LETTUCE — Produced from Seed Supplied by 
All Prices Postpaid Unless Otherwise Noted. 
Imperial No. 815 
ICEBERG VARIETIES 
CULTURE: Conditions necessary to grow 
good head lettuce are rich soil, plenty of 
moisture, so as to insure steady growth from 
the time the seeds are planted until the heads 
are ready to use. A check in growth from 
lack of nourishment, moisture or adverse con¬ 
ditions, usually results in tipburn or under¬ 
sized heads, but the amount of water or irri¬ 
gations necessary depends a great deal on the 
soil or ground location and the variety of 
Iceberg grown. From experience we have 
found that mixture of one part commercial 
fertilizer mixed with three parts pulverized ma¬ 
nure as a side dressing applied shortly after 
Lettuce has been thinned gives remarkable 
results. 
After the soil is thoroughly plowed and pre¬ 
pared, drill in rows on a compact seed bed 
two feet apart, planting seed one-half to one 
inch deep, and from 1/2 to 1 pound of seed to 
the acre. Two weeks after it comes up it is 
usually large enough to be thinned to single 
plants to a distance of at least 14 inches. 
Keep crop clean of weeds at all times. Culti¬ 
vate thoroughly but not deep. Ground should 
not become dry but care must be used in irri¬ 
gating. This crop requires from 75 to 97 days 
for maturity from seeding to harvest. 
NEW YORK STRAIN 
AND IMPERIAL STRAIN 
In the breeding work of the Iceberg or 
crisp headed varieties of lettuce, two dis¬ 
tinct strains have been developed or seg¬ 
regated. That is, the New York strain and 
the Imperial strain. In growing head let¬ 
tuce the first thing to decide is whether you 
wish to plant the New York strains or the 
Imperial strains. This decision must de¬ 
pend on the time of the year or season 
when you wish the crop to mature and your 
climatic conditions. 
Imperial strains are more disease resist¬ 
ant to mildew, root and stem rot, give the 
largest per cent of solid heads, but more 
susceptible to tipburn and slime than are 
the New York strains. Of the Imperial 
strains 815, I-H Improved 411 and 847 are 
best suited for Colorado. 
New York strains are the earliest, are 
less apt to slime or tipburn, produce the 
larger per cent of good marketable heads 
during warm weather, than do the Im¬ 
perial strain. New Yorks do better than 
Imperials for heading during July, August 
and early September. Of the New Yorks, 
315, 415, and 915 are best suited for Colo¬ 
rado. 
In the past few years the development 
and introduction of new varieties has been 
so fast that but few seed houses or planters 
have been able to keep up with the prog¬ 
ress. We have devoted a large acreage 
in the mountains of Colorado—on our farm 
south of Denver; also in Arizona and Cali¬ 
fornia, to the trials and development of 
new varieties and strains. We carry in 
stock and offer to our customers only those 
varieties wihch we have found best. This 
year we are pleased to offer a new out¬ 
standing Imperial 411. 
WE RECOMMEND 
For Arizona. I-H Improved 847 and 152, 
outstanding for planting crops to mature 
in the fall, November and December. 
Early spring crop, March and early 
April, Imperial D and No. 615. 
For spring crops, 847 and 152, but for 
late spring crop best of all Nos. 315 and 
915. 
For Imperial Valley. California. We rec¬ 
ommend Imperial D, No. 13, and Imperial 
615. 
For Salinas Valley, California. We rec¬ 
ommend Nos. 152, 415, 847. 
For Colorado. Vicinity of Denver: For 
starting in beds and transplanting to fields 
Nos. 12, 315 and 915. For early summer 
(June) No. 815. For late June and early 
July, 415 and 915. Fall crop 815 and 615. 
For main crop In mountains of Colorado, 
315, 415, 815 and 915. See descriptions. 
Also see description 411. 
IMPERIAL 411. A new development espe¬ 
cially suited to summer crops in Colorado 
and vicinity. 1939 was our first trial 
with this new variety. We made these 
trials under varied conditions and differ¬ 
ent treatments. We found that 411 does 
not require as much water as other va¬ 
rieties of the New York or the Imperial 
strain. 
Just north of Denver at Welby we placed 
two trials of No. 411 Lettuce with Mr. 
Tony Laurienti; one crop to come off 
about July 1st and the other in October. 
Mr. Laurienti planted this 411 along side 
of 815 and 915. He was rather short of 
water and his 411 both in July and Oc¬ 
tober produced an outstanding yield of 
fine clean heads, whereas, 815 and 915 
was disappointing. 
While on our ranch just south of Denver 
we planted the three same varieties 915, 
815 and 411. We used plenty of water 
with the results being just the opposite 
of Mr. Laurienti's. We produced a won¬ 
derful crop of 815 and 915 while 411 
headed very well but was badly tipburn- 
ed and showed a lot of slime. In our 
mountain trials it happened that we did 
not have the usual amount of water, yet, 
411 did better than any other variety. 
So from these trials and experiences we 
recommend Imperial 411 very highly but 
do not advise an abundance of water, 
especially when forming m.atured heads. 
(Pkt. 10c) (oz. 25c) {>/4 lb. 75c) (Vz lb. 
$1.40) (lb. $2.65) (5 lbs. $7.50). 
New York No. 915 
IMPERIAL 815. A sturdy robust strain 
selected from 847. One of the best strains 
for Colorado but must be grown with 
care as it Is a tight header and if 
weather is hot will tipburn and slime 
more quickly than most Iceberg va¬ 
rieties. Priduces a surprising high per 
cent of No. 1 heads which are large, solid 
and of fine appearance. Likes frequent 
and light waterings. Best suited for 
early summer and late fall crops. 
(Pkt. 10c) (oz. 25c) ( 1/4 lb. 70c) (lb. $2.00) 
(5 lbs. $8.75). 
NEW YORK 915. Our 1939 introduction. 
With most varieties it is often difficult 
to produce a large per cent of good 
number one marketable heads of lettuce 
during warm weather, especially if you 
have showers at heading time causing 
the heads to often loosen up if they are 
of the New York varieties, and tipburn 
and slime if of the Imperial varieties. 
So the aim of lettuce breeders is to de¬ 
velop a New York variety that will form 
a large per cent of solid heads, and to 
develop an Imperial variety that is less 
apt to tipburn and slime. In 915 we 
think we have both. 
(Pkt. 10c) (oz. 25c) (V4 lb. 70c) {Vz lb. $1.25) 
(lb. $2.00) (5 lbs. $8.75). 
NEW YORK NOS. 315 AND 415. These two 
recent introductions are quite similar, but 
under identical conditions 315 will pro¬ 
duce a larger head than 415. Both were 
especially bred to produce good solid 
heads during warmer weather. We es¬ 
pecially recommend these varieties in 
place of Nos. 12 and 515, because they 
are surer to make heads of better quality, 
less ribby, less slime and tipburn. 
(Pkt. 10c) (oz. 20c) (V4 lb. 60c) {V 2 lb. $1.00) 
(lb. $1.85) (5 lbs. $8.50). 
I-H IMPROVED IMPERIAL. The surest 
header of the Iceberg varieties either in 
the New York or Imperial strains, but on 
account of its unusual tight hard head it 
is quick to slime, especially in hot 
weather. Advisable not to have the crop 
come on during hot weather and should 
be cut just before the heads are fully 
matured. 
(Pkt. 10c) (oz. 20c) ( 1/4 lb. 75c) (Vz lb. $1.15) 
(Ib. $2.00) (5 lbs. $8.50). 
14 
THE WESTERN SEED COMPANY, DENVER. COLORADO 
