Gunnison news-champion., 1922-02-24
Ranch and Rance Z: :: : =:
INTERESTING POINTERS On
GROWING HEAD LETTUCE

The growing Of head lettuce Is a
s-Dj"C- that interests great many
of Cur readers just row. This boils
daaa 4 lengthy article from lettuce
grocer At an altitude Of : COO feet ard
gives q part Of has views in a oondens-
ed furu-
]. Selection Of soil: ?, Preparing
n. Ssed; 8, SEED; :, Planting; ..
ClItlgatrrE: 9. Harvesting: :, last
bur UG- least marketing.
"l shall deal with the first 1--WE items
Boz more or less summarizing way on
.Ha opposition that anyone who wants
o. take "a few hundred dollars Of clear
profit from an acre should at least
-mH- rha main principles Of the busI-
r.#a- ! hall u-s more space on the
'anr .ts than on the dos
Selecting the Soil-In some news
rlp-rF yOE can read: Head lettuce will
grow fine on fresh, upturned earth
Such statements ara misleading and
ra: ln line with facts Beware Of
aueh statements. A light, black loan,
a.t1 = good sUbsOil Of clay is the best
-a.l for head lettuce, in faci, for near
ly all vegetables select land that viii
hold moi i5tgre.
> Preparing the Bed-The soil
Eaa 10 be prepared. just as good as
g8ur garden tract. plow at least II
inches in the fall. and the seed bed
-hgG'd be pulveHzed mulch TO a depth
gf SIX or eight inches. A light appli-
cation Of well rotted barn manure be
fore plowing, will help development.
3. Seed-Get the very best seed
on possibly can, without any regard
60 the cost. So much depends with
our snort season and the peculiar eli
matte conditions In our altitude, Of the
quality Of the seed, that the crop may
b. q failure n you use inferior seed.
A good way to get good seed is thru
cooperative buying. Growers should
act together and ask several rcspOn-
bic seed houses 10 forward samples
agd then have a thorough test made
by the State Seed Laboratory at Fort
Collins. Amy good California head let
luoe variety or the May King is well
adapted for our purposes. prefer
the May King.
{. Planting-Threc questions per-
tanning 20 planting are not settled by
growers. Shall lettuce be sown in the
fa'l in the field, OF early IN the spring
iH cold frame, mot hot bedl and
later transplanted to the field? Or
shall il be drilled directly in the field
in the early spring and thinned out
after the plants are started In my
opinion. while you may get some re-
suits from late fall drilling. il will not
do for a big acreage. The stand will
be too irrrgulard and uneven. For a
small acreage-One or two acres
sowing in the spring in a cold n anne
and trausplanting later in the iield.
viii prove the best way. and yield
beautiful and even crop. Place your
plants two feet apart in the rows and
The rows two feet apart is the best for
dry farming.
5. Cultivating-This may be
into few sentences. Alb
solutely no weedsl Keep the soil mel
low and well broken, just as you would
in garden. You must cultivate both
ways, and where you have your plants
in straight lines the job is an easy one.
| will add few words about irriga-
tion right here. II you have irrigation
water 1T may be beneficial TO the
freshly set out plants to keep the
of young lettuce moist
until the young plants have started
vigorous growth, then stop irrigation
and cultivate three or four times dur
ing the season.
Keep the plants free from bugs and
spray once or twice during the sea-
son.
W. A. Sheldon was among Doyleville