OXALIS. 213 



stitute for rhubarb ; and though it may not have all 

 the medicinal qualities of that plant, it is wholesome 

 and agreeable. 



When the Oxalis crenata was first brought to this 

 country, it was treated as a green-house plant, by 

 planting its small tubers in pots, where they rapidly 

 increased ; but in the course of three or four years 

 it was found to be quite as hardy as the potato, and 

 may be preserved throughout the winter in a similar 

 way, or, when the heaps are not large, in dry sand. 



Culture. Among the various methods recom- 

 mended for the culture of the oxalis, but few have 

 hitherto succeeded. So far as the knowledge of the 

 author goes, one of the few was successfully practised 

 by himself two or three years after the introduction 

 of the plant. His method of cultivation was as fol- 

 lows : first observing on the season, which may be 

 done in the more southern parts towards the end of 

 April, and in the more northern, towards the middle 

 of May. 



For planting, the first matter to be considered is 

 the size, and preparation of the sets : of the former, 

 the largest and best ripened tubers should be chosen, 

 as in every stage of planting the means of producing 

 a larger growth in the tuber ; for the latter, the 

 strongest single eyes, and never more than two, as 

 these produce only a multiplicity of stalk, to the de- 

 triment of the root. In cutting out the eye, a good 

 piece of the tuber must be left with it. When all are 

 cut, they should be laid out thinly in an airy room 

 for a day or two, when they will be ready for plant- 

 ing. For that purpose, a light rich piece of ground 

 must be chosen, which has been well worked and 

 p 3 



