LEAVES AND STEMS WE EAT 155 



has come into cultivation for its fleshy leaf stalks 

 which are eaten in the spring. 



Heart-shaped leaves a foot or more across the 

 blades, stalks two inches in diameter, and more 

 than a foot long, are common enough in kitchen 

 gardens, in England and the United States. The 

 wild plant would probably be very disappointing 

 in the role of "pie-plant." It has taken many 

 years of cultivation and selection to get the 

 huge stalks, thin-skinned, free from coarse 

 fibres, rich in flavor and color. Only the richest, 

 finest, and deepest soil produces such choice 

 quality. 



Special demand for rhubarb comes in early 

 spring. The growers keep up the cutting of the 

 leaves until the early berries come to market, and 

 people are tired of pie-plant pie, and turn gladly 

 to strawberry short-cake. With the approach of 

 hot weather the stalks become more corky and 

 lose flavor. 



The earliest pie-plant is raised by the gardener 

 who protects the crown, and stimulates growth by 

 spreading stable litter, or other heating, ferment- 

 ing fertilizer, about the plant. A half barrel set 

 over the plant is an admirable plan for the small 

 garden. This covered wind guard conserves heat, 

 and moisture, and the darkness makes the leaves 



