RHUBARB. 573 



3. Elford Rhubarb. Rheum undulatum, var. A 



variety raised by Mr. Wm. Buck, of Elford. 



4. Hybrid Rhubarb. Rheum hybridum. A native 



of Asia, cultivated in 1778. 



One of the most valuable varieties of Rhubarb is the 

 Elford, raised some years ago by Mr. Wm. Buck, gar- 

 dener to the Honourable Fulke Greville Howard, at 

 Elford, near Litchfield, Staffordshire. It is a very early 

 sort, and may be forced, either in the forcing-house, 

 mushroom-house, or under garden pots in the open 

 garden, in the manner of Sea Kale. It possesses the 

 peculiar property of retaining its brilliant scarlet colour, 

 although forced in perfect darkness ; a property not 

 possessed, probably, by any other culinary vegetable ; in 

 addition to which, its flavour in a tart is not surpassed 

 by that of any other variety. 



By potting the plants, and placing them in the forcing- 

 house, or mushroom-house, in November, its leaves will 

 be fit to gather by Christmas, and by bringing in other 

 plants, a succession may be kept up till March. 



By placing large garden pots over the roots in the 

 garden in February, and covering them over with hot 

 dung, a succession may be kept up from March, till a 

 crop can be gathered in the open air from the same 

 variety, which will be a month before any other sort 

 makes its appearance. 



R. rhaponticum, and hybridum, are grown only for 

 cutting in the open air, as their colour and flavour are 

 neither of them improved by forcing : the latter, having 

 very long leaves and petioles, is by far the most desirable 

 as an open crop. All the sorts require a good deep 

 soil, trenched two or three feet deep, and the roots 

 planted in rows four feet apart, and the plants three 

 feet from each other. A strong plant of R. hybridum, 

 however, will spread eight feet. 



