RHUBARB. 269 



done without it ; but the practice, though some- 

 times adopted, is not much to be recommended. 



As soon as the plants are fairly up, they should 

 be thinned out to seven or eight inches distance, 

 and so remain, keeping them clear from weeds 

 during the summer, and until they are finally 

 planted out in autumn, at which time a piece of 

 rich ground should be selected ; and previously 

 to planting, a good coat of well-consumed dung, 

 worked in about a spade deep, will tend much 

 to the vigour of the plants. 



The plants should be set out in a row or rows 

 from three to four feet apart, according to the 

 richness of the soil : if planted in the quincunx 

 manner, they will have the advantage of more room 

 and air. No further after-culture is required be- 

 yond keeping the ground clear from weeds ; and in 

 the autumn or spring giving a dressing of rotten 

 manure, stirring it in as deep as possible with a 

 spade or fork. Rhubarb so planted and treated 

 will continue many years in perfection without de- 

 caying. 



In taking the stalks for use, first scrape away a 

 little of the earth ; then bend down the stalk you 

 wish to remove, and slip it off from the crown 

 without breaking it, and without using a knife. 

 The stalks are fit to gather when the leaves are 

 about half expanded ; but a larger produce is ob- 

 tained by letting them remain till full grown, as is 

 practised by the London market-gardeners. When 

 the rhubarb is propagated by the root, care must 

 be taken to retain a bud on the crown of each off- 

 set, together with a small portion of the root itself, 



