RHUS. 



are of a beautiful pink colour, and of excellent 

 flavour. Originated in England by Mr. Youle, 

 and fit for use here in April. 



3. Dulley^s Goliah. A new variety, which 

 grows to a very large size. 



4. Dulley's Admiral. A variety of a still more 

 recent date, and remarkably large. 



5. Elfort Rhubarb (Var. Undulata). 



6. Giant Rhubarb. A new and large species. 



7. Wilmot's Early Red. Early and fine, with 

 red stalks. 



8. Myatt's Victoria. A magnificent produc- 

 tion, with leaves and stalks of enormous size, 

 exceeding, in this respect, all other varieties. 

 New, and of excellent quality. 



9. Australian Rhubarb (Rheum Australt}. 

 A new variety and valuable acquisition; later 

 in its vegetation than any other kind: it also 

 continues to grow vigorously, and to furnish 

 a supply of leaves long after all other varie- 

 ties are gone, or till hard frosts. By protec- 

 tion and a frame, it lasts till January. The 

 flavour of Rheum jJustrale resembles apples; 

 and, though thought by some to be more medi- 

 cinal in its effects than other sorts, yet those 

 who have used it for years have never found 

 it prove injurious. 



Young seedling plants only need to be pro- 

 tected the first winter by soil. Rhubarb may 

 be forced very early, by being covered with 

 boxes or barrels, surrounded by horse-manure 

 at the lop and sides. The rhubarb is highly de- 

 serving of cultivation by every family. 



Rhubarb Wine. The leaf-stalks of green-co- 

 loured rhubarb, being cut in pieces as for tarts, 

 and bruised with a mallet to extract the juice, 

 will make a delicious wine, quite equal to green 

 gooseberry wine, and very closely resembling 

 Champagne. Of the red rhubarb a fine red 

 wine is made. 



Rhubarb Jam and Jelly. A superior jam or 

 jelly is thus made from the tender leaf-stalks 

 of rhubarb, equal or superior to that from cur- 

 rants, and of excellent flavour. To one pound 

 of the stalks, cut as for tarts, add one pound of 

 loaf or brown sugar ; boil till the ingredients 

 acquire a proper consistence. Unground gin- 

 ger and lemon peel added to the jelly have 

 been found a decided improvement. Buck's 

 early scarlet rhubarb has a preference in point 

 of colour, which is beautiful red ; it is also of 

 fine flavour, though not, perhaps, superior in 

 this respect to other varieties. Rhubarb will 

 answer for jelley three months before the cur- 

 rant is ripe. An excellent preserve is also 

 made of rhubarb. For this purppse the stalks 

 are cut into inch pieces, and preserved in the 

 usual way with sugar. (Kenrick.) 



RHUS (Derived from rous, in Greek, which 

 is from rhudd, a Celtic word, signifying red ; 

 alluding to the colour of the fruit and leaves 

 of some species in autumn). The hardy kinds 

 are rather ornamental, and well fitted for shrub- 

 beries ; some are propagated by cuttings of the 

 roots, and others by cuttings and layers. The 

 juice of R. radirans, poison or swamp sumach, 

 and R. toxicodendron, poison vine or poison oak, 

 is milky, stains black, and is extremely poi- 

 sonous. R. mriaria is powerfully astringent, 

 and is used in tanning Turkey or Morocco 

 leather. 



RICE. 



RIB-GRASS. See PIAXTATW. 



RIBBON-GRASS (Phalaris). The variety 

 of the genus Phalaris called picta, from its 

 striped leaves, is found in gardens and yards 

 as an ornamental plant. From its tendency to 

 strike deep roots and spread, it often becomes 

 troublesome to eradicate. The species called 

 reed-like or American Phalaris, is common in 

 swampy places in the Middle and Northern 

 States. When, says Dr. Darlington, the pani- 

 cles of this plant first appear, they have some 

 resemblance to those of orchard grass ; but he 

 thinks it far inferior to the orchard grass, and 

 too much of an aquatic for regular culture. 

 Another species, the Phalaris canariensis, or 

 wild canary grass, is particularly naturalized 

 in some of the Northern and Eastern States, 

 where it produces crops of the greatest luxu- 

 riance. It is perennial, spreads rapidly, and 

 may be easily propagated by transplantation. 



RICE (Oryza, from the Arabic word eruz, 

 the Greeks coined their word c$t/*, and the va- 

 rious modern nations of Europe their nVr, riz, 

 reif, <Stc.). O. saliva, the common rice, has the 

 culm from 1 to 6 feet in length, annual, erect, 

 simple, round, jointed. Leaves subulate-linear, 

 reflex, embracing, not fleshy. Flowers in a 

 terminating panicle. Calycine leaflets lanceo- 

 late. Valves of the carolla equal in length ; 

 the inner valve even, awnless ; the outer twice 

 as wide, four-grooved, hispid, awned. Style 

 single, two-parted. 



O. mutica, the dry or mountain rice, cultivated 

 in Ceylon, Java, and of late in Hungary, has 

 the culm 3 feet high, and more slender. Fruit 

 lunirish, with awns the longest of all. It is 

 sown on mountains and in dry soils ; rots with 

 a long inundation, and perishes with sea-water. 



The varieties of rice, as of other cultivated 

 grain, are as numerous as the different soils, 

 climates, and other physical circumstance's, in 

 which it is cultivated : besides the dry rice, the 

 chief sorts, by some considered species, are 

 the O. praecox, or early rice, and the O. glutinosa, 

 or clammy rice, both cultivated in irrigated 

 lands. 



The native place of rice, like that of the 

 other sorts of grain in common use, is un- 

 known ; it is cultivated in great abundance all 

 over India, where the country will admit of 

 being flooded ; in the southern provinces of 

 China, in Cochin China,Cambodia,Siam, Japan, 

 <fcc. In Japan it is very white, and of the best 

 quality. It has also been introduced into culti- 

 vation in the southern kingdoms of Europe, 

 Italy, Spain, the south of France, and within a 

 few years into Hungary and Westphalia. la 

 Carolina it has long been a staple commodity. 

 Houghton's account of its introduction there 

 is, that Ashby was encouraged to send a hun- 

 dred pound bagful of rice to that province, 

 from which, in 1698, 60 tons were imported into 

 England. Dalrymple says, that rice in Caro- 

 lina is the result of a small bag of paddy, given 

 as a present from Dubois, treasurer of the East 

 India Company, to a Carolina trader. A Dutch 

 vessel also, from Madagascar, brought rice into 

 the same province; and to this is attributed 

 their having two kinds. 



In the hilly parts of Java, and in many of the 

 Eastern islands, the mountain rice is planted 

 4L 949 



