BRUNFELS1A 



BRYANTHUS 



185 



the mouth of the tube ; calyx large, as" long as the 

 curved tube of the corolla. Brazil. B.M. 4583. Gn. 40:815. 

 A handsome plant, flowering in succession most of the 

 year. The commoner species in cult. 



B. confertiflbra, Benth. =B. ramosissima. B. exirnia, Bosse 

 -B macrophylla. B. grandiflbra, Don. Fls. large (2 in. 

 across), greenish, in terminal corymbs. B. Lindeniana, 

 Nicholson. Fls. 3 in. across, violet-mauve. B. macrophylla, 

 Benth. Fls. 2-2% in. across, deep purple: Ivs. longer and duller 

 than those of F. calycina. B. ramosissima, Benth. Fls. large, 

 in crowded corymbs, deep violet-purple : foliage luxuriant. 

 One of the best; may be grown cooler in winter than the other 

 species. L. H. B. 



BRUNSVlGIA (after the Duke of Brunswick). Ama- 

 ryllitlacece. Tender flowering bulbs from S. Afr., with 

 umbels of large, numerous, brick-red fls. The bulbs 

 must be thoroughly rested from the time the Ivs. fade 

 until the scape appears, or from May to Aug. Bruns- 

 vigias are hard to flower. They require rich, sandy soil, 

 plenty of heat and sunlight. When growing, give water 

 and liquid manure freely. They propagate by offsets. 

 J. G. Baker, Handbook of the Amaryllidese, p. 96. 



A. Lvs. ^trap-shaped. 



Josephinae, Ker-Gawl. Bulb 5-6 in. thick : Ivs. 8-10, 

 strap-shaped, glaucous or greenish, thick, closely ribbed, 

 2-3 ft. long, \Yz-2 in. broad : scape 1 in. thick, 1% ft. 

 long: fls. 20-30, rarely 50-60, in an umbel: pedicels %-l 

 ft. long : capsules smaller than in B. gigantea, less 

 conical and less strongly angled. B.M. 2578. F.S. 4:322. 

 Named after the Empress Josephine, who purchased 

 the original bulb after it flowered at Malmaison. 



AA. Lvs. tongue-shaped. 



gigantea, Heist. (Amaryllis gigantea, Van Marum. 

 A.orientalis, Ecklon). Bulb very large: Ivs. about 4, 

 tongue-shaped, closely ribbed, 3-5 in. broad, usually un- 

 der 1 ft. long: scape red or green, a finger's thickness: 

 fls. 20-30 in an umbel, paler than in B. gigantea, and 

 less numerous ; pedicels stout, strongly ribbed, 4-6 in. 

 long. B.M. 1619 as B. multifora. 



B. falcdta, Ker-Gawl=Ammocharis falcata. 



H. A. SIEBBECHT and W. M. 



BRUSSELS SPROUTS. Fig. 273. Although this vege- 

 table is popular in England and on the Continent, and 

 is extensively grown there, it is infrequent in Ameri- 

 can home gardens ; it is also but little grown as a 

 market-garden crop. The edible part of the plant con- 

 sists of the little " sprouts " or diminutive heads which 

 form along the stalk in the axils of the Ivs. These 

 small heads may be boiled like cabbage or cooked in 

 cream the same as cauliflower. This is considered by 

 many to be one of the most delicately flavored vege- 

 tables of the whole cabbage family. The requirements 

 of the crop and its general treatment differ but little 

 from those of cabbages and cauliflowers. Any soil 

 which will produce good crops of these vegetables is 

 well adapted to the growing of Brussels Sprouts a 

 good, rich, well-drained soil being the best. 



For early fall use, the seeds should be sown in April 

 (in the North), in a mild hotbed, or if the weather is 

 sufficiently warm the open ground will suffice. As soon 

 as the first true leaves have developed, the seedlings 

 should be transplanted to a coldf rame or some pro- 

 tected place, being set 2-3 in. apart each way. These 

 plants will be ready to transfer to the field or garden in 

 June. June-set plants should be ready for use in 

 September. 



For field-culture, the plants should be set in rows about 

 3 ft. apart and 18 in. to 2 ft. asunder in the rows. Ordi- 

 narily good cultivation should be given during the grow- 

 ing season. As soon as the sprouts become large enough, 

 so that they crowd at all, the leaves should be cut or 

 broken off as close to the stalk as possible, in order to 

 give the sprouts more room to develop. A tuft or ro- 

 sette of leaves only should be left at the top of the 

 stalk. These early-set plants will continue to develop 

 sprouts for some weeks. 



The crop for late fall and winter use requires the 

 same general treatment, up to the time of severe freez- 

 ing, as the earlier crop does, except that the seeds 



should be sown in June. The plants will be ready for 

 setting out in August. These plants will make much of 

 their growth in the cool fall days, and by the time of 

 freezing weather they will be in condition for storing. 



The late crop is usually less troubled by aphis, and 

 more profitable. Where the climate is not too severe the 



273. Brussels Sprouts. 



plants may be left in the field undisturbed, and the 

 sprouts gathered from them during the winter as they 

 are desired. This method is followed by some of the 

 Long Island growers. But where the climate is too rigor- 

 ous, the plants may be dug, with considerable soil re- 

 maining on the roots, and packed as closely together as 

 they will stand in some sheltered place, as in a vacant 

 coidframe or some similar place where they can be suffi- 

 ciently well protected, to prevent repeated freezing and 

 thawing. The essentials for good storage are the same as- 

 for cabbages. Frosts improve the quality of the sprouts. 

 They are hardier than cabbages. 



In marketing, the sprouts are cut from the stalk and 

 shipped in crates. They are usually sold by the quart. 

 To bring the best prices, much care must be taken in 

 preparing the sprouts. All discolored leaves should be 

 removed, and it is also well to have them as uniform in 

 size as possible. 



Although a dozen or more sorts are catalogued by the 

 seedsmen, there is but little difference between those of 

 the same type or form, they being little more than dif- 

 ferent strains of the same thing. There are two forms, 

 the tall and the dwarf. The former grows to a height of 

 2% ft. or more, and the sprouts are smaller and less 

 closely packed along the stalk than the dwarf ones are. 

 The latter seldom exceed 18 or 20 in. in height. 



For the botany of Brussels Sprouts, see Cabbage. 



H. P. GOULD. 



BRYANTHUS (Greek, bryon, moss, and anthos, 

 flower: growing among mosses). Syn. PhylUdoce. 

 JEricacece. Low evergreen shrubs : Ivs. small, linear, 

 alternate, crowded : fls. in terminal umbels or short ra- 

 cemes, nodding, on slender pedicels ; corolla urceolate 

 or rotate-campanulate, 5-lobed ; stamens 8 or 10: fr. a, 

 many-seeded capsule. Eight species in arctic regions- 



