Rhubarb 



443 



not naturally deep, it is well to subsoil it just before the 

 rhubarb is planted. The rows should be far enough 

 apart to allow of easy horse tillage, — not less than four 

 feet for the strong -growing varieties. Fig. 142. In the 

 row the plants may be placed from 3 to 4 feet apart. Good 

 surface tillage, as for corn or potatoes, is all that is de- 

 manded. In the fall the bed should be given a heavy 



Fig. 142. A Long Island rhubarb field in early spring, before harvest 



has begun. 



dressing of stable manure. This dressing serves the 

 purposes of enriching the soil, of preserving the texture 

 of the surface, and of affording a winter mulch and 

 protection. Lands that are heavily mulched do not 

 freeze so deep as those that are left bare, and the plants 

 are likely to start earlier in the spring. This surface 

 mulch may be removed early in the spring and a thor- 

 ough cultivation given to the land; or if the land is in 

 good tilth and free from weeds, it may be forked from 



