160 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Bartonia continued. 



and, when the seedlings are sufficiently large, they should 

 be potted singly into small, well-drained pots. In winter, 

 they should be placed on a dry shelf in a greenhouse or 

 frame. B. aurea is one of the brightest of hardy annuals, 

 and may be sown either in a frame, or in the open border 

 in April. 



B. albcscens (whitish).* fl., petals ten, pale yellow, disposed in 

 a leafy panicle. July. 1. sinuately toothed. Stem witli a white 

 shining epidermis, h. 1ft. to 4ft. Chili, 1831. Annual or bi- 

 ennial. (S. B. F. G. ii., 182.) 



B. aurea (golden).* fl. two or three together, terminal, bright 

 golden yellow, as large as a half-crown; petals five. June. 

 h. 1ft. California, 1834. Annual See Fig. 207. (B. M. 3649.) 

 B. nuda (naked) and B. ornata (adomed) are two very pretty 

 white-flowered biennial species, h. 2ft. Missouri, 1811. 

 BARYOSMA. See Barosma. 



BASAL, or BASILAR. Situated at the base of any- 

 thing ; as the embryo, when situated at the bottom of the 

 eeed. 



BASELLA (its Malabar name). Malabar Nightshade. 

 ORD. BasellacecB. Annual or biennial stove trailers, with 

 white or pinkish flowers, of no great horticultural value. 

 In India, and elsewhere throughout the tropics, some of 

 the species are cultivated as pot herbs, and are used as a 

 substitute for Spinach. 



B. alba (white).* /. white. August. I. heart-shaped, pointed. 

 h. 8in. India, 1688. This plant, either when allowed to fall 

 in festoons from the roof of a warm house, or treated as a 

 basket plant, forms an elegant object when in flower. 



BASELLACEJE. A series of usually herbaceous 

 climbers, and considered a tribe of Chenopodiacece. 



BASIL, SWEET (Ocimum Basilicum). This is a 

 tender annual from India, and must be raised in gentle 

 heat. The foliage is somewhat largely used for flavouring 

 purposes. Seeds should be sown in April, the seedlings 

 pricked out into boxes to strengthen, and finally planted 

 out about Sin. asunder, in beds of light rich soil, in June, 

 being well watered until fully established. As soon as they 

 bloom, they should be cut down to within a few inches of 

 the ground, and the portions cut off should be tied up in 

 small bunches and dried in the shade for winter use. 

 Some of the plants can be lifted in September, potted up, 

 and placed in a warm greenhouse for the winter, when 

 the fresh green leaves will be found very useful. Bush 

 Basil (Ocymum minimum) is a dwarfer plant, but may be 

 treated in the same way. Wild Basil is botanically known 

 as Calamintha Clinopodium. 



BASIL-THYME. See Calamintha Acinos. 



BASI-NEBVED. When the nerves of a leaf spring 

 from the base. 



BASING-UF. The raising of a small bank of earth 

 entirely round a plant, so as to retain water immediately 

 about the root. The term is sometimes used to signify 

 Earthing or Moulding, which see. 



BASKETS. Few objects contribute more to the adorn- 

 ment of a window, or the decoration of the dining-room, 

 drawing-room, or glass-house, than' Hanging Baskets, taste- 

 fully filled with handsome foliaged and flowering plants. 

 Baskets are made in different forms and of various materials, 

 Buch as wire, terra-cotta, wood, and cork. The Wire Baskets 

 have a very light and elegant appearance, and are generally 

 used. In filling Baskets, the inside should be lined with a 

 thick layer of moss, or Selaginella Kraussiana, next to 

 which a layer of coarse sacking must be placed, to prevent 

 the soil from working through. Terra-cotta Baskets are 

 very pretty, and are extensively employed in domestic 

 rooms, but they should always have one or more holes at 

 the bottom, to facilitate drainage. Eustic Baskets, of cork 

 or wood, are also very suitable for floral arrangements ; 

 those composed of teak-wood are very generally used for 

 orchids. The compost should be prepared according to the 

 requirements of the plant or plants intended to begrown, 

 which can bo easily ascertained on reference to such plants' 



Baskets continued. 



in this work. The soil should not be allowed to get dry ; 

 in the event of this happening, however, a thorough soaking 

 by immersion must be given. As a rule, attention should 

 be given in the matter of watering every other day, and 

 light syringing every morning and evening during the 

 spring and summer months will be most beneficial. The 

 Baskets should be examined every week, all dead or decay- 

 ing leaves being removed, and any insects, which are so 

 likely to get a foothold, destroyed. In arranging the sub- 

 jects, the centre plant should be the tallest, the next outer 

 ones shorter, and the marginal ones of a trailing or drooping 

 habit, so that the whole may present a symmetrical, and at 

 the same time a natural, appearance. Wickerwork Baskets 

 are used for carrying or transferring plants, and are generally 

 made 18in. wide by 20in. deep ; they are extremely useful, 

 and should be in every garden. Split wood and withes are 

 largely employed in making Baskets. The Planter's Basket, 

 described by Loudon as a flat, rectangular utensil of wicker- 

 work or boards, partitioned into three or more parts, for the 

 purpose of carrying with the gardener when about to plant 

 or remove plants, is now, unfortunately, almost obsolete. 

 One division is for the plants, another for those taken up, 

 and a third for the tools to be made use of, and for any 

 decayed parts of plants, stones, weeds, or other refuse which 

 may be collected. By using this Basket, order, accuracy, 

 and neatness are secured. The Sussex " Truck " Baskets, 

 made of willow-wood, are very useful, being both light and 

 durable. See also Measures. 



BASSIA (named after Ferdinando Bassi, Curator of the 

 Botanic Garden at Bologna). ORD. Sapotacece. Handsome 

 lofty-growing lactescent stove trees, with axillary, solitary, 

 or aggregate flowers, and quite entire, smooth, coriaceous 

 leaves. They require stove heat, and a compost of peat and 

 loam. Cuttings, taken from ripened wood, strike readily in 

 sand, under a hand glass, in a strong moist heat. 



B. butyracca (buttery). The Indian Butter Tree, fl., pedicels 

 aggregate, and are, as well as the calyces, woolly. I. obovate, Sin. 

 to 9in. long, and 4in. to 5in. broad, tomentose beneath, h. 30ft. 

 to 70ft. Nepaul, 1823. (B. F. V. 35.) 



B. latifolia (broad-leaved). The Mahwah Tree of Bengal, fl., 

 corolla thick and fleshy ; pedicels drooping, terminal. I. oblong 

 or elliptic, smooth above, whitish beneath, 4in. to Sin. long, and 

 2in. to 4in. broad, h. 50ft. India, 1799. (B. F. S. 41.) 



B. longlfolla (long-leaved). /., pedicels axillary, drooping, crowded 



ceolate, a 

 ches 6in. lon de 

 Malabar, 1811. (B. F. S. 42.) 



. ., , 



round the ends of the branchlets. 1. ovate-lanceolate, approxi- 

 mate at the tops of the branches, 6in. long, deciduous. A. 50ft. 



BASS or BAST MATS. These are prepared, chiefly 

 in Russia, from the inner bark of various Limes (Tilia), and 

 are very largely used in this country by nurserymen for 

 packing purposes. They are also extensively employed as 

 coverings, being excellent preventatives of the effects of 

 frost. They are beneficial as a covering for beds of early 

 vegetables, to prevent radiation during the night. For 

 tying purposes they are now greatly superseded by Raffia 

 Grass. Archangel Mats are larger, and of better quality 

 than the St. Petersburg. Dunnage Mats are heavy, and 

 generally used for covering, as they are much cheaper. 



BASTARD ACACIA. See Robhiia Pseudo-acacia. 



BASTARD BALM. See Melittis. 



BASTARD BOX. See Polygala chamaebuxus. 



BASTARD CABBAGE-TREE. See Geoffrasa. 



BASTARD CHERRY. See Cerasus Pseudo- 

 cerasus. 



BASTARD CINNAMON. See Cinnamoimim 

 Cassia. 



BASTARD CORK TREE. See Quercus pseudo- 

 suber. 



BASTARD INDIGO. See Amorpha. 



BASTARD LUPINE. See TrifoliumLupinas'rer. 



BASTARD QUINCE. See Pyrus Chamajme- 

 spilug. 



