Gunnison news-champion., 1923-05-18
MUCH CARE MUST BE USED
FOR BEST LETTUCE RESULTS

sat tactory. This allows sufficient
rocu for ridging and ditching for IL
riga'.uu- Ordinary garden seeders,
sue as Iron Age or Planet Jr. may be
use for seeding. Care should be
tax. 20 have the rows straight ard
Of Inform width, so that hOrse-po
cul. 4tors may be used.
RAPID Growth Means High Quality
:. als should not be planted more
iha = TO !. Of an inch deep. The
eEar. depth depends upon the texture
Of the soil. The soil should be moist
ard we'll firncd around the seed
The secret of producing crisp, brit
tie aead lettuce Of superior quality is
in +ecuring rapid and continuous
gru Fth from the time the plants
sta =,
More than ordinary care must be
usvl IN irrigating TO obtain this re
sul.. Some authorities say that 20
Pc cent Of the cases where the plants
shoot TO seed are caused by improper
har Hing of irrigation water. Any
thing which stops or checks growth OF
the plant may cause II TO produce seed.
-, 90 much water as well as too little,
ys..ay- be detrimental. Night irrigation
is preferable to day irrigation during
the warm season. Il is much better 10
have moisture rise to the plants than
to have water surround it. A small
head of water for long period is
consequently preferable to a large
head for a short time. Irrigating al
ternate rows will, ordinary circum-
stances, give ample moisture. During
hot weather, irrigation every few
days will be beneficial in reducing the
temperature of the soil.
Over-irrigation will tend to produce
looose head not up to standard in
quality. II the crop suffers from lack
of water, heads will be of inferior size
and quality and the plants may shoot
to seed.
Cultivation should follow each irri-
cation or rain as soon as the soil is
in proper condition. Cultivation must
be frequent and shallow. Lettuce
forms tap root with numerous in
ternal roots close to the scrface Deep
cultivation destroys many of these
small roots by breaking them off and
by exposure when the soil drys out.
~
II is desirable to keep the soil loose
and friable in order that the roots
may penetrate, but as the plant in
creases in size, the depth of the culti-
walton should be decreased. When the
cultivation is by hand, common wheel
hoes and cultivators may be used. II
horsepower is to be used, sugar beet
cultivators are satisfactory.
If the ground is kept. thoroly work
ed during the early part OF the season
the lettuce will make rapid growth and
smother out the weeds and grass
which may come up later Such fire.
quent cultivation maintains a mulch
on top of the soil, conserves the mois-
ture and permits the plants to root
deeply before beginning to head.
1t will economize labor to have a
shovel attachment to the cultivator
to open up the irrigation furrows and
cover up each root as may be exposed.
The plants should not be disturbed by
the cultivation and soil should be
kept off the leaves.
Early Thinning Cuts Cost
Thinning is the most laborious and
expensive of the growing operations.
ne carrier the thinning Is uOHe tie
lower the labor cost.
The plants should always be thin
ned before they begin to spindle, or
small, weak heads will be the result
Thinning should begin two or three
weeks following planting, or as soon
as two or three true leaves of the
plant appear. If thinned early, most
of the work can be done with a hoe,
for at that stage the plants are not
crowded. Later thinning makes the
work more difficult, as it is not easy
to distinguish the individual plants.
Space Heads Is Inches Apart
The plants which remain after the
thinning should be spaced 16 or IL
inches apart, depending upon the va
riety Of seed and the richness of the
soil. Sixteen inch spaces are best for
the Rocky Mountain region.
II is often advisable in thinning to
pull out the weaker plants and leave
the robust ones. This may vary the
spacing to a slight degree.
Hoes or regular lettuce thinning
knives may be used. The field should
be gone over with the hoe or knife
first, followed Immediately by the
hand work.