MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 219 



then decayed, cut them off and spread a little rotten dung on the 

 surface, the virtue of which will be washed into the ground by the 

 rains, and the plants greatly improved thereby. 



In the March following you should slightly dig the ground be- 

 tween the rows, burying the remaining part of the dung; but in 

 doing this you should be careful not to injure the roots. Let nothing 

 now be either sowed or planted between the rows, but keep them 

 always clean ; and in autumn, when the stalks of the liquorice are 

 decayed, cut them down close to the surface of the earth as before. 



The same work is to be repeated annually till the plants are three 

 years old, when they will be fit for taking up that is, slightly stir 

 the ground every spring and autumn, keeping down the weeds in 

 summer by hoeing but after the first or second year the stalks will 

 shoot so vigorously as soon to cover the ground and greatly retard 

 the growth of weeds. 



The proper season for taking up the roots is November, for they 

 should not be taken up until the stalks are fully decayed, nor defer- 

 red till the sap begins to circulate afresh in spring, for in either case 

 the roots would be apt to shrivel and diminish in weight, which 

 would be a loss to the cultivator, as it is by weight they are always 

 sold. 



The method of taking up the roots is by trenching the ground, 

 beginning at one side and opening a trench close to the first row, 

 three spades deep, or to the depth of the roots, at which work three 

 or four spadesmen are generally employed at a trench. One goes on 

 with the top spit, a second with the next, and another with the third, 

 and the fourth commonly gets to the bottom of the roots, having a 

 mattock to assist him occasionally to clear them. As he takes them 

 up he throws them on the top of the ground, and in this manner 

 they proceed from row to row till the whole plantation is taken up. 



The small side roots are then trimmed off, the best divided into 

 lengths for fresh sets, which are to be carefully preserved in earth 

 till the time of planting, if not planted immediately, and the main 

 roots are washed clean, dried, and tied in bundles for sale. 



When liquorice is intended to be cultivated on a large scale, the 

 rows may be planted three feet distant, and the labor of hoeing per- 

 formed with a small plough. 



If not sold immediately after having been taken up, the cultivator 

 must be careful not to suffer them to be put together in large quan- 

 tities, lest they should become mouldy, as this vegetable, unless pre- 

 served in a dry place, is very liable to such corruption. 



RHUBARB. 



There are several species of this plant, but the rheum palmatum, 

 or true officinal rhubarb, is that which merits particular attention. 

 It is a native of China and Russian Tartary, has braved the climate 

 of St. Petersburg, grows to good perfection in Scotland, as far north 

 as Perthshire (lat. 56); also in England, Turkey, and. various other 

 parts of Europe; is an article of considerable consumption, conse- 

 quently of national importance, and highly deserving of attention in 



