202 VEGETABLE FORCING 



Forced rhubarb for market is usually tied with red tape. 

 Some growers prefer white tape. A common practice is 

 to tie a dozen bunches into one bundle and then sell by 

 the dozen. Oiled paper can be used to advantage in 

 wrapping the bundles or even the individual bunches. 



Yields and returns are extremely variable. The small 

 patch 2 feet square (shown in Fig. 63), grown in coal 

 ashes, was planted January 9. The cellar was a little 

 cool for rapid growth. 



The bed of 4 square feet produced as follows : 



February 24 33 ounces 



March 1 42 ounces 



March 4 39 ounces 



March 9 129 ounces 



March 25 50 ounces 



This makes a total of about 18 pounds, or 4^ pounds 

 to the square foot. The six stalks shown in Fig. 62 

 weighed 22 ounces. Their height ranged from 15 to 18 

 inches, and the largest were an inch in diameter. This 

 bed was located about 4 feet from a hot water furnace. 



The Market Growers' Journal reports the following 

 weights and measures relating to 10 selected stalks grown 

 by Lazenby from one-year roots at the Ohio State 

 University : 



Inches 



Average length of stem . 17.3 



Average length of leaf blade 4.4 



Total length of leaf 21.7 



Average length of leaf blade 3.0 



Average weight of whole stalk 4.6 



The crop sold from one lot of roots in an 8 by 10 foot 

 bed in the cellar brought $10. Two crops from seedling 

 roots grown on 185 square feet of space sold for $35. 



In "The New Rhubarb Culture/' Morse reports $144 

 as the winter returns from a cellar 36 by 54 feet in size, 

 heated by two large lamps. 



