210 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [Mahch. 



which would be a loss to the cultivator, as it is by weight they are 

 always sold. 



The method of taking up the roots is by trenching the ground, 

 beginning at one side and opening a trench close to the first row, 

 three spades deep, or to the depth of the roots, at which work three 

 or four spadesmen are generally employed at a trench; one goes 

 on with the top spit, a second with the next, and another with the 

 third, and the fourth commonly gets to the bottom of the roots, 

 having a mattock to assist him occasionally to clear them; as he 

 takes them up, he throws them on the top of the ground, and in this 

 manner they proceed from row to row, till the whole plantation is 

 taken up. 



The small side roots are then trimmed oft'; the best divided into 

 lengths for fresh sets, which are to be carefully preserved in earth 

 till the time of planting, if not planted immediately, and the main 

 roots are washed clean, dried and tied in bundles for sale. 



When liquorice is intended to be cultivated on a large scale, 

 the rows may be planted three feet distant, and the labour of hoe- 

 ing performed with a small plough. 



If not sold immediately after having been taken up, the culti- 

 vator must be careful not to suffer them to be put together in large 

 quantities, lest they should become mouldy, as this vegetable, 

 unless preserved in a dry place, is very liable to such corruption. 



Rhubarb. 



There are several species of this plant, but the rheum palma- 

 tum, or true officinal rhubarb, is that which merits particular atten- 

 tion. It is a native of China and Russian Tartary, has braved the 

 climate of St. Petersburgh, grows to good perfection in Scotland, as 

 far north as Perthshire (lat. 56°); also in England, Turkey and 

 various other parts of Europe; is an article of considerable con- 

 sumption, consequently of national importance, and highly deserving 

 of attention in the United States. It grows to the greatest possi- 

 ble perfection among the Tartarian mountains, from Selin to Tibet, 

 without any other culture than what is afforded by the scraping of 

 the Marmots; and shall we despair of bringing it to perfection, 

 where soil and climate is perfectly congenial, and nothing wanted 

 but the enterprise of a few spirited individuals to make a com- 

 mencement? There is no doubt that if the culture of this and li- 

 quorice were duly attended to, but that the crops would more than 

 amply repay the cultivators; and although a partiality to articles 

 of customary culture is in the way, it is to be hoped that new and 

 necessary plants will, from time to time, be introduced and culti- 

 vated with advantage to the individuals, and the nation at large. 



The following is the mode of its culture: having procured a suffi- 

 cient quantity of seed of the true kind, select a piece of light rich 

 sandy loam, such as answers for asparagus, and after giving it a 

 goot coat of manure, trench it two or three spades deep, if the good 

 soil admits; after which, level the top neatly and lav it out byline 

 into squares of four feet, at the angles or intersections of which you 



