The Home Vegetable Garden 
21 
ready, which is about the time the swollen stems are to 2 inches 
in diameter. It remains in prime condition only a short time, so 
for best results must be used when just right. 
LETTUCE 
Lettuce is the most important salad plant under cultivation 
and can be grown under a variety of conditions. The two types of 
lettuce most commonly cultivated are head lettuce and leaf let¬ 
tuce. Head lettuce is somewhat more difficult to grow than leaf 
lettuce, but succeeds well in the cooler sections of the state. Let¬ 
tuce is a comparatively hardy plant, and grows best in early spring 
or in the fall. For the early crop, the seed can be planted in the 
greenhouse or hotbed in March and transplanted to cold frames 
when large enough, or the seed may be planted directly in cold 
frames the latter part of March and when the plants are up, they 
are thinned to the proper distance apart and the crop allowed to 
mature where it stands. In cold frames, the plants should stand 
about 8 inches apart each way. Plants may be set in the field the 
latter part of April (seed may be sown in the field about April 
15th) and in this case the rows should be 18 inches apart and the 
plants 6 to 8 inches apart in the row. Lettuce transplants readily 
and if properly handled the plants will be only slightly checked. 
Lettuce which grows rapidly without being checked possesses 
the best texture and flavor, so the aim of the grower should be to 
cultivate the crop in a way to obtain this result. 
Excellent lettuce may be grown in hotbeds and cold frames 
in early spring and late fall, and wherever these structures are 
available, some space should be devoted to lettuce, which is a de¬ 
sirable vegetable at all seasons. 
Lettuce grown in hotbeds and cold frames is very susceptible 
to disease and particularly so when the surface of the soil and 
the folige of the plants are kept moist. In applying water, pre¬ 
cautions should be taken to keep the leaves from getting wet. 
Varieties .—Leaf Lettuce: Black Seeded Simpson, Grand 
Rapids. Head Lettuce: Burpee’s Wayahead, Big Boston, May 
King, Deacon, Tennis Ball, All Seasons. 
MUSKMELON 
Under the term ‘^muskmelon” is included a number of types 
of melons. The most common of these are the ordinary musk- 
melon, characterized by a large seed cavity, distinct ribs, and a 
surface more or less free from netting, and the cantaloupe, an ideal 
specimen of which has a small seed cavity and a heavily netted 
surface, showing no ribs at all. Much effort has been expended 
