THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Julv 26, 1850. 
246 
THE HERBARY. 
(Continued from page 226.) 
Section 3.—herbs used for tarts. 
Under this head there are Rhubarb and Pumpkins, or Gourds. 
It will be in the recollection of many of our readers, that there 
was a time, when they were young, that the first was but little 
used as a tart plant; but so rapidly has it gained the public esti¬ 
mation, that now, whilst I am writing, there are scores—I had 
almost said hundreds—of waggon-loads brought every day to the 
various London markets, and the large towns in the country are, 
in proportion, equally well supplied. Forty years ago my father 
had a kind of nursery market garden at Leeds, in Yorkshire, and 
he was one of the first to cultivate to any extent this useful and 
how highly valued herb. Then, however, the use of it was looked 
upon with suspicion. People were afraid it would physio them 
in some way the same as the root ! Like every plant that the 
public value, the cultivators have striven to improve the original 
species, and have been very successful with Rhubarb. The first 
sorts that my father grew produced leaf-stalks, perhaps not 
moro than a foot long; but now they are frequently from three to 
four feet in length, and stout in proportion. The flavour and 
succulency are also greatly improved. As it is desirable that every¬ 
body should know the proper name of every plant they grow, and 
from whence they were introduced, I shall give, as I have done 
with other herbs, the botanical names of Rhubarb :— 
Rheum hybridism. A hardy perennial. Native of Asia. 
It. palm alum. The hand-shaped Rhubarb. A hardy perennial. 
Native of Bokhara, supposed to be the true Turkey Rhubarb. 
R. Rhaponticum. Pontic Rhubarb. Native of Pontus, in Asia. 
A hardy perennial. 
R. undulatum (waved leaved). A hardy perennial. Native of 
China. 
From these original species all the varieties grown in gardens 
have been raised. The late Mr. Myatt, of Deptford, was very 
successful in this improving pursuit. 
The sorts most commonly grown are the Tobolsk, Gigantic, 
early scarlet Victoria, and Dlford. The Victoria is, however, 
the most generally esteemed on account of the great size it attains. 
Rhubarb, besides being used for tarts atid puddings, is also 
excellent made into a kind of marmalade. If the stalks are 
gathered moderately young, peeled, and cut into short lengths, 
then put into a stew-pot with a small quantity of water, and placed 
in the oven till they are soft and transparent, then sugar added 
to suit the palate, and the whole well mixed and gently stewed 
over again, it has then a resemblance to stewed Greengage 
Plums, and should be placed in a cool cellar, in jars : in that state 
nothing can be more pleasant to the palate. Spread upon slices 
of bread, children, and adults too, enjoy it mightily. It is a cheap 
substitute for butter for the cottager’s children, and is particularly 
cooling and pleasant in the hot summer days. A very excellent 
and pleasant wine has been made also from the stalks of Rhubarb. 
I remember many years ago, when the Yorkshire Horticultural 
Society was in existence, prizes were offered for the best British 
wines. Some Rhubarb wine of excellent quality took the first 
prize frequently. Now, it is not necessary that the stalks should 
be young and tender to make this wine; on the contrary, it may 
be made quite as good from such stalks as are fully grown and 
almost too old for cooking : hence wine to a great extent might 
bo made from what is for other purposes almost useless. 
Rhubarb is propagated both by seeds and divisions of the roots. 
The seeds may be sown either in spring or autumn. The soil 
should be deeply dug, and should be light, moist, and very rich. 
Sow the seeds in drills a foot apart, about one inch deep. When 
a year old, transplant them into rows three or four feet apart, and 
ns much from plant to plant in the row. The Gigantic and 
Victoria varieties require the most room. Growers for exhibition 
purposes make holes for each plant, and throw into each hole 
half a barrow-load of well-rotted dung, and by this means obtain 
the extraordinary size we see on the tables at the shows. For 
general purposes, however, a good dunging on the surface, well 
dug in before the planting time, is sufficient. To keep it strong, 
a liberal application of manure is necessary every autumn. I have 
observed, that wherever the ground produces Docks naturally 
in great luxuriance, that land suits Rhubarb the best. 
If any particular variety is cultivated, and it is considered 
desirable to keep that variety true, then it should be propagated 
by division. To do this properly, it is best to take up the roots 
as soon as the leaves decay, and with a very strong knife make as 
many divisions as are needed, taking care that there is a good strong 
bud to each division. Riant them at the proper distances, cover¬ 
ing each bud three inches deep. The after-treatment, both of 
seedlings and divisions, consists in keeping down weeds, breaking 
off flower-stems, stirring the ground frequently, especially in 
spring, and giving a heavy manuring, well forked in every autumn, 
covering the crowns well up. With this care a plantation will 
last for several years. 
This excellent pic-vegetable forces readily, thus extending the 
season for its use greatly. A temperature ot 45° will start it into 
growth soon after Christmas. There are various ways of forcing it. 
On a large scale, that method described in the Cottage Gardeners' 
Dictionary, p. 693, is the best. It is simply a space covered 
with a kind of hurdles, and hot dung placed at the side and on 
the top to create a growing temperature within the hurdles. It 
is also forced like Sea-kale, under deep earthenware pots sur¬ 
rounded by warm stable litter; also, by filling large pots with 
roots and placing them in a vinery, hothouse, or Mushroom- 
house. Cottagers may fotce it easily by taking up some strong 
roots with balls of earth, and placing them in a warm room or 
cellar. Rhubarb in a blanched state is considered superior to 
that in the open air, inasmuch as it requires less sugar, and is 
improved in flavour and appearance. 
Tiie Pumpkin or Gourd (Cucurbita pepo).— A half-hardy 
trailing annual. Native of the Levant. 
Pumpkins are, or were, used in some of the villages in England 
as a kind of pie, the rind serving as the crust. When the rind is 
hard enough, the seeds were taken out and the space filled with 
sliced Apples (Rhubarb wmuld answer as w'ell), adding a little 
sugar and spice; it was then set on a dish and baked in an oven, 
and when done eaten with butter. Pumpkin pies made in the 
ordinary way are almost universally made and eaten in America, 
and on the continent of Europe. Formerly they were in common 
use in Britain ; but Rhubarb has superseded them to a considerable 
extent. The variety called Vegetable Marrow is much used as a 
vegetable, and is very good indeed when boiled young and served 
up with toast and melted butter. The variety named Custard is still 
more excellent. They are also used in soups, and fried and stewed 
in oil or butter. The culture of these Gourds is easy. Sow the seeds 
on a gentle hotbed in April, pot them singly in five-inch pots; 
and, as soon as the frosts are gone, plant them out on dung where 
they will have room to ramble, either on the ground or trained to 
a wall, or over a heap of sticks. Cottagers may raise the plants 
from seeds by sowing them in pots, and placing the pots in a 
window facing the south, and in the proper season planting them 
out wherever there is room for their trailing shoots to extend. A 
thatclied-cottage roof would suit them admirably, and the large 
green leaves and golden flowers would be ornamental in such a 
position.—T. Applebt, 
THE GENUS PRIMULA. 
[Knowing a clergyman who delights in hardy herbaceous 
plants, we ventured to ask him to furnish us with a list of, and 
some notes upon, those he cultivates. In reply he has forwarded 
the following; and we are quite sure that our readers will join us 
in hoping that he will favour us with many like it.— Eds.] 
Primula acaulis, var. alba, var. rubra. 
P. elatior, of all gradations, from a true Oxlip to a true 
Cowslip (self-sown). Also, P. elatior, var. alba. 
Primula veris, of all shades, from the natural colour to a 
deep red, self-sown. 
I have two or three plants of Polyanthus which the florists 
would, perhaps, consider as pretty good ones, which have, I 
believe, originated from Cowslip seed, self-sown. 
I should have thought that the Oxlip is a hybrid between the 
common Primrose and the Cowslip, had I not known that Pro¬ 
fessor Henslow thought, and probably still thinks, that the Prim¬ 
rose, Oxlip, and Cowslip, are specifically identical; that seed 
produced by any one of these varieties, if it fall in a very shady 
situation, will almost certainly produce the common Primrose; 
that if the seed fall in a very open situation, it will almost cer¬ 
tainly produce the Cowslip; and if the seed fall in a situation 
intermediate as to shade, it will, in many instances, produce the 
Oxlip. I believe that he also thinks, that by a due regulation of 
shade, the Primrose may be transformed into the Oxlip, and 
finally into the Cowslip. I cannot but bow with submission to 
such very high authority. 
I have observed that the common Primrose under cultivation, 
