The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1905-09-22
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FOR TIE TRUCK FARMERS.
u Chapter ON the FAN, winter and.
spring Lettuce Crop ON the
southern Truck Farms.

The cultivation of lettuce In frames
covered either with cloth or glass has
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
little protection they can produce as
fine lettuce as can be grown in the
northern hothouses, and the crop has
become one Of the leading interests y
One of the growers recently wrote
asking me the following questions:
What variety is best for setting in
the open ground in the fall? / 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 he is
growing frame lettuce only and has
now his frames filled with cow peas,
which he proposes to let lie down and
spade them in as fertilizer, and
wants to know if they will not serve in
place 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 for
wintering in the field and heading in
the spring. This will make quite
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 set
in well-manured and fortified soil and
headed before the weather is cold
enough to need the protection of the
frames, and this crop, coming in in No
vember and early December, is usually
a very profitable once since the cost OF
growing is far less where the frames
are used.
But one thing is needed to be
known by all lettuce growers. This is
that the plant is very gross feeder
ana must be well fed for the best re-
suits. The most careful experiments
at this and other experiments stations
have shown that either in the open
ground, in frames and in hothouses,
manure alone will not make the best
lettuce, nor will common fertilizers
alone. The slow nitrifcation of the or
gaaic matter supplied by the manure
seems to be necessary, while the read
lily soluble commercial fertilizer is also
reeded to push the growth. The most
successful growers have found this gu
as well as the station investigators.
For a number of years | have been
studying under numerous difficulties
AMI with meager facilities the charac-
teristics of the varieties of lettuce.
have learned that there are compare
lively few sorts that are of value to
the growers in the south for the north
err market The catalogues of the
seedsmen come annually with the best
of iettuces, and claim that they are go
ing to supersede all others. But one
after another we have tried them, much
to our personal loss, for our expert
mehts were made at our own cost, and
we hoped to get something out of the
cro2s We have found. however, that
for early heading in the fall and for
Writer and early spring heading in the
frames. there are no varieties equal to-
the two we have named. But when 1t
comes to setting plants in the field late
in The fall to head outside in the spring,
these varieties will be failures and 9TH
er sorts that do not compare with these
in The frames are better.
The two varieties named are more
tender and are apt to get injured or
killed by severe weather, and even
when they do survive the winter they
bols ard run to seed in the spring with
out heading firmly enough for shipping.
But fortunately we have varieties that
are especially adapted to the needs OF
the fall planter fer spring heading The
bes.. of these is the variety that has
been bred up near Raleigh and there
known as the Shellem. This variety is
known in the catalogues as the Won
dersnl 1t is the largest and hardest
heating of all lettuces, but is OF little
valae fer winter work in the frames.
But 1t is more hardy that the butter
varieties. Similar to this is the Maules
ImIgoved Hanson. This variety was
ortsinalty sent out by Col. George
Har son, Of Kent county, Mary
land, in whose family it has been grown
for generations. 1t is similar in ap-
rearance to the Wonderful, but not
quite SO large, and it is rather too
brittle to make a good shipper. While
for the fall heading we would advise
the sowing of the Big Boston and Cali
fornia Cream Butter lettuce in August,
this will not do for the crop that is to
be wintered over in the open ground.
| advise thin broadcast sowing of all,
because when sown in rows we are al
ways apt to get the plants crowded,
while thin broadcasting, using plenty
Of space, we get sturdy plants each
grown by itself and better suited 10
transplanting. For setting in the open
ground l would SOW seed of the Won
derful first about the middle OF Sep
temler and again about the first OF
October, as the season may be sucl
that the first sowing may get too large,
and we want good plants, Just large
enough to winter well. For this crop
would prepare the land we'll, and run
furrDws two feet apart, if for lettuce
alone. or wider if it is Intended to set