ee 


lO ———————— 
137 
Tennis Ball, b.s., Vil., 85, and Green Tennis Ball, Vil., ’84. 
Very Large Yellow Paresseuse, Dam.,’83, and Large White Stone 
Summer, Sib. ’85. 
A Test with Green and Ripe Seed. 
In order to note the influence of immature seed upon the result- 
ing plants, we gathered a small quantity of green seeds of twelve va- 
rieties of lettuce in the fall of 1884. Last spring one row of each 
variety was planted with green, and a second with ripe seeds gather- 
ed from the same plants. No difference appeared in the resulting 
crop that we could assign to the maturity or lack oft maturity of the 
seed. 
Lettuce. 
A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL VARIETIES. 
We have endeavored to acquaint ourselves with the principal va- 
rieties of lettuce grown in this country and in Europe, with the 
view of determining the synonyms, and forming an accurate and 
complete description of each distinct variety. The undertaking is a 
difficult one for three reasons. 1st, Thenumber of varieties is quite 
large. 2nd, In many cases the same name has been applied to two 
or more different varieties, and 3d, the descriptions that have been 
made of lettuces are, with a few exceptions, so meagre that they 
have proved of very little assistance. We must here further ac- 
knowledge our indebtedness to our French friends, Messrs. Vilmorin, 
Andrieux & Co., of Paris, whose descriptions of varieties of vegeta- 
bles are by far the most complete of any that we have thus far met. 
It is not to be supposed that we have grown all of the varieties of 
lettuce at present in culture in Europe and America. Our aim has 
been to grow all those mentioned in our own catalogues, with as 
many from France and Germany as we could readily obtain. 
The eighty-seven varieties which we describe with the supposition 
that they are distinct, have been gleaned from a list of at least two 
hundred differently named lettuces, and represent the labor of three 
seasons. ‘The list does not include all that we have grown, but only 
those of which we at present feel satisfied are distinct. 
We scarcely hope that the classification and descriptions which we 
here present will enable one unacquainted with the characters of the 
lettuce plant to namea given variety with ease and certainty. The 
most we dare to hope is, that with the help of these, it may be possi- 
ble to decide with some degree of certainty whether or not a given 
lettuce is true to the name which it bears. If we have accomplished 
this much, our work will not have been in vain. 
The difficulties of arranging a scheme for determining varieties 
through a system of classification and description, will readily ap- 
pear when we consider the fact that the lettuce plant varies greatly at 
different stages of growth, under different systems of culture, and at 
different seasons of the year. For example, the leaves of the young 
plant often differ materially in form, and other characters from those 
of the same variety when the plant has matured. Varicties easily 
distinguishable when the plants are grown sufficiently far apart, so 
that each one has opportunity to assume its own character, will often 
be undistinguishable when the plants are crowded. And finally, 
many varieties which, if the seed is sown in spring will form large 
and well defined heads, will run to seed without heading if the seed 
is sown a few weeks later. We believe that our descriptions will only 
