364 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



ON THE TART OR PIE RHUBARB. 



From the Farmers' Gazette. 



Jussien, in his classification, has pinred ihis 

 plant in the 6(h class, Dycotyledons, 52d order, 

 jPolygonecB, or the duck tribe; herbaceous. In 

 the clas.-ificaiion oC Lumfeus this order ol plants 

 is placed in the 9ih cla^s, Enneandria Trigyna. 

 It only includes lour laniilies; the laurel, the ca- 

 shew, the rhubarb and flowering rush. Of the 3d 

 order there are nine species or more; the only 

 ones, which are culiivaied in the kitchen garden, 

 are the Rheum Rhaponticxini, introduced from 

 Asia to Gre.u Bri am in 1578, the Siberia in 1758, 

 and the Rheum Ilybridum, Ironi-Asia in 1778. 



These three species are raised in ihis country 

 for the sake of their succulent acid petioles, as a 

 eubsiiiuie lor sour apples, gooseberries, &c., or an 

 addition to them. The two laiter species seem 

 not to have b. en long imported into the United 

 Stales, or, if they have, not been extensively 

 known at the souih. 



The rhapontic and the undulate have leaves 

 from eighteen to iwenty-lbur inrhes long, and 

 irom twelve to eighteen wide, according to the 

 Boil and season ; they are cordateovate, rather ob- 

 tuse, blunt, smooth, wiih reddish veins; their 

 flowering stalks will grow to the height oT three 

 or four feet. There are many distinctive marks 

 in ihe leaves of these two species, not necessary 

 to be here mentioned. Probably VVilmoi's early 

 scarlet rhubarb is a variety of the rhapontic, 

 and there may exist many other varieties. 



The hybrid species has very large leaves ; 



you must retain a bud on the crown of each 

 section. Before transplanting, either these sec- 

 tions or the young plants from seed, select a light 

 soil, rather inclined to sandy, have it highly ma- 

 nured and spaded up to the depih of three spits 

 of twenty-one inches, and ilioroughly pulverized 

 — then set out the rhapontic or Uie undulate in 

 rows at the distance of three it^et by two — but the 

 hybrid at five teet by lour. 



They will now only require to be kept free from 

 weeds, and to have the ground occasionally stirred 

 up with a three lined fork or a rake, adding every 

 spring a good dressing of well rotted manure, 

 stirred into the earth as deeply as possible, and 

 your bed will cominue good lor many years. 



The advantages ol having the petioles or leaf 

 stalks blanched lor all culinary purposes, are two- 

 fold, i. e , t e desirable qualities of improved ap- 

 pearance and of tiavor, as well as a savmg in the 

 quantity of sugar, necessary to render them agree- 

 able to the palate; lor the blanched leafstalks 

 are much less harsh than those grown under the 

 full influence of light in an open situation. 



This plant may be Ibrced by placing flow^er 

 barrels or tight boxes over a Wvj plants and cover- 

 ing them over with Iresh stable manure or by 

 some of the other methods in gardening, directed 

 lor Ibrcing vegetables. By covering over all the 

 roots to the depth of a levy inches with leaves 

 or light litter or any other protection from cold, 

 the rhubarb leaves will come forward much 

 earlier in the spring and much larger. The protec- 

 tion should be removed as soon as the weather 

 becomes warm, carelully avoiding to injure^ the 



when under good cultivation, they will often young shoots that may have started. 



measure lour or even five feet in length, and of 

 a proportionate width ; they are somewhat cor- 

 date, smooth and of a light green or glaucous 

 color. 



These three species are cultivated for the stems 

 of the lower leaves, which come to maturity ear- 

 lier in the spring than the gooseberry and other 

 fruits for which it is a substitute ; the hybrid af- 

 fords the most abundant and succulent supply for 

 these purposes. Rheum derives its name from 

 the ancient name of the river which watered its 

 native region ; the Rha, now named the Volga, 

 emptying itself into the northern shore of the 

 Caspian Sea. 



All the species of thia plant may be propagat- 

 ed from the seeds or from the roots; if from the 

 seed, which is the best mode, in February or 

 March, sow the seeds about six inches apart in a 

 fight deep and rich soil ; well pulverized, for depth 

 and richness of soil are indispensable requisites 

 for good healthy plants. 



In the autumn ol the same year, if you have 

 taken good care to water and to shelter them 

 from the scorching suns of the summer, the plants 

 will be fit to transplant into their beds ; young 

 plants require careful watering, even when it 

 would be injurious to older roots ; and we have 

 seen them protected from the sun by driving down 

 on the south side of each plant, a board about 

 twelve inches wide, and slanting so as to break 

 the sun's rays in the middle of the day, and yet 

 let the air and light have free action upon the 

 plant. In this way you can in all October have 

 them put out so as to produce leaves for the next 



spring : 



When the roots are divided 



Ibr transplanting, 



Whenever you would gather the petioles re- 

 move the earih a little from the crown of the root, 

 and somewhat bending down the leaf, which you 

 would remove, then slip it oflT with your hand, 

 without using a kni(i3or breaking the stalk. The 

 leaf stalks may he gathered as soon as they are 

 half grown or are sufficiently expanded ; but a 

 much larger produce can be obtained by letting 

 them remain uniil full expansion has taken place, 

 when the full grown stalks are gathered and tied 

 up in bundles of about a dozen each, and thus 

 exposed for sale in the market. Some of the 

 leaf stalks are two or three feet long and over. 



As letting the stalks run up to flower would 

 weaken the powers of the roots for preparing the 

 necessary nourishment Ibr winter quarters, — top 

 all but a lew of the healthiest ones, which may 

 be left to perfect their seeds, which will ripen in 

 August or the last of July. 



The petioles or leaf stalks of the rhubarb plant 

 are used in cooking pies, tarts, preserves, sauce, 

 puddings, &c. 



1. Rhuharh preserve; strip the stalks of their 

 outer skin and divest them of the small fibres 

 which would render them stringy, — more espe- 

 cially if the leaves are a little old,— then cut them 

 transversely into short pieces about the size of 

 gooseberries, and parboil them with as much sugar 

 and such spices as suit the taste. 



2, Rhubarb pudding; with a rolling pin, as if 

 for an apple dumpling, flatten out a suety crust 

 and spread thereon the stalks cut into small 

 pieces of a gooseberry size, then roll them up 

 in any shape at fancy and boil in cloths, same 

 as apple dumplings ; it is served up hot, cut in 

 thin slices with sugar and butter sauce between 



