Am.  Jour.  Pharni.  1 
May,  1881,  ( 
Cultivation  of  Rhubarb  in  France. 
255 
tlie  species  Rheum  officinale  Avas  described  by  Professor  Planclioii  \n 
1872.1 
The  plant  cultivated  in  ^the  shade,  with  a  northern  exposure,  and  in 
moist  places,  developed  a  luxuriant  vegetation,  both  in  the  size  of  its 
root  and  the  amplitude  of  the  leaves.  But  the  product  under  such 
conditions  appears  to  have  been  of  doubtful  quality. 
Whilst  working  upon  the  plant  in  the  spring  a  very  short  stem  was 
noticed,  appearing  like  a  ball  covered  with  black  scales,  from  which 
issued  in  the  first  days  of  March  an  enormous  bud,  resembling,  both 
in  size  and  color,  a  hen's  egg.  This  bud  gradually  developed  and 
gave  otf  leaves,  which  in  the  first  year  of  the  plantation  attained  a. 
diameter  of  1  meter. 
In  the  month  of  June,  desiring  to  develop  a  vigorous  vegetation 
whilst  preserving  the  medicinal  principles,  M.  Gallais  dressed  each  of 
the  plants  with  100  grams  of  Peruvian  guano.  Being  freely  watered, 
the  root  then  grew  considerably  and  formed  upon  every  side  axillary 
buds,  which  produced  in  their  turn  leaves  that  were  smaller  than  those 
which  issued  from  the  parent  stem.  Such  buds,  in  develoj^ing,  give- 
rise  in  the  prolonged  stalk  to  changes  which,  upon  section,  become 
apparent  as  the  marblings  that  are  held  as  characteristics  in  commerce, 
and  are  the  work  of  nature  only.  The  plant  was  left  during  the 
second  year,  with  only  such  attention  as  was  necessary,  to  gather 
strength  and  to  allow  its  cellular  structure  to  become  more  compact  by 
the  concentration  of  its  particular  juices. 
The  collection  was  made  at  the  end  of  the  second  year;  in  the  case 
of  the  plant  growing  spontaneously,  the  Chinese  are  said  not  to  make  a 
collection  until  the  end  of  the  sixth  year.  The  art  of  cultivating  this 
plant  for  medicinal  purposes,  M.  Gallais  considers  to  lie  not  only  in 
assisting  the  growth  of  the  plant,  but  in  favoring  the  development 
of  the  active  principles,  so  that  the  plant  may  arrive  in  a  couple  of 
years  at  the  age  which,  when  growing  wild,  it  attains  in  six.  The 
known  characters  of  French  rhubarb  he  attributes  to  the  collection 
having  been  made  before  the  plants  had  arrived  at  maturity.  As  to 
reproduction,  M.  Gallais  has  obtained  the  best  results  with  offshoots. 
At  Ruffec  the  plant  seeds  with  difficulty  in  the  second  year,  and  its 
cultivation  from  seeds  is  not  always  successful,  especially  in  rainy  and 
cold  seasons. 
^8ee  "Pliarniaceutical  .Tournal"  [3],  vol.  iv,  j).  090. 
