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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS ehubaeb 



texture, with a frosted appearance on the 

 under surface. It is occasionally culti- 

 vated as a pot-herb in lieu of Asparagus, 

 and is known in some parts of the 

 country as ' All-good ' and ' Mercury 

 Groosefoot.' 



The young shoots should be cut under 

 the ground like . Asparagus, and the bark 

 or skin if tough should be stripped off. 

 After washing and cleaning they require 

 to be well boiled, and may be served with 

 melted butter, gravy, meat &c. The 

 young leaves may be used in the same 

 way as Spinach and Orage, but the plants 

 should not be too heavily stripped. 



Culture dc. Good King Henry will 

 flourish in ordinary good garden soil, but 

 the deeper and richer the better for pro- 

 ducing juicy young shoots. Seeds may 

 be sown out of doors in April and May, 

 and when large enough the young plants 

 may be pricked out into their permanent 

 positions about 1 ft. or 8 in. apart every 

 way, in mild showery weather. Once the 

 plants are established they are easily 

 increased by dividing the stools or clumps 

 about the end of September, or early in 

 spring just as growth is about to begin. 

 From April to July is the period when 

 the plants may be cut from for cooking 

 purposes as a rule. In the autumn a 

 mulching of well-rotted manure may be 

 forked in between the plants, and during 

 the summer months the soil may be kept 

 in good order by hoeing, and a good 

 watering in dry weather. 



NEW ZEALAND SPINACH (Te- 

 TBAGONiA bxpansa). — From a botanical 

 point of view the plant known as New 

 Zealand Spinach, or the New Zealand 

 Ice plant, belongs to the natural order 

 Ficoidese (see p. 464), and is widely re- 

 moved in its structm-al details from the 

 ordinary Spinach. It is a fairly hardy 

 or half-hardy annual plant with a decum- 

 bent or trailing habit, the stems being 

 often 2-3 ft. long and clothed with 

 alternate thick fleshy leaves, 2-4 in. long, 

 and more or less ovate, triangular, or 

 broadly hastate, and peculiarly cold to 

 the touch, even on the hottest day. The 

 young leaves are valued as a substitute 

 for Spinach during the hottest months of 

 the year, when it is often difficult to 

 obtain supplies of the ordinary varieties. 



Cvlf'iire ((-c. — Seeds may be sown in 

 rather rich light soil in pans or boxes in 

 gentle heat during March, or in the open 



ground in April and May. Seedlings 

 raised in heat will be ready for trans- 

 planting to the open ground about the 

 end of May or begirming of June. They 

 will flourish in ordinary good garden soil, 

 but prefer a rich and hght sandy loam. 

 Owing to the trailing nature of the stems 

 a distance of 3 ft. between the plants 

 every way will not be too much, especially 

 in rich soils. The general treatment 

 afterwards consists in keeping the weeds 

 down, and liberal suppHes of water during 

 hot and very dry seasons. The leaves 

 when young are pinched off with the 

 thumbnail, and may be cooked Uke 

 Spinach. A supply of young leaves from 

 the axils of the older ones is kept up 

 during the summer months. 



RHUBARB (Rheum hybridum). — 

 There are several species of Rheum or 

 Rhubarb described at p. 770 of this work 

 as being ornamental foliage plants for 

 the flower garden. The form cultivated 

 in the kitchen garden is usually known 

 as Rheum hyhridum, a native of China ; 

 but it is possible that other species have 

 also been concerned in producing this 

 well-known vegetable, or ' fruit ' as some 

 imagine it to be when under the appear- 

 ance of tarts, pies, jam &c. The leaf 

 stalks are the portions utilised for cook- 

 ing purposes. 



Seed-sowing. — Although Rhubarb is 

 so easily increased by means of division, 

 some gardeners like to raise a fresh stock 

 of plants from seed. The plants thus 

 obtaiaed are almost sure to vary some- 

 what from the original variety, upon 

 which they may or may not be an im- 

 provement so far as flavour is concerned. 

 The seed may be sown about September 

 when fully ripe in shallow drills about 

 a yard apart, or they may be sown in 

 March and April in the same way. The 

 seeds should be sown very thinly, and 

 the seedlings may afterwards be thinned 

 out 2-3 ft. apart, leaving only the best 

 to grow on. As the plants make long 

 thick and fleshy roots, it is better not to 

 transplant them, but to allow them to 

 grow where the seed has been sown. In 

 two years splendid plants will be pro- 

 duced by this means. 



Culture and' Propagation. — Rhubarb 

 will grow well in any fairly rich and 

 good garden soil, rather light in textm-e 

 and well exposed to the sun. The plants 

 are usually increased by dividing the root- 



