AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
fesigitei) fir imji'oiie \\t Jimiur, % flaitter, unit t\z darkiur. 
AGRICULTURE IS THE HOST'.HEALTHY, THE HOST USEFUL . AND THE HOST NOBLE EHPLOYHENT OF HAN. — Washington. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
v 0 L • x 1 • ] MW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1353. [NUMBER 12. 
£§r FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, frc., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
THE RHUBARB. 
No. IT. 
It is necessary to know the composition of 
this plant, before wc can tell what soils are best 
adapted to its growth, or what are its best fertil¬ 
izers. J. H. Salisbury, of Albany, N. Y., made 
an analysis of the root, of the stalk, of the peti¬ 
oles, of the leaf-blades, and of the flowers and 
pedicels. The kind analyzed was the giant, a 
variety of the rhaponticum. We copy from the 
Patent Office Report of 1850 and 51, the analysis 
of the root, and of the petioles. The percentage 
of water in all parts of the plant is large, amount¬ 
ing to from 82 to 03 per cent. The dry matter 
of the several parts is richly supplied with ash. 
The petioles contain the greatest proportion, and 
the root the least. 
PETIOLE, OR 
HOOT. 
LEAF-STOCK. 
Carbonic acid, 
12,050 
9,430 
Selicic, 
3,950 
1,400 
Phosphates, 
30,050 
4,785 
22,200 
2,476 
Lime, 
Magnesia, 
2,920 
0,204 
Potash, 
7,217 
5,287 
Soda, 
24,736 
33,260 
Sodium, 
0,144 
1,651 
Chlorine, 
2,220 
2,516 
Sulphuric acid, 
5,155 
5,274 
Organic matter thrown ) 
down by nitrate of, 
V 7,350 
15,600 
silver, ) 
98,579 
99,298 
All portions of the plant are rich in phos¬ 
phates, ranging from 10 to 34 per cent, in the 
several parts. The roots contain the most; the 
flowers and pedicels stand next in order; the 
petioles next; the leaves fourth ; and the stalk 
contains the least. The lime ranges in the sev¬ 
eral parts, from 1-J- to 6, 7 per cent.; the magne¬ 
sia from. 1 to 3.3 per cent.; the potash from 5. 
8 to 10.8 per cent.; the soda from 20. 5 to 38. 
75 per cent., and the sulphuric acid from 5 to 
12 per cent. The analyses show that the ash of 
this plant is, in a great measure, made up of the 
phosphates and sulphates of the alkalies; these 
constituting from 69 to 79 per cent, of the entire 
inorganic matter of the plant. 
It will be seen from the above that a soil, well 
suited to nourish and sustain vigorously the 
rhubarb plant, must be peculiarly rich in the 
phosphates and sulphates of the alkalies. Bone 
dust, plaster, salt, and ashes, afford the inorganic 
bodies required. Besides these, decomposing 
vegetable and animal manures are also needed to 
warm and loosen the soil, and facilitate the de¬ 
composition, and consequently, the solubility of 
the inorganic materials. 
The proximate organic analysis shows over 44 
per cent, of malic acid and extract, with a little 
tartaric and oxalic acids, which accounts for the 
intense acidity of the leaf stalks, and for the ap¬ 
ple flavor of the pies made from them. The very 
large per cent, of soda and chlorine explains the 
fondness of the plant for salt, and the fact that 
its roots survived a thorough soaking in sea¬ 
water. The proportion of soda is much larger 
even than in Asparagus, a marine plant, while 
the chlorine is but little less ; Rhubarb showing 
2.51 per cent, of chlorine, while Asparagus 
shows but 3. 21 per cent. 
Cultivation .—This plant may be propagated 
either from the seed, or by a division of the roots. 
If one has on hand a good supply of roots of the 
best varieties, he will get a harvest much sooner 
by dividing them, than by sowing the seed. 
They may be divided into small pieces, leaving 
a single eye to each piece, and setting them at 
a distance of four feet apart in the rows, and the 
rows four feet apart. The very largest varieties 
may he set five feet apart. This division may 
be made either in the fall, or spring, but is best 
made just after the eyes begin to swell. A sin¬ 
gle eye, if properly cared for, will make a large 
plant the first season, and the second will furnish 
a large supply of leaves for market. Nothing 
will pay better for thorough cultivation than 
rhubarb. It is a gross feeder, and will appro¬ 
priate a large amount of food. We have placed 
in the bottom of the holes where we set the 
plants, a half bushel of fresh night-soil, slightly 
mixing it with the sub-soil, and the best results 
have followed. In digging a hole for a pear tree 
this fall, near a rhubarb plant, we found that its 
roots had extended downward three feet, and lat¬ 
erally, much further. In preparing the soil for 
a rhubarb plantation, our practice is, to trench 
thoroughly two feet deep, and manure heavily in 
the trenches with stable manure, or compost, as 
is most convenient. AVe dig the holes two and 
a half or three feet deep, removing the sub-soil, 
and putting in at the bottom the specific manures 
indicated by the analysis. Among the very best 
are super-phosphate of lime and salt, nearly the 
third of the ash of the root being, as before 
stated, made up of phosphates, and a third of 
the ash of the petiole of soda and chlorine. 
These fetilizers, also, are the best dressing for old 
plantations. 
Plantations will do well for four or five years,, 
when the roots should be taken up and divided 
again. In the fall the stools should be covered 
with coarse litter, and the ground about them 
dug over. The best litter is sea-weed, or salt 
marsh hay. The covering should be removed 
in the spring, as soon as the eyes begin to start, 
and fresh dressings of manure added. 
In raising plants from seed, we prepare beds 
in August, as for sowing beets or onions. The 
seeds should be gathered as soon as ripe, and 
carefully dried. They should be sowed in drills, 
about a foot apart, and very slightly covered. 
A shady border is desirable, if you have it, 
but an open spot will do, if covered with a slight 
mulch. If the weather is dry, the beds should 
be thoroughly watered, to hasten the sprouting 
of the seed. The mulch, or shade, is necessary 
to protect the young plants from the hot summer 
sun. The young yellowish leaves will soon show 
themselves, and the plants will make tap-roots 
two or three inches long before winter sets in. 
During winter they should be w'ell protected 
with hay or straw. Remove the mulch in spring 
and you will find the roots looking something 
like small carrots. A new r piece of ground should 
now be prepared, and the roots set out in rows, 
tw r o feet apart, and one foot in the row. They 
will soon cover the ground with their broad 
leaves, and, if the soil be rich, will make fine 
roots the first season. The next spring, these 
should be set out like divided roots, and they 
will yield an abundant harvest of leaves. AYc 
have a fine plantation of seedlings from the Vic¬ 
toria, sown in 1852. Some of the leaves this 
season were nearly a yard in diameter, and 
weighed two and a half pounds. 
The Rhubarb is easily forced, and with glass a 
supply can be had for the family as early as is 
desirable. On this artificial culture Buist re¬ 
marks : “To force Rhubarb, it is only necessary 
to procure some large pots, boxes, or half barrels, 
and invert them over the roots. Then cover the 
whole entirely, ground and all, with leaves and 
hot stable manure. This will cause an agreea¬ 
ble heat to arise; the plants will grow freely 
under their warm, dark covering; the stalks 
w ill be finely blanched, very tender, and deli¬ 
cately flavored. This operation should be per¬ 
formed before the ground gets frozen, by placing 
the boxes, &c., over the plants intended to be 
forced, and covering the ground with eight or 
ten inches of leaves or litter. Then, about the 
middle of January, mix with the leaves as many 
more, with warm dung, as much as will entirely 
cover the articles, under which the plants are 
preserved. If properly managed, the stalks will 
be fit for use in from four to six weeks, and the 
plants will continue to produce until the roots in 
the open air take their place.” 
The plant may be forced with less trouble, 
in a common hot-bed, or under glass, with sur¬ 
face heat only. ATe placed some roots in our 
Asparagus bed last March, between the rows, 
and putting a hot-bed frame over them, had both 
vegetables several weeks earlier than usual. 
This plant is very hardy, and deserves a place 
in all good gardens. It will flourish every 
where on this continent, from the Gulf of Mex¬ 
ico to Hudson’s Bay. 
The charitable give out at the door and God 
puts in at the window. 
Vanity keeps folks in favor with themselves 
who are out of favor with all others. 
