Abstract
RHUBARB is one of the oldest cultivated plants, for its history in China, its native home, dates back to almost 3000 B.C. At first it was grown solely for the medicinal properties of its roots and was introduced into England from Siberia on that account some three hundred years ago. Later, interest developed in the edible properties of the leaf stalks, but it was not until the nineteenth century that plantings of rhubarb for culinary purposes became widespread. The literature on rhubarb cultivation is scanty, so the illustrated bulletin, compiled by H. V. Taylor and E. E. Skillman, recently issued by the Ministry of Agriculture (No. 113. H.M. Stationery Office. 9d.) should prove a great asset to growers. The advice given relates generally to normal peacetime practice. Only a limited number of varieties are grown for commercial purposes; each is described in some detail and attention directed to the fact that all may be seen growing in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley. The chief area of production is the West Riding of Yorkshire, though in Essex, Lancashire and Cheshire quite a considerable acreage is devoted to the crop. The high rainfall, acid soil and the capacity of the plant to withstand smoke pollution contribute to the success of the crop in the Leeds district; in fact the contaminated atmosphere is an asset for forcing purposes, as it induces premature leaf shedding and early dormancy. The cultivation of both forced and natural rhubarb are described at some length and a section devoted to grading, packing and marketing. As regards diseases, that termed 'crown rot' appears to cause most trouble. Eelworm infection is now thought to be largely responsible for this, though it is not yet clear whether there are not also other factors which contribute to this condition.
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Cultivation of Rhubarb. Nature 155, 359 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155359b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155359b0