but in winter they muft be removed into the ftove, 

 where they mail be placed in a temperate warmth, 

 and iliould be often, but fparingly, watered. The 

 fecond year thefe plants will flower, and fomctimes 

 they will perfeft their feeds in this country ; but they 

 muft be conftantly preferved in the ilove, for they 

 will not live in the open air. 

 BETA, the Beet. 



The Characters are, 

 ^he flower hath a five-leaved concax 



is permanent, 

 viina^ plaeed 

 cro'ivned by 



f.ve a^Lvl-Jfjciped ft< 



\dijh ft 



f 



/' 



^djl 



fupporting t-ivo floort erecl Jlyli 



a eapfule with one celly having afingle feed^ wrapped up 



in the eViipalcment, 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 

 of Linnreus's fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Digynia, 

 the fiower having five (lamina and two ftyles. 

 The SpiiCiEs are, • .' - _ 



t. Beta {Maritima) caulibus decumbentibus, foliistri- 

 " angularibus petiolatis. Beet with declining fialks^ and 

 triangular leaves having foot-ftalks. Beta fylveftris ma- 

 ritima. C. B. P. ii8. 



2. Beta {Ilortenfis) foliis radicalibus petiolatis, caulinis 

 feffilibus, fpicis lateralibus longifiimis. Beet with the 

 lower leaves having foot-ftalks^ thofe upon the ft ah 



long f pikes of ft 



Beta alba vel pal-. 



lefcens, qure cicla officinarum. C, B. P. ix8. 

 3. Beta {Vulgaris) caule erefto. Lin. Sp. 322. Common 

 red Beet. Beta rubra radice rapacca, C. B. P. 118. 

 Red Beet with a Turnep root. 



There are feveral varieties of this genus, fome of 

 which are cultivated in the gardens for the kitchen ; 

 but as thefe have been improved by culture, fp they 

 muft not be deemed diftinft fpccies. There are fome 

 who have fuppofed all the fpecies were only feminal 

 variations, but from having cultivated them upward 

 of foriy years, I could never obferve, that either of 

 the three fpccies here enumerated have altered from 

 one to tlie other. The only alteration which I have 

 obferved in the third fpecies, has been in the colour 

 of the leaves and roots, which will be hereafter men- 



tioned. . 



The firft fort grows naturally on the banks of the 

 fea, and in fait marfhes in divers parts of England. 

 Tills has been fuppofed by many, to be the fame v/ith 

 the fecond fpecies ; but I have brought the feeds 

 from the places where they grow naturally, many 

 times, and liave. cultivated the plants with care, but 

 could not find any of the plants vary from^ their parent 

 plants in their charafters, fo that I can make no doubt 

 of its being a diftin6l fpecies. 

 ■ The fecond fort is cultivatad in gardens for its leaves, 

 which are frequently ufed in foups ^ the root of this 

 fort feldom grows larger than a man's thumb ; the 

 ftalks grow ereft, and are garnillied with oblong 

 fpear-ftiaped leaves, growing clofe to the ftalk ^ the 

 fpikes of flowers come out from the wings of the 

 leaves, which are long, and have narrow leaves placed 

 between the flowers. The lov/er leaves of the plant 

 arc thick and fucculent,^ and their foot-ftalks are 

 broad. The varieties of this are, the White Beet, 

 the Green Beet, and the Swifs or Chard Beet, 

 will vary from one to the other by culture, as I have 

 often experienced, but never alter to the firft or third 



fort. 



The third fort hath large, thick, fucculent leaves, 



which are for the moft part of a dark red, or purple 

 colour. The roots of this are large, and of a deep 

 red colour, on which their goodnefs depends ; for the 

 larger tliefe roots grow, the tenderer they will be ; 

 and the deeper their colour, the more they are 

 efteemed. The varieties of this are, the common 

 Red Beet, the Turnep-rooted Red Beet, the Green- 

 leaved Red Beet, and the Yellow-rooted Beet. 

 The fecond fort, which is cultivated in gardens for 

 its leaves, which are ufed in the kitchen, is com- 

 monly fov/n by itfelf, apd not mixed with other crops. 



Theie 



r. 



This is fown the beginning of March, upon an open 

 fpot of ground, not too moift^ the feeds fliould be 

 fown thinly, becaufe the plants require room to 

 fpread •, for when they are too clofe, the leaves will 

 be fmall and full' of fibres, fo unfit for the purpofcs 

 defigned. When the plants have put out four leaves, 

 the ground fl^.ould be hoed, as is praftifed for Car- 

 rots, carefully cutting up all the weeds, and alfo the 

 plants where they are too near each other, leaving 

 them at leaft four inches afunder : if this is performed 

 in dry weather, all the prefent weeds v/illbe deftroycd; 

 but as young weeds will foon appear, fo in three 

 weeks or a month's time, the ground fiiould be a fe- 

 cond time hoed over, to cut up the weeds, and thin 

 the plants to a greater diftance ■, for by i]\n time they. 

 will be paft danger, fo fuould nQt be left nearer than 



fix inches, if regard is had to the goodnefs of their 

 leaves : and if it is of the Swifs kind, with broad 

 leaves, tlie plants muft not be nearer than nine or tea 

 inches. If the fecond hoeing is well performed, and 

 in dry weather, the ground v/ill remain clean a month 

 longer, when it flaould be hoed over a third time i 

 which, if properly done, v/ili deftroy all the v/ecds ; 

 fo that after this, the plants will fpread and prevent ■ 

 the weeds from ji^rowine, therefore will v/ant but little 



cleaning for a confiderable time, and tlie leaves will 

 foon be fit for ufe, wlien the outer large leaves fliould 

 be firft gathered, leaving the fmall inner leaves to 

 grow larger ; io that a fmall fpot of ground v/ill fup- 

 ply a moderate fixmiiy, and will furnifti a new fupply 

 of leaves for tv/o years, provided the plants are not 

 permitted to run up to feed, for after that, their leaves 

 will not be e;ood : therefore thofe who are curious in 



their herbs, muft fow a frefii fpot of ground annually, 

 becaufe thefe plants naturally run up the fecond ycarj 

 and although the roots may be continued longer, by ♦ 

 cutting oflf the ftalks when they begin to flioot, yet 

 the leaves will not be fo large or tender upon thefe 

 roots, as upon the young plants. 

 The Red Beet is frequently fown with Carrots, Parf- 

 neps, or Onions, by the Icitchen garcleners near Lon- 

 don, who draw up their Carrots or Onions v/hen they 

 are young, whereby the Beets will have room to grow, 

 when the other crops are gatliered \ but where the 

 crops are not timely removed from them, it v/ill be 

 a better method to fow them feparately. This fort 

 requires a deep light foil, for as their roots run deep 

 in the ground, fo in fliallow ground they will be 

 fnort and ftringy. The feeds Ihould be fown in 

 March, and miuft be treated in the fame manner as 

 the former fort; but the plants fnould not be left 

 nearer than a foot diftance, or in ^God land a foot 



and a half, for the leaves will cover the ground at 

 that diftance-. The roots will be fir for ufe in the au- 



T ■ 



tumn, and continue good all the winter; but in the 

 fpring, when they begin to fnoot, they will be liard 

 and ftringy. A fev/. roots may be left for feed, or 

 fome of the faireft roots tranfplanted to a flickered 

 fpot of ground, where they may be defended from 

 ftrong winds, which frequently break down tlieir 

 ftalks, if they are not well fupported, efpecially v/hen 

 tlie feeds are formed , which becoming heavy as it 

 increafes in bulk, is apt to weigh down the flender 



' {talks upon which they grow. The feed will ripen in 

 September, v/hen the ftalks ftiould be cut off, and 

 fpread on mats to dry, and afterv.'ard threPaed out 

 and cleaned, and put up in bags for ufe. 



B E T O N I C A [or Vettonica, fo called from the Vet- 

 tones, an ancient people'of Spain, v/ho firft ufed this 

 plant], Betony. 



The Characters are. 



of one leaf 



hidoiis^ cut at the hrim into five parts. 



flower is of 



leaf^ of 



'diflj 



lower lip is cut into three parts., the middle fegment being 



'diJI: 



f^ 



Ifljaped ftamina^ two long and two fljcrter., which in- 



le to the upper lip \ thefe have roundiflj fmmits. ^e 



men is quadripartite^ fupporting a ftyle of the length 



and 



