CHAPTER XVII. 
RHUBARB. 
“ What rhubarb, cyme, or purgative drug, 
W ould scour these English hence V 
Macbeth , V., 3. 
!;]ED HUBARB ( Rheum Rhaponticum ) is one of the many 
good things that ordinarily take such good care of 
themselves that it really obtains, in many gardens, 
less attention than it requires and deserves. In many 
instances, of course, it is a mere weed of the garden, that 
may prosper or perish for all the owner cares ; for some good 
folks care but little for it in any shape or at any time, while 
not far off, perhaps, we may find those who esteem it highly, 
and would be glad to secure the best sorts and grow them in 
the best way to secure a full enjoyment of the various uses to 
which the plant may be put. Our own collection of rhubarbs 
comprises twenty sorts, and they differ considerably in relative 
value, and especially in the one important point of early 
growth ; for those that grow earliest are the most to be 
desired, and as a rule they are the smallest, most highly 
coloured, and most delicately flavoured, and are of great ser- 
vice in the household in the early spring days, when the store 
of preserves is running low, and the largest of gooseberries 
are still too small to make insipid tarts. ' But the later and 
more robust growing varieties have their uses, for, to begin 
with, some people use rhubarb as a substitute for fruit in 
tarts all the summer long, while for preserving and wine 
making, the late kinds are much to be preferred, for they 
afford large supplies, while the early and very delicately 
flavoured kinds do not. 
Raising prom Seed is a very simple business, but it will 
never pay the amateur unless he has some special object in 
view, such as the improvement of the varieties in flavour, 
