RHU 



RIC 



ways checks and somewhat lessens 

 theirgrowth. When they make their 

 appearance in tlie spring, and have 

 been thoroughly cleared of weeds, 

 they may be tliinned to six or eight 

 inches asunder, and the surface of 

 the ground about them loosened witii 

 the lioe. Towards the conclusion of 

 summer, when it can be determined 

 whieli are tiie strongest plants, they 

 must be finally thinned to three or 

 four feet, or the hybrid to six. They 

 must be continually kept clear of 

 weeds. In autunm, when the leaves 

 decay, they are removed, and the bed 

 being gently turned over, a little well- 

 putretied stable dungadded,and some 

 of the earth applied over the stools. 

 In the spring, the bed may be again 

 dug, previous to the plants making 

 their appearance ; and as the stalks, 

 when blanched, are much less harsh 

 in taste, require less sugar to be ren- 

 dered palatable, and are greatly im- 

 proved in appearance, at this period 

 a trench may be dug between the 

 rows, and the earth from it laid about 

 a foot thick over the stool. This 

 covering must be removed when the 

 cutting ceases, and the plants allow- 

 ed to grow at liberty. As tlie earth 

 in wet seasons is apt to induce de- 

 cay, the covering may be advanta- 

 geously formed of coal ashes or drift 

 sand, which are much less retentive 

 of moisture. Those plants produce 

 the seed in greatest perfection that 

 are not gathered from, but on no ac- 

 count nmst they be subjected to the 

 process of blanching.'" 



The stems may be forced very 

 readily by covering them with barrels 

 or hand frames, and surrounding the 

 outside by fermenting horse dung. 



When the roots are wanted, the 

 stalks should not be removed to any 

 great extent; the soil is to be thor- 

 oughly loosened about the plants, 

 once a year at least, by spading or 

 trenching. They are taken up at six 

 years, in the autumn, cleaned, scra- 

 ped, and hung on strings to dry in the 

 sun ; a hole is often bored through 

 the centre of the large roots for this 

 purpose ; the young roots are reject- 

 ed. They are also dried, in part, by 

 Kk K 



exposure to heat upon slabs of stone, 

 and the large roots cut into slices. 

 Tlie i)rocess must be perfectly ac- 

 complished, and often requires sev- 

 eral months ; the loss by drying is 

 four fifths of the weight. 



RHUS. A genus of shrubs, some 

 of which are of economical value, as 

 the R. conaria, which yields much 

 tannin, and i.s used for dyeing and 

 making leather ; the R. glabra, which 

 is a very common indigenous plant, 

 is also useful in tanning ; the poison 

 oak {R. toxicodendron), poison sumach 

 {R. vcrnu), poison vine {R. uidicans 

 and R. piimila), are all remarkable 

 fur their poisonous juice and exhala- 

 tions. See Poixon Oak: 



RIBAiXD GRASS. Canary grass, 

 and the striped leafed Phalaris ; sown 

 as an ornament in gardens. 



RIB GRASS. A name for the 

 plantain {Flantago major). 



RIBS. The curved bones attach- 

 ed to the vertebraj behind ; those 

 which meet at the chest and are ar- 

 ticulated to the sternum are called 

 true ribs ; those whose extremities 

 are only furnished with cartilage are 

 the false ribs. In building, curved 

 timbers tor roofing 



RICE. Plants of the genus Ory- 

 za, especially the 0. 

 satica. {Fig.), or wa- 

 ter rice, cultivated 

 in South Carolina 

 and other Southern 

 and Southwestern 

 States. In India 

 and Africa several 

 mountain or dry spe- 

 cies are cultivated, 

 as the 0. mulica, but 

 they are much small- 

 er and yield less than 

 the aquatic kinds. 

 The cultivation in 

 South Carolina is 

 very successful on 

 rich river bottoms, 

 the yield being forty 

 bushels or more the 

 acre, and one hand 

 managing five acres. 

 Tiie process is well 

 described by a successful planter. 



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