EHUBAEB 



VEGETABLE GABDEN 



1155 



stocks or old stools about the end of 

 September, or early in spring, and replant- 

 ing them 2-3 ft. apart each way. The 

 old rootstocks should be as carefully 

 divided as possible with a sharp strong 

 knife or keen spade, taking care that 

 each separated portion contains at least 

 one or two good buds. It is better not to 

 cut from plants fresh planted, but allow 

 them at least one season to become 

 properly established. They will then last 

 in a good condition for 5 or 10 years with- 

 out disturbance. 



Manuring. — To keep up a good supply, 

 however, and to prevent the plants ex- 

 hausting themselves and the soil, a heavy 

 dressing of short and well-decomposed 

 manure should be forked into the ground 

 every autumn or winter. This will 

 enable them to grow vigorously and pro- 

 duce good ' sticks ' each season. 



Forcing. — Bhubarb may be forced 

 either out of doors or in greenhouses, 

 Mushroom houses &o., and is easily pro- 

 duced. For outdoor forcing it is only 

 necessary to cover the crowns of the 

 plants with pots or boxes as recommended 

 for Seakale (see p. 1121), afterwards heap- 

 ing leaves, litter, or hot manure over 

 them. In this way blanched Rhubarb 

 may be obtained for use very early in 

 spring. Even dry leaves or litter heaped 

 over the crowns of the plants without 

 boxes or pots will give good results. As 

 the leaves, however, are frequently blown 

 about by strong winds early in the year, 

 it is necessary to keep them constantly 

 raked up over the Rhubarb crowns. 



Indoor forcing may begin about 

 November. The ' stools ' are lifted from 

 the open ground and transferred to a 

 temperature of 55°-60° F., but not more, 

 at least to begin with, otherwise decay is 

 likely to set in at that period. A little 

 fine rich soil may be sprinkled between 

 the clumps, which are placed close together, 

 and growth is greatly assisted by water- 

 ing with tepid water. 



Picking Bhuiarb. — Probably few 

 people give this matter any consideration 

 at all, and just pick whatever stalks come 

 first. A httle consideration of the func- 

 tions performed by the leaves, however, 

 as explained at p. 34, will convince any 

 one that Rhubarb should be picked 

 judiciously. As a rule the leaves are fit 

 for picking when fully grown. The stalks 

 are then mature, and contain a full 

 supply of saccharine matter, and it is 



only such leaves that should be pulled 

 with a sharp outward jerk and twist. A 

 sufficient number of leaves should be left 

 growing to each plant to assimilate food 

 and reserve materials for the crowns which 

 are to remain dormant in winter. By 

 pulling all the stalks from a plant no food 

 can be manufactured ; the rootstocks suffer 

 in consequence, and give feeble results 

 next season. 



Varieties. — There are several forms 

 grown, among the best being Champagne, 

 an excellent all-round variety with deep 

 red stalks ; Early Bed Goliath or Mon- 

 arch, having very large and broad leaf- 

 stalks ; Linnceus, excellent for forcing ; 

 Boyal Albert, and Myatt's Victoria. 



VEGETABLE MARROW (Cucuk- 

 BITA Pbpo ovifbea). — A highly esteemed 

 vegetable belonging to the G-ourd Family 

 (see p. 460). It has long rambling rough 

 stems, and deeply lobed and cut leaves, 

 and although easily cultivated as a rule 

 requires a little care and attention at first, 

 as it is by no means a hardy plant. 



Culture £c. — Being an annual, and 

 also a tender one, the Vegetable Marrow 

 is raised from seeds sown in gentle 

 heat about April. It is scarcely worth 

 while sowing earlier, as the plants cannot 

 with safety be planted out of doors until 

 the end of May or beginning of June. 

 The flattish elliptic seeds may be sown 

 singly in small pots in rich light soil. 

 When the roughish lobed leaves have 

 been formed, the seedlings may be placed 

 in a larger pot, and grown on as quickly 

 as possible. They must, however, be 

 gradually hardened off in light and airy 

 positions so as not to be too tender 

 at planting out time. If soft and not 

 well 'hardened off,' they are almost 

 sure to suffer a severe check when planted 

 out, and from this they may never re- 

 cover. It is usually safer to protect the 

 plants with handlights at night tune for 

 a week or a fortnight until they have 

 become fairly well estabhshed in their 

 new quarters. In the absence of hand- 

 lights old boxes or flower pots will do just 

 as well, but aU coverings shoiild be re- 

 moved as early as possible in the morning, 

 and shoiild not be put on until late in the 

 evening. 



Seeds of Marrows may also be sown 

 during May and Jime in the open ground 

 where they are to fruit. Except, however, 

 in warm southern localities, plants raised 



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