126 riGTOEIAL FRACTWAL VEGETABLE GROWING. 



Chapter 24 — RDubarb. 



It is as unnecessary to sing tlie praises of Rhubarb as it would be 

 foolish to decry it. The commanity has made up its mind that it 

 likes Rhubarb, that Rhubarb is good for it, and that consequently 

 Rhul)arb it must have. There is really no more to be said. 



Nor is there much room for remarks on how to make Rhubarb 

 grow. If the question Avere how to kill it, the case would be 

 different, and there would be a fine field for discussion. Rhubarb 

 takes some killing, and if anyone wants to thoroughly disestablish a 

 colony of it he has to dig hard and dig deeply. 



Probably the majority of people establish Rhubarb by planting 

 " crowns "—rootstocks with latent or starting buds. This maybe 

 done in autumn or spring, the latter for choice. But seed may be 

 resorted to, of course, and spring is the time to sow it. 



If Rhubarb fails — and, accommodating as it is, it does so some- 

 times — the cause may usually be sought in plantilig on a cUy, poor 

 site. You will sometimes see Rhubarb planted on a slope, from 

 which the water naturally drains, leaving the ground parched for a 

 considerable part of the year. That does not suit Rhubarb. It 

 likes moisture. With its stiong roots and crowns, it revels in food 

 too. The soil can hardly be made too deep and rich. I once knew 

 an old gardener celebrated for his Rhubarb, in which he took great 

 priJe. He was supposed to have some great and mighty secret 

 bearing on its culture, which no one could induce him to part with. 

 He was bowled over at last, though. The secret proved to be a hose 

 pipe fed from a sewage tank, and trained surreptitiously along a 

 back way to the Rhubarb. That pipe won him many a prize. 



It is no use cramping Rhubarb for room. Give the crowns a 

 yard apart, at least ; more for a big variety like Victoria. If they 

 become very strong, they might be lifted for forcing if that is 

 required the first year, but frequently it is wise to wait till the 

 second. If a large stool with several crowns is lifted, it is a simple 

 matter to cut off one or two crowns for replanting, force the rest of 

 the stool, and then throw it away. Of course, forcing on the ground 

 — i.e. turning a dark cask or tub over the undug stool, and covering 

 it with litti'iy manure— imposes no such strain as forcing a lifted 

 htool in a house or shed. 



It was once my ))rivilege to visit the extensive Rhubarb forcing 

 grounds in the neighbourhood of Leeds. There the Rhubarb is 

 forced in knv wooden sheds heated by brick fiaes. The roots are 

 packed on the floor, and rich, friable soil is worked between and 

 over them. This is kept moi.st, and the i)lace kept dark. With a 



