8 THE NEW RHUBARB CULTURE. 



An incident in point, the cellar of a near-by neighbor 

 which the writer visited, gave a return of $144 during 

 the Winter. The space occupied was 36 x 54 feet and 

 the only heat used was two large lamps. 



On a bleak Winter's day with the mercury 10 or 

 15 degrees below zero, the good housewife will appreciate 

 going from the busy kitchen right down into a forest of 

 the beautifully colored rhubarb growing at her feet, 

 ready to pull and prepare for the table; and should she 

 tarry a bit to feast her eyes on the novel sight so rarely 

 duplicated in Nature who shall chide her, even though 

 the dinner be somewhat late in consequence? 



Cellars with hard floors.' — Do not fear to use cellars 

 with brick, cement, or other hard floor. During forcing 

 the roots make little or no growth and two or three 

 inches of loose earth covered over the floor will be 

 sufficient. 



Growing in Hotbeds. — A method which gives the 

 earliest and best paying crop of all, is to set the roots 

 in hotbeds, removing, of course, the old manure and 

 soil to sufficient depth to admit the full growth of the 

 stalks. There is no extra expense, as the hotbeds are 

 already on hand, and later on are used for starting the 

 cabbage, tomato, egg and other plants. The boxes are 

 covered with two layers of boards, breaking joints, to 

 avoid as far as possible the leaching of snow or rain. 

 Manure to the thickness of a foot or 18 inches is placed 

 around the boxes, and covered on top to the depth of 

 six inches. No heat other than that generated by the 

 manure is used; should a higher temperature be requir- 

 ed, fresh manure that has been piled until heated, is 

 put on, and the forcing is thus hurried at will. 



December 21, I visited the grounds of one of the 

 pioneer growers of this section, and the first, I think. 



