USEFUL PROJECTS. 87 
the fhoots off, leaving not the leaft 
piece of a fet on the fhoot. I then 
plant the fhoots. 
Hurfeley, S: Hi? 
aad July, 1789. : : 
It fhould appear, from the above 
ingenious experiment, of which fu- 
ture trials will confute or confirm 
the fact, that it corroborates the 
above tlieory, by proving the difeafe 
in the fet; and which, when the 
caufe or feat of diforder is lopped 
away,, the cure is effected by the 
foree of nature to heal itfelf, and 
the power. of vegetation on the 
fall fibres, -which retain newly- 
acquired life, though from an in- 
fected parent ftock. 
Method of cultivating and curing 
Turkey Rhubarb from Seed. From 
_ the fame. 
-HAVE ufually fown the feed 
about the beginning of Februa- 
_ ry, on a.bed of good {oil (if rather 
fandy, the better) expofed to an 
eaft or weft afpeét, in preference to 
the fouth ; obferving a full fun to 
be prejudicial to the vegetation of 
the feeds, and to the plants whilft 
young. 
The feeds are beft fown mode- 
rately thick (broad-caft) treading 
them regularly in, as is ufual with 
parfneps and other light feeds, and 
then raking the ground fmooth. I 
have fometimes, when the feafon 
has been wet, made a bed for fow- 
ing the rhubarb feeds upon, about 
two feet thick, with new ding from 
the ilable, covering it near one 
foot thick with good foil. The in- 
tent of this bed is not for the fake 
of warmth, but folely to prevent the 
‘a 
- 
rifing of earth-worms, which, in a 
moift feafon, will frequently deftroy 
the young crop. 
If the feed is good, the plants 
often rife too thick; if fo, when 
they have attained fix leaves, they 
fhould be taken carefully up (where 
too clofe) leaving the ftanding crop 
eight or ten inches apart: thofe 
taken up may be planted at the 
fame diftance, in a frefh fpit of 
ground, in order to furnifh other 
plantations. When the plants in 
general are grown to the fize that 
cabbage-plants are ufwally fet out 
for a ftanding crop, they are beft 
planted where they are to remain, 
in beds four feet wide, one row 
along the middle of the bed, leay- 
ing two yards diftance betwixt the 
plants, allowing an alley between 
the beds about a foot wide, for con- 
veniency of weeding the plants. 
In the autumn, when the decayed 
leaves are removed, if the fhoveling 
of the alleys are thrown over the . 
crowns of the plants; it will be 
found of fervice. 
Cultivation of Turkey Rhubarb by 
off-/ets. 
On taking. up fome plants the 
laft {pring, 1 flipped off feveral off- 
fets from the heads of large plants : 
thefe I fet with a dibble, about 2 
foot apart, in order, if I found them 
thrive, to remove them into other 
beds. On examining them in“ the 
autumn, I was furprifed to fee the 
progrefs they had made, and pleafed 
to be able to furnifh my beds with 
forty plants in the moft thriving 
ftate. ’ 
Though this was’ my firft expe- 
riment of its kind, I do not mean’ 
to arrogate the difcovery to mylelf, 
G4 having 
