GROWING RHUBARB. 333 



give more room by laying off in six feet rows with the 

 plants three or four feet apart in the row. Others plant 

 in the garden, placing the plants two feet apart, if only 

 one row is planted, and in four feet rows with the plants 

 three feet apart if there are to be several rows. On good, 

 strong, deep soils, it is well to give plenty of room, for 

 large growth of leaves is desired to impart vigor to the 

 roots. Distance depends somewhat upon the variety, but 

 nearly all growers aim at very large leaf stems, and these 

 require ample space. 



Treatment. Plants of summer growing varieties should 

 be allowed to retain all their leaves the first year after 

 planting out, and there must be abundant moisture for 

 summer growth if there is to be a heavy crop the second 

 3'ear. Frequent summer cultivation is desirable unless 

 mulching is employed, and if it is, the grower must be 

 sure that his mulching is heavy enough to retain moisture. 

 It is probably better to trust to cultivation and irrigation 

 in most situations. With the fall rains the surface should 

 be liberally dressed with manure and covered in as deeply 

 as possible without injury to the roots. Shallow cultiva- 

 tion should follow before the weeds advance too far, to be 

 repeated as necessary to keep the field clean. 



Winter growing varieties, planted out in the spring and 

 summer, irrigated, establish themselves so strong^ the 

 first summer that some pulling can be done upon them the 

 following winter. Even without irrigation, spring set 

 plants will receive a new impulse with the first rain, grow 

 riotously with the autumn heat and give large leaf stems 

 by the holidays in the warmer parts of the State. 



Manuring and cultivation should be followed year after 

 year to keep the soil rich and in good tilth. Some soils 

 are, however, so rich naturally that such liberal manuring 

 may not be necessary. The plant should not be too fully 

 stripped of its leaves nor should the pulling be continued 

 too late in the summer. The following crop depends upon 

 adequate leaf action consequently the plant must have 

 foliage and summer moisture to maintain it. 



