RADIX RHEl. 501 



CoUinson obtained rhubarb plants from seeds procured in Tartary, 

 and sent to him in 1742 by Professor Siegesbeck of St. Petei-sburg.^ 



About 1777 Hayward, an apothecary of Banbury in Oxfordshire, 

 commenced the cultivation of rhubarb with plants of jRA. Rhaponticum, 

 raised from seeds sent from Russia in 1762. The drug he produced 

 was so good that the Society of Arts awarded him in 1789 a silver 

 medal, and in 1794 a gold medal." The Society also awarded medals 

 about the same time (1789-1793) to growers of rhubarb in Somerset- 

 shire, Yorkshire, and Middlesex, some of whom, it appears, cultivated 

 Rli. ixdraatuni. On the death of Hayward in 1811, his rhubarb 

 plants came into the possession of Mr. P. Usher, by whose descendants, 

 Mr. R. Usher and sons, they are still cultivated at Bodicott, a viOage 

 near Banbury. 



The authors of this book had the pleasure of inspecting the rhubarb 

 fields of Messrs. Usher on Sept. 4, 1872, and of seeing the whole process 

 of preparing the root for the market.' The land under cultivation is 

 about 17 acres, the soil being a rich friable loam. The roots are taken 

 from the ground during the autumn up to the month of November. 

 It is considered advantageous that they should be 6 or 7 yeai-s old, but 

 they are seldom allowed to attain more than 3 or 4 years. The 

 clumps of root as removed from the field to the yard, where the 

 trimming takes place, are of huge size, weighing with the earth 

 attached to them as much as 60 or 70 lb. They are partially cleaned, 

 the smaller roots are cut off, and the large central portion is rapidly 

 trimmed into a short, cylindrical mass the size of a child's head. This 

 latter subsequently undergoes a still further paring, and is finally 

 sliced longitudinally ; the other and less valuable roots are also pared, 

 trimmed, and assorted according to size. The fresh roots are fleshy, 

 easily cut, and of a beautiful deep yellow. All are dried in buildings 

 constructed for the purpose, and heated by flues. The drying occupies 

 several weeks. The root after drying has a shrivelled, unsightly 

 appearance, which may be remedied by paring and filing. The finished 

 drug has to be stored in a warm dry place. 



When well prepared, Banbury rhubarb is of excellent appearance. 

 The finest pieces, which are semi-cylindrical, are quite equal in size to 

 the drug of China. The colour is as good, and the fractured surface 

 exhibits ])iuk markings not less distinct and brilliant. Even the 

 smaller roots, which are dried as sticks, have internally a good colour, 

 and afford a fine powder. But the odour is somewhat different from 

 that of Chinese rhubarb ; the taste is less bitter but more mucilaginous 

 and a.stringent, and the root is of a more spongy, soft, and brittle 

 texture. The structure is the same as that of the Chinese rhubarb, 

 except that, as already stated, the star-like spots, if present, are 

 isolated, and not arranged in a regular zone. 



The drug commands but a low price, and is chiefly sold, it is said, 

 for exportation in the state of powder. It is not easily purchased in 

 London. 



French and German Rhubarb — The cultivation of rhubarb was 



^ Dillwyn, Hortus Collinsonianus, 1843. ' No use is made of the leaves. — Some 



45. farther particulars are given by Holmes, 



» Trans. o/Soc. of Arts, viii. (1790) 75 ; Pharm. Journal^ vii (1877) 1017. 

 xii. (1794) 225. 



