The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-10-21
rAkMtk AND PLANTER.
FOR THE TRUCK FARMERS.
A Chapter On the Fall, Winter and
Spring Lettuce Crop on the
Southern Truck Farms.

Southern Truck Farms.
The cultivation of lettuce in frames
covered either with cloth, or glass mas
developed into vast industry in the
South Atlantic trucking sections, and
the North Carolina station horticulture
list has endeavored to study not only
methods but the varieties best adapted
to the use of the market gardeners at
the different seasons. In this region
favored with mild winter climate, the
growers are fast Tearing that with
little protection they can produce as
fine lettuce as can be grown in the
northern hothouses, and the crop mas
become one of the leading interests
One of the growers recently wrote
asking me the following questions:
What variety is best for setting IN
the open ground in the fall? l want
a big, heavy headed variety that Is
good seller in the northern markets.
Then / want a lettuce for the frames,
and one for the spring market from
outside"
Another grower writes that ne IL
growing frame lettuce only and has
now his frames filed with cow peas,
which he proposes to let lie down ana
spade them in as fertilizer, ana
wants to know If they will not serve IN
slace of stable manure If he adds
plenty of the mineral fertilizers. AS
this is a matter of general interest !
will, after having given both my Ideas
on the subject, say more for the pur-
pose of helping others.
My first inquirer does not say
whether he wants to set the lettuce for
fall heading in the open ground or TOT
wintering in the field and heading In
the spring. This will make quite a
difference in the varieties. Seed OF the
Big Boston, or the California Cream
| Butter Lettuce sown about the middle
of August thinly broadcast, can be sci
in well-manured and fortified soil and
headed before the weather Is colo
enough to need the protection OF tht
frames. and this crop, coming in In NO
yember and early December, is usual!
very profitable once, since the cost o.
growing is far less where the frames
are used.
But one thing is needed to d
known by all lettuce growers. This Il
that the plant is very gross feede
and must be we'll fed for the best re
suits. The most careful experiment.
at this and other experiments station
have shown that either in the opel
ground, in frames and in hothouses
manure alone will not make the bes
!. lettuce. nor will common fertilizer
alone. The slow nitrification OF the OF
fganic matter supplied by the manur
seems to be necessary, while the read
: ily soluble commercial fertilizer Is ais
needed to push the growth. The mos
.. successful growers have found TINS Oh
as well as the station investigators.
For a number of years l have bee
studying under numerous dimcllut
and with meager facilities the chara'
q teristics of the varieties of lettuce.
have learned that there are compar'
. lively few sorts that are OF value
the growers in the south for the nortl
! ern market. The catalogues OF II
seedsmen come annually with the be
!. of lettuces, and claim that they are 8
: ling to supersede all others. But OF
after another we have tried them, mu'
: to our personal loss, for our exper
. ments we're made at our own cost, al
: We hoped to get something out Of i
crops We have found, however, tn
/. for early heading in the fall, and
. winter and early spring heading In 7
I. frames. there are no varieties equal
" the two we have named. But when
). comes to setting plants in theSne Il
- in the fall to head outside in the sprir
=. these varieties will be failures and O
- err sorts that do not compare with TN
>. in the frames are better.
10 The two varieties named are me-
NV tender and are apt to get injured
= killed by severe weather, and e'
when they do survive the winter II
holt and run to seed in the spring WI
ss out heading firmly enough for shippi
=! Pint fortunately we have varieties u
lis are especially adapted to the needs
the fall planter for spring heading. ]
IL hest of these is the variety mat
~ been bred up near Raleigh and Tn
known as the Shellem. This variety
known in the catalogues as the w
derfuI. 1t is the largest and marc
heading of all lettuces. but is OF IL
value for winter work in the fran
" But it is more nardy that the bu
varieties. Similar to this is the Mau
. Improved Hanson. This variety
originally sent out by Col. Geo
Hanson. of Kent county, Ma
land. in whose family it has been gr'
for generations. 1t is similar IN
81 rearance to the Wonderful, but
the quite SO large, and it is rather
Use brittle TO make a good shipper w
for the fall heading we would ad
ose the sowing of the Big Boston and I
Of fornia Cream Butter lettuce in AUG
of this will not do for the crop that
ian be wintered over in the open groun
ade advise thin broadcast sowing Oh
res because when sown in Tuws we are
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