126 



THE NEW RHXTBARB CULTURE. 



should be about one inch deep. They inciy be covered 

 with a hoe, and should be well pressed down with the 

 foot. The cultivation of the young plants consists mere- 

 ly of keeping the soil about them light and free from 

 grass and weeds. In a small patcli this work can be done 



Seebling and Root Cftting. 



with a hoe and rake, and a little hand weeding is neces- 

 sary before the plants get large enough to shade the 

 rows. Directions for propagation from roots and from 

 seed, sown either under glass or in the open ground, 

 are given in Part I. There is but little essential differ- 

 ence between a well grown seedling root and a well 

 selected cutting from an overgrown hill. But the root 

 clumps sometimes sold for transplanting, resemble a mis- 

 shapen club more than a plant, and will make slow 

 growth. Thrifty, branching roots are best. 



The Food Value of rhubarb seems to consist almost 

 entirely in its tonic properties obtained from the mineral 

 matters which give it its acid quality. The food analy- 



