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BEET.— BETA. 



Natural order, Holorai. A genus of the 

 Pentandria Digynia class. 



It takes its name from the shape of its 

 seed vessel, which, when it swells with seed, 

 has the form of the letter so called in the 

 Greek alphabet. 



It appears to be a native of Sicily, as the 

 Greeks, according to Pliny, had as well as 

 the black, a white beet, which also they 

 called Sicilian beet. 



The Grecians held this root in great esteem, 

 as it was their custom to offer it, on silver, to 

 Apollo in his temple at Delphos. They used 

 also to cut the leaves in preference to lettuce, 

 and observed the method of laying a small 

 weight on the plant, to make it cabbage. 



Pliny says, of all garden herbs, beets are 

 the lightest roots; that they are eaten (as 

 well as the leaves) with lentils and beans, 

 and the best way to eat them is with mustard, 



