CULTURE OF RHUBARB. 
153 
died in the year 1536, mentions rhubarb as a sovereign cure, for the 
evil ol the newly discovered world. 
The Portuguese were the first who brought rhubarb by sea from 
Canton ; hut the Dutch soon obtained a part of this trade. In 1597, 
Gerard mentions, that himself and others had it growing in their 
gardens, exclusively for use in medicine; and relates a curious anec¬ 
dote, relative to its use in case of an ague : he says, “ I learned a 
notable experiment of one John Bennet, a Chirurgeon, of Maidstone, 
in Kent; a man as slenderly learned as myselie, which hee practised 
vpon a butcher's boie of the same towne. Being desired to cure the 
foresaide ladde of an ague, which didde greeuovsly vexe him, hee 
promised him a medicine, and for want of one for thee presente, hee 
tooke out of his garden three or fower leaues of the plante of rhu- 
barbe, which myselfe had among other simples given him, which 
hee stamped and strained with a draught of ale, and gave it thee 
ladde to drink ; it wrought extremely downwarde and upwarde with¬ 
in one hower after, and never ceassed vntill nighte. In the elide, 
the strengthe of the boie ouercame the force of the physicke, it gaue 
ouer working, and the ladde loste his ague.” 
Although in the present day, we set great value on the medicinal 
virtues of this root; yet the principal reason of its cultivation in our 
gardens, is for the stalks, which are served up in creams, made into 
tarts, &c. and medical men have all recommended them as amongst 
the most cooling and wholesome tarts sent to table. We shall not, 
however, venture to lay down rules for making them, lest our igno¬ 
rance in the art of cookery, should expose us to the ridicule or dis¬ 
pleasure of our countrywomen, which we feel no disposition to run 
the risk of encountering. We may, however, without fear of con¬ 
tradiction, venture to say, that if the stalks be cut into squares, put 
in single layers on a pan, and placed in an oven of a moderate heat 
for about twelve hours, and afterwards put into wide mouthed bot¬ 
tles, with a fifth or sixth part of brown sugar, then covered down 
with bladder, and occasionally shook for the first fortnight; they 
make a most excellent preserve. 
Rhubarb cultivated in this country is found to equal for medici¬ 
nal purposes, that of foreign growth. The palmated leaved was 
first planted in this country in 1763, and the “London Society of 
Arts” in 1792 awarded a gold medal to Sir Wm. Fordyce, for rai¬ 
sing 300 plants of this species from seeds, in the preceding year. In 
1793 it was awarded to Mr. Thomas Jones. In 1794 Mr. Wm. 
Hayward, of Oxfordshire, received it for propagating rhubarb by 
offsets taken from the crowns of large plants instead of seeds; and in 
