This crop attains its best development in a rich sandy loam in which
there is plenty of organic matter. Lettuce thrives best during the
early spring or late autumn and will not withstand the heat of summer.
In order that the leaves may be crisp and tender, it is necessary to
force the growth. The usual method of growing lettuce for home use is
to sow the seeds broadcast in a bed and remove the leaves from the
plants as rapidly as they become large enough for use. A much better
method is either to thin or transplant the seedlings and allow the
plants to form rather compact heads and then cut the entire plant for
use. In the Southern States the seeds may be sown during the autumn
and the plants allowed to remain in the ground over winter. At the
North the seeds may be sown in a hotbed or cold frame and the seedlings
transplanted to the open ground, or the seeding may be in rows in the
garden and the plants thinned to 5 or 6 inches in the row. Lettuce may
be grown in rows about 12 inches apart. In order to produce crisp and
tender lettuce during the summer months, it may be necessary to provide
some form of partial shading.--(F. B. 255; N. Y. E. S. 208; N. Car. E.
S. 147; Tenn. E. S. 2; Purdue Ind. E. S. 66 and 84; Kas. E. S. 70.)
LLEREN (_Calathea allouya_).
This vegetable, although cultivated in Porto Rico for a long time, is
not extensively known. The plant at a cursory glance resembles a canna.
The edible tubers, which are formed in great profusion, can be eaten
boiled like potatoes; but, unlike potatoes, they do not become soft,
but appear hard and crisp after prolonged boiling. Lleren somewhat
resembles boiled sweet corn in taste, and most people pronounce it
delicious without needing to acquire a taste for it. The best soil for
lleren is a rich, moist, well-drained loam, which is usually benefited
by an application of wood ashes or sulphate of potash; an excess
of nitrogen causes the production of large tops and few tubers. The
stools or roots immediately adhering to stalks are the parts used for
propagating; the tubers will not germinate. Lleren should be planted at
intervals of 2 feet in rows 4 feet apart, and cultivated like any other
vegetable. It requires ten to fifteen months to mature tubers, which
are 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, and may be harvested at any time when
large enough, but can be left in the ground for a long time without
spoiling. It is a good shipper and if introduced into the northern
market it would soon create a demand.--(P. Rico E. S. 7.)
MARTYNIA (_Unicorn Plant_).
The curious, long beaked fruit is used for pickles. The plants are
quite hardy and ornamental, the fruit being no less conspicuous for its
odd shape than the large wax-like flowers of whitish color with purple
and yellow spots.--(Mich. E. S. 20.)