LETTUCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 239, 8 October 1932, Page 6 (Supplement)

LETTUCE.

Lettuce is one of the chief ingredients of the salad bowl, and to obtain nice, tender, crisp plants, must be grown quickly and without receiving any check. To do this the ground should he deeply dug, in the autumn for preference, and be given a good, rieh dressing of decayed manure. Choose » warm border for the seed bed) and sow in shallow drills from Oin to Ift apart at intervals of a fortnight or so. When , the plants have made three or four leaves, they will require transplanting, leaving the others in the seed bed at about Gin to Bin apart for cabbage varieties. Plant those taken up the same distance apart, and about 9in from row to row. Take them up carefully with a email ball of soil attached

with—so that they do not receive any check by removing. If the soil is dry, they should be watered in and not allowed to become dry at auy time during their growth; also keep the soil between the rows hoed frequently, which will keep the weeds in check and help the plants. Slugs are very troublesome to these, but if the plants are dusted over with a little fine lime and soot in the early morning or evening it will keep slugs in check and W 'U assist the growth of the plants. Cabbage varieties are the earliest to mature and for spring sowing Tom Thumb, a miniature variety, is very early, heart compact, head firm and white, crisp and of good quality. "All the year round" takes a little longer to come to maturity, but it is of fine flavour, crisp and tender, Cos Icttijce are far more appreciated than the cabbage variety by most people. The cos lettuce should have plenty qf space to grow, jiot less than a fppt apart each way, a little more if it can be spared, and be given a deeply-tilled soil. The plants «an be grown between the rows of other vegetables, such as peas or celery ridges.