acres in 1924. Both Colorado and Idaho reported larger acreages in 1923 than in 1924 and lettuce production may be considered as in a more or less unsettled stage in both States.

The factor chiefly responsible for this increased production and consumption probably is the emphasis placed in recent years on the value of leafy vegetables, especially lettuce, in the diet. Head lettuce has ceased to be considered a luxury and is now a common article of diet in many homes the year round. This widened demand has brought some growers substantial profits, exaggerated stories of which have induced increased plantings and have attracted others to the growing of lettuce. Production has increased until, at present, many growers are finding it difficult and at times impossible to dispose of their crop at a profit.

FIG. 1.-Lettuce shipments increased remarkably from 1919 to 1923, when they became fairly stable

PRODUCING AREAS

California, the only State to ship head lettuce the year round, leads all other States in the volume of shipments. In 1924 New York State was second in the number of shipments and Florida third, followed closely by Arizona. The first three States produced nearly 80 per cent of the total car-lot shipments of lettuce in 1924, while more than 97 per cent of the entire tonnage in that year was produced by the 10 States shown in Figure 1. The relative importance of these 10 principal States and the growth of shipments from 1919 to 1923 are shown in this chart. The principal areas devoted to the production of leaf lettuce, most of which is grown under glass, are located near Boston, Mass., Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Ashtabula, Ohio; and Grand Rapids, Mich.

Table 1 shows the commercial acreage, the yield per acre, and the production of lettuce in 10 States from 1919 to 1924, inclusive.

TABLE 1.-Commercial acreage, yield per acre and production of lettuce in 10 States, 1919-1924

The Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma sections ship most of the lettuce produced in Arizona. The crop is grown under irrigation exclusively in this State.

CALIFORNIA

The four principal lettuce-producing districts in California are (1) the Imperial Valley, (2) Los Angeles County and adjacent territory, (3) Santa Barbara County, and (4) sections of the State from Salinas and Watsonville northward including the Sacramento Valley.

COLORADO

Approximately nine-tenths of the lettuce grown in Colorado is produced at elevations between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, in a more or less scattered belt extending north and south through the central part of the State.

FLORIDA

Important lettuce-growing sections of Florida are in Manatee County near Palmetto and Bradentown; in Seminole County at Sanford; in Orange County near Winter Garden; and in Alachua and Marion Counties between Micanopy and McIntosh. Other districts in this State ship head lettuce in car lots, but most of the commercial production is confined to the sections named.

IDAHO

The three important lettuce districts of Idaho border the Snake River Valley. On the north in Nez Perce County, known as the Lewiston section; about 100 to 150 miles farther south is the area known as the Boise section, in Ada, Canyon, and Payette Counties; and in the south is the Twin Falls section, in Twin Falls County. The crop is grown generally in small fields of 1 to 5 acres, on land varying in elevation from 2,000 to 5,000 feet.

NEW JERSEY

The principal sources of car-lot shipments in New Jersey are Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, Monmouth, and Warren Counties. Lettuce is grown in many parts of the State in connection with other truck crops, as market gardening is an important industry.

NEW YORK

Head lettuce is grown for car-lot shipment in New York State principally in Wayne and Oswego Counties, in the Elba section of Genesee and Orleans Counties, and in the Canastota-Chittenango district in Madison County, though a small acreage is to be found here and there throughout other parts of the State. The Long Island and Orange County sections produce lettuce on a rather extensive scale, largely for New York City consumption.

NORTH CAROLINA

Most of the North Carolina lettuce shipments originate along the Atlantic coast in the Wilmington and Beaufort sections, although there is some commercial production in the interior of the State.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Two districts in South Carolina are important in the production of lettuce Beaufort County and the Charleston section, the latter including Johns Island and the territory adjacent to the city of Charleston.

WASHINGTON

Most of the lettuce grown for commercial purposes in the State of Washington is produced near Puget Sound between Seattle and Tacoma. A small quantity comes from Walla Walla County.

TYPES AND VARIETIES

Lettuce is one of the most varied of our cultivated vegetables. More than 100 distinct varieties are grown in this country, although not more than 10 or 12 of these are important commercially.

With respect to market requirements, these varieties may be classified into two main groups-those which form more or less compact heads, known as head lettuce, and those which do not form heads, known as leaf lettuce. From the standpoint of car-lot distribution, the latter type is relatively unimportant. Although production in some sections is large, leaf lettuce is grown mainly as a greenhouse crop in areas near the large cities, and the greater part of it goes into consumption locally. Shipments are made principally by trucks and express. Most of the leaf lettuce grown in greenhouses is of the Grand Rapids variety.

Head lettuce, on the other hand, is a field crop of great commercial importance. The principal varieties included in this group are of the Big Boston and New York types. The latter type includes such varieties as Iceberg, New York, Los Angeles, Wonderful, Hanson, and others, but in commercial transactions little distinction is made between the varieties. In many markets they are all known as Iceberg. Some confusion has developed in recent years from the fact that lettuce growers in southern California call their lettuce "Imperial Valley Iceberg," that Seattle growers call theirs "Washington Iceberg," and that Colorado and Idaho growers call theirs "Mountain Iceberg," and so on. In reality, they are nearly all the New York type. Cos lettuce, or Romaine, is included within the head-lettuce group, although the long slender heads developed by this type are loosely formed.

Big Boston, until recent years, was the most widely known variety under cultivation in the United States. It forms a brittle cabbage head, medium large, and globular in shape (fig. 2). The outer leaves are a medium light-green color, with a slight tinge of brown

For a more complete discussion of greenhouse lettuce see United States Department of Agriculture Farmers' Bulletin No. 1418, Lettuce Growing in Greenhouses, by J. H. Beattie, 1924.

on the margins. The enfolding leaves do not overlap far, so the head is more or less open at the center. The interior of the head is a golden yellow and appears somewhat oily or buttery. The leaves are smooth with a tendency to a bright sheen.

Big Boston is early and hardy and stands shipping well. It is the only variety of importance grown as an open field crop in the Eastern and Southeastern States. Attempts have been made in a few of these districts to grow other varieties, of the Iceberg or New York type, but generally with indifferent success. Climatic conditions during most of the growing season in these sections are not favorable for the development of firm heads of lettuce of the New York type. In the South Central States most of the crop is Big Boston, the remainder Iceberg type.

New York and other varieties of this type are grown almost exclusively in the western lettuce-growing States, although it is possible in most of the important western sections to produce nearly all types with some success. The New York or Los Angeles variety is grown mainly for fall and winter shipments, and Iceberg during the

late spring. A few plantings of Big Boston have been made at times in some of these sections.

The New York variety forms a large, hard, crisp head, which is somewhat flattish-globular in shape when mature (fig. 3). the leaves are dark green and slightly curled on the edges, overlapping well at the crown. The head has a crumpled appearance and is white inside. Iceberg is similar to New York. The head is medium large and medium green; the leaves wavy, with fringed edges, tinged at the margins with brown.

White Paris Cos is the best known and most popular Cos variety in the United States. The common French and Italian name for this type is "Romaine " and the two names are often used interchangeably in this country. It is distinguished by its upright habit of growth, long loaf-shaped heads, and spatulate leaves. The plant is medium large and of a medium green color. The head is not compact, but is well folded and of good quality (fig. 4).

Grand Rapids is by far the most popular variety of nonheading lettuce in the United States. The leaves are light green, wavy with a curled fringe, and when grown under glass are very tender and of excellent quality (fig. 5). Grand Rapids is used extensively for forcing in greenhouses in the East and Middle West, where heading