CHAP. VI.] TART RHUBARB. 127 



which is "Wilmot's superb) have very large fruit, 

 with white flesh, but possess very little flavour ; 

 and the scarlet strawberries have small, bright 

 red, slightly acid fruit, which is principally used 

 for ice-creams and preserving;. To these may 

 be added the Hautbois (F. elatior), which, 

 though so often mentioned by the street 

 venders, is in reality very seldom grown, 

 because the fruit, which is small and blackish, 

 is rarely produced in any quantity. 



Strawberries should be grown in rich loamy 

 soil, and they are generally planted in beds 

 three feet w T ide, three rows in a bed. Every 

 year, the strongest of the runners should be 

 taken off, and planted to form a succession crop, 

 as the beds seldom remain good many years. 

 When strawberries are wanted for forcing, pots 

 are placed near the beds, and the runners are 

 put over them, and kept down with a stone, or 

 hooked down with pegs, to induce them to 

 root. 



Tart Rhubarb. — The part of the rhubarb 

 used for making pies and puddings is the foot- 

 stalk of the leaf; and the kinds usually grown 

 in gardens for this purpose are, Rheum Rha- 

 ponticum, a native of Asia, introduced in 1573, 

 and Rheum undulatum, a native of China, in- 

 troduced in 1734; or varieties of these species. 

 Among these, the Elford, or Scarlet Rhubarb, 

 has slender stalks, but is valuable for its beau- 

 tiful colour ; and the Giant R.hubarb is remark- 

 able for its enormous size. 



Rhubarb is either raised from seed, or pro- 

 pagated by offsets. The seed is sown in April 

 in light rich soil, and the plants are pricked out 



