaves 
spread widely and close to the ground. 
How is it blanched ? By tying the leaves together like lettuce, 
or by earthing up the full-grown plants with dry soil, or by placing 
them during the month of October in raised beds of dry sand, the 
leaves being gathered up, and laid close together, to be guarded 
against rain and frost by mats or frames, or they may be so stored in 
sheds. As salad herbs form no part of the cottager’s fare during 
winter, endive is of little value in his garden. There are four 
varieties of this plant, the white curled and the white Batavian being 
the most desirable. 
