404 GARDEN FARMING 



Cultivation. Rhubarb should be liberally fertilized and carefully 

 cultivated while in the nursery row or garden row before it has de- 

 veloped crowns strong enough to stand pulling. This cultivation 

 should continue throughout the season to discourage weed growth, 

 but should not be deep enough to interfere with or injure the roots 

 of the plant. After the plants have reached bearing age and size, 

 cultivation should be delayed until after the harvest period in the 

 spring. At the close of the harvest, fertilize heavily with well- 

 rotted manure, give frequent shallow cultivation, and never, under 

 any circumstances, allow a blossom stalk to develop either in the 

 nursery or field plantation. Seed production is a heavy drain on 

 the vitality of the roots, and plants which produce seed never give 

 a satisfactory crop the following season. 



The earlier the crop the more valuable it is. As a result, many 

 devices and practices have been resorted to in order to secure an 

 early crop. Some of the simplest schemes are the use of inverted 

 tubs, boxes, or flowerpots to stimulate top growth. Hotbed sash 

 are often placed over the crowns, but few of these schemes pro- 

 duce marked effects or are adapted for use on an extensive scale. 



Forcing. Forcing has taken the place of all the makeshifts in the 

 production of this crop for the early market. Roots grown from 

 the earliest robust plants by the intensive system described above 

 are lifted from the nursery in the autumn and closely packed in a 

 forcing house specially designed for the purpose. These houses 

 may be of the lean-to type, with a northern or eastern exposure. 

 Standard hotbed sash takes the place of the regular sash bar for 

 six feet from the gutter. The remainder of the roof is constructed 

 in the ordinary way. In some cases the rhubarb houses are built 

 entirely of sash, an inexpensive post-and-rafter construction being 

 used to carry the sash. The roots from the nursery are closely 

 packed in the houses, all vacancies filled with soil, and the sash 

 left off until the roots have been thoroughly frozen or until a short 

 time before the actual forcing of the plants begins. If several 

 houses are available, the length of the exposure of the roots de- 

 pends upon the time it is desired to have the crop come on. The 

 earliest houses are open only long enough to freeze the roots, while 

 the last house to be started may be allowed to remain frozen for 

 several weeks. 



