==Blanching==.—­The edible part of the root should be blanched, and this may be effected in various ways.  Drain-pipes not less than two and a half inches in diameter, and from twelve to fifteen inches in length, answer well for large stems.  Tubes of stiff brown paper are also very serviceable.  Drawing up the earth to the stem as growth develops is a simple method of blanching, and the edible portion may easily be increased according to the amount of earthing-up given.  Perfect blanching is of first importance when specimens are wanted for the exhibition table, and a commencement must be made as soon as the plants may be said to have thoroughly recovered from the effects of transplanting.

==Lettuce==

==Lactuca sativa==

The lettuce is the king of salads, and as a cooked vegetable it has its value; but as it does not compete with the Pea, the Asparagus, or the Cauliflower, we need not make comparisons, but may proceed to the consideration of its uses in the uncooked state.  Scientific advisers on diet and health esteem the Lettuce highly for its anti-scorbutic properties, and especially for its wholesomeness as a corrective.  It supplies the blood with vegetable juices that are needful to accompany flesh foods when cooked vegetables are unattainable.  Our summers are usually too brief and too cool to permit us to acquire a knowledge of the real value of the Lettuce, but in Southern Europe and many parts of the East it becomes a necessary of life, and those large red Lettuces that are occasionally grown here as curiosities are prized above all others because of their crisp coolness and refreshing flavour under a burning sun.

The numerous varieties may, for practical purposes, be grouped in two classes—­Cabbage and Cos Lettuces.  They vary greatly in habit and are adapted for different purposes, the first group being invaluable for mixed salads at all seasons, but more especially in winter and early spring; the second group is most serviceable in the summer season, and is adapted for a simple kind of salad, the leaves being more crisp and juicy.  A certain number of the two classes should be grown in every garden, both for their great value to appetite and health, and their elegance on the table, whether plain or dressed.  In the selection of sorts, leading types should be kept in view.  Some of the varieties which have been introduced have no claim to a place in a good list, because of their coarseness.  Although they afford a great bulk of blanched material, it is too often destitute of flavour, or altogether objectionable.  The best types are tender and delicately flavoured, representing centuries of cultivation, and the sub varieties of these types should retain their leading characteristics, though perhaps they are more hardy and stand longer, and are therefore much to be desired.