RHUBARB 



RHUBARB 



2'. 151 



the roots, and this is the only method by which a par- 

 ticular type can be increased. Propagation from seed, 

 however, sometimes proves satisfactory, and always 

 interesting as the seedlings vary greatly. The seed 

 germinates easily, and if started early the plants become 

 fairly large and "strong the same season. The seedlings 

 may be started in any good clean garden soil. Sow seed 

 in early spring, in rows a foot apart and not over an 

 inch deep. Thin the plants promptly to stand a few 

 inches apart in the rows, and give the same thorough 

 tillage allowed to 

 other garden crops. 

 In the following fall 

 or spring take the 

 seedlings up, and 

 set them in the 

 well-prepared per- 

 manent patch, not 

 less than 4 feet 

 apart each way, 

 and till frequently 

 the entire season. 

 In spring of the next 

 year the stalks may 

 be pulled freely. 



From ten to twenty good plants should supply the 

 needs of the usual family, and probably with something 

 to spare for the neighbors. Sometimes an early supply 

 is secured by placing a bottomless barrel or box over 

 the plant and piling warm horse-manure about it. If 

 the barrel, keg, or box is not too broad, the petioles will 

 make a straight upright growth and will be partially 

 blanched and very tender. Victoria and Linnaeus are 

 the leading varieties. L. jj. B.f 



rows, the price obtained for these fillers usually being 

 sufficient to pay labor and maintenance costs. The 

 stalks are usually pulled twice, returning to the grower 

 from $1 to $2 a sash, depending upon the season when 

 placed upon the market. 



Roots for forcing in the dark should be healthy and 

 vigorous; the larger the roots the more satisfactory the 

 results as a general rule. Crowns three to five years of 

 age are mostly used, although satisfactory results are 

 often obtained from one-year-old plants which have been 



Forcing of rhubarb. 



In the winter and early spring months, the for- 

 cing of rhubarb in the vicinity of many city markets is a 

 profitable industry. The plant may be forced either in 

 the field where the roots were grown or lifted and placed 

 in hotbeds, under greenhouse benches or in cellars. 

 The bulk of the rhubarb forced for market and sold 

 during the winter months is grown in cheap structures 

 placed over the plants in the field. These houses may be 

 of the lean-to type, although they are more commonly 

 even-span post and rafter construction, the roof being 

 covered with hotbed sash which is not needed for other 

 purposes at the tune. The side walls are 4 to 5 feet 

 high, made of rough boards and covered with cheap 

 building-paper. The even-span houses are mostly 24 

 to 36 feet wide and the lean-to house hah* that width. 

 Heat is usually applied in an overhead system, steam 

 being the most popular, although late in the season the 

 sun is depended upon to supply the required amount 

 of heat. When forced in the field in limited quantities, 

 coldframes are often used, the outside walls being well 

 banked with hot manure and the surface of the ground 

 within the frames covered with 3 to 6 inches of the 

 same material. 



Beds intended for early spring forcing should be 

 thoroughly cultivated in the fall and an application 

 made of high-grade commercial fertilizer of 800 to 1,000 

 pounds to the acre. When growth starts, a dressing of 

 nitrate of soda at the rate of one-half pound to a crown 

 should be given. In field forcing, the moisture of the 

 soil is usually sufficient so that no water is applied. 

 When it is the intention to use a field for forcing for 

 several years, the plants are usually set 2 by 3 feet and 

 the land fertilized heavily each spring with a compost, 

 one made from cow- and hog-manure being preferred. 

 The sash are placed upon the first houses as soon as 

 the roots have been frozen, five to seven weeks being 

 necessary to bring the plants to maturity. 



In field forcing, the cost of production is often greatly 

 reduced by growing spinach or dandelion between the 



187 



3396. House for the forcing of rhubarb, covered with movable sash. 



grown on very rich land and have made an unchecked 

 growth during the season. The roots should be dug early 

 in the fall before the ground freezes and allowed to 

 remain exposed to the weather until they are frozen 

 solid when they should either be removed to a shed or 

 covered with litter in the field to prevent alternate 

 freezing and thawing. Thorough freezing is necessary, 

 whatever the method of forcing, if the best results are 

 to be obtained. With one-year roots very satisfactory 

 results are sometimes secured if the roots are thoroughly 

 dried before forcing. Anesthetics have been tried as a 

 substitute for freezing but with unsatisfactory results. 

 When used upon frozen roots they stimulate growth, 

 resulting in the production of earlier and larger stalks 

 with greater total weight of product. If the greatest 

 benefit is to be derived from the anesthetic, it must be 

 used in the early part of the resting-period. The most 

 satisfactory results have been obtained by the use of 

 10 cubic centimeters of sulf uric ether to a cubic foot of 

 space, exposing the roots to the fumes for forty-eight 

 hours. Well-grown two-year-old roots seem to respond 

 to this treatment in the most satisfactory way. 



As soon as the roots are placed in position, whether 

 it be under the greenhouse benches or in the cellar, all 

 spaces should be filled with soil or ashes to prevent 

 evaporation. If placed on a concrete floor, 2 or 3 

 inches of soil should be placed under the roots and 

 sufficient material should be added completely to cover 

 the roots. The bed as soon as completed should be 

 thoroughly watered, the plants kept supplied with an 

 abundance of moisture, which will necessitate water 

 being applied about once a week. Care should be taken 

 to guard against over-watering as this will result in the 

 production of light-colored stalks, lacking in flavor and 

 texture. In order to obtain the most attractive prod- 

 uct, rhubarb should not be forced in full light or total 

 darkness. If grown in diffused light, the development of 

 the leaf-blade is very slight and the color of the stalk, 

 instead of being green, is a beautiful dark cherry-red, 

 giving to the product a very attractive appearance. In 

 quality the product is superior to that forced in light, 

 being more tender, less acid, with a skin so thin and 

 tender as to make it unnecessary to peel the stalks. The 

 temperature may range from 45 to 75, the lower the 

 temperature the greater the yield and higher the quality 

 of the product. The time required for bringing a crop 

 to maturity in darkness is practically the same as that 

 required for forcing in the field. 



Local market demands to a certain extent govern 

 the method which is used in growing this crop for the 

 winter market. When grown by any method which 



