When the leaves of the Cos lettuce heads begin to droop in this fashion, it is time that they should be tied up for blanching 
PLANT LETTUCE FOR THE FALL AND WINTER OUT IN THE GARDEN 
NOW—VARIOUS TYPES OF LETTUCE PLANTS-HINTS FOR THEIR CULTURE 
by F. F. Rockwell 
{ 
Photographs by N. R. Graves 
I T is possible to enjoy home-grown salads from January ist to 
December 31st. Moreover, salads are one of the most deli¬ 
cious, and incidentally one of the most healthful articles of food 
we have. There is enough of a variety, too, 
to use them every day without getting tired 
of them and personally I could enjoy let¬ 
tuce, which I consider the best of all the 
salads, three hundred and sixty-five times 
a year. 
Although there are several other salads, 
lettuce is the most important, and so I shall 
take up first the varieties and methods of 
growing that are best suited for the differ¬ 
ent seasons of the year. 
For the fall and early winter supply, the 
seed should be sown now. There are two 
varieties I use for this sowing — Grand 
Rapids and Wayahead. The former is an 
improved form of Curled Silesia (Black 
Seeded Simpson) and the latter is similar 
to Big Boston, but grows more compactly, 
and is healthier under glass. 
At this season of the year it is difficult to 
get a good “stand” of lettuce, so the fol¬ 
lowing precautions are likely to be neces¬ 
sary. Select the seed-bed where there is Cos or Romaine is 
no danger of washing from heavy showers cious of the 
and where a shading of some sort can be 
placed over it. A coldframe with a protecting cloth sash over it, 
or an ordinary glass sash, shaded heavily with lime or plaster 
and water, makes an ideal place. The sash should be raised a 
foot or so above the bed, to allow free circulation of the air. 
Water the bed thoroughly the day before planting, smooth it off 
and sow the seed thinly in “drills” three or four inches apart, 
covering about one-fourth of an inch deep. 
The seed-bed should not be too rich; use 
no manure in preparing it, though what 
may be left in the soil from spring will not 
hurt. See that the seed-bed does not dry 
out at any time, and when the little plants 
are showing the second or third true leaf, 
transplant to about four inches apart each 
way, watering the soil thoroughly before 
planting. As soon as these plants begin to 
crowd each other, they should be trans¬ 
planted to six or seven inches each way 
for the Grand Rapids and eight for the 
Wayahead, or every alternate plant may be 
removed and the rest left to mature where 
they are. The plants should be ready for 
this second transplanting about October 1st 
and ready for the table from early Novem¬ 
ber until after Thanksgiving, so that they 
can be grown in coldframes, with no pro¬ 
tection except for an occasional use of the 
sash at night, as we seldom have severe 
one of the most deli- frosts until after November ist. 
lettuce plants Seeds for the succeeding crops should be 
sown every two or three weeks. By using 
double sash, with an air space between two layers of glass, or 
employing mats and shutters for extra protection in very cold 
weather, lettuce may be had until Christmas. /1 
A\ 
(100) 
