RHUBARB. 117 



are not generally eaten out of hand, being usually sliced, 

 and served with vinegar and oil as a root salad. These 

 winter varieties can be preserved for winter use by gather- 

 ing them before frost sets in, cutting off the tops, and 

 packing the roots in boxes filled with earth or sand, and 

 kept in a cellar free from frost. Before using them, they 

 should be soaked in water for an hour or two, in order to 

 restore their crispness. 



Another species of radish has of late years come into use. 

 It is known as the Hat-tailed Radish, from the appearance 

 of the long seed-pods, which are used for pickling. The 

 pods, when full-grown, are from two to three feet long, 

 but are used when only half grown, tender and succulent. 

 They make a very pleasant, agreeable pickle ; they may 

 also be eaten hi a raw state, and are excellent stewed or 

 boiled. 



RHUBARB. 



The rhubarb of our gardens is grown for the leaf stalks, 

 which are used instead of gooseberries for pies, tarts and 

 other culinary purposes. 



It requires a very deep, rich soil, and can scarcely be too 

 highly manured or too deeply cultivated. It is propagated 

 either from seeds or from division of the roots. The seeds 

 should be sown in good rich soil, in April, in drills an inch 

 deep and a foot apart, thinning out the plants, when three 

 or four inches high, to eight or nine inches apart. The en- 

 suing autumn or spring they may be planted out into a 

 permanent bed, which has been trenched two feet deep 

 and very highly manured; the plants being set three feet 

 apart each way. When propagated from established roots, 

 they may be divided, reserving one or more eyes to each 



