208 GARDENING. 



soups and sauces. It is, besides, the basis of the cel- 

 ebrated liqueur called La Reine de Hongrie, and is 

 yet more famous for giving to the honey of Nar- 

 bonne its acknowledged superiority. The tops of 

 the branches furnish an essential oil, which, accord- 

 ing to the experiments of Proust, contain much 

 camphire. It is propagated by cuttings and suck- 

 ers. " Planted in the month of March six inches 

 apart, and inserted two thirds pf their lengths in the 

 ground, they will take root freely, and by the month 

 of September be fit for transplanting wherever they 

 are destined to remain."* 



RUE (Ruta Graveolens). This plant is a native of 

 mountainous and arid regions, and, so far as we 

 have any acquaintance with it, exclusively medici- 

 nal ; but, having obtained a place in the kitchen gar- 

 den, it is not for us to reject it. As with other ar- 

 ornatics, a light, and warm, and dry soil is that 

 which agrees best with it. It is propagated from 

 cuttings and offsets planted in March or April, and 

 kept clear of weeds throughout the summer. Its 

 beauty is much increased by lopping the branches 

 close to the earth every fourth year. 



RHUBARB (Rheum). Most of the known species of 

 this plant are of Asiatic origin, but the two which 

 alone enter into the food of man (the Rhaponticum 

 and Undulatum) are natives of Thrace and Russia.f 

 The stalks, which are the parts used for culinary 



* M'Mahon. 



f Several new varieties, if not new species, of this plant, 

 adapted to culinary uses, have recently been introduced. Among 

 those most worthy of culture is the giant, the leaf stems of 

 which grow upon rich soils to the size of six and seven inches 

 in circumference, and give a leaf a yard in diameter. Those 

 who are fond of pies and tarts cannot obtain a more convenient 

 article for these than the rhubarb, from March to September; 

 for, placed in a tub with earth in autumn, and set in a cellar or 

 basement kitchen, and merely watered, the roots will send forth 

 an abundance of stalks, which may be used early in March, 

 J. B. 



