EAR 



[ 108 ] 



BAS 



Rome of the earths; from an excess or de- 

 ficiency of animal and vegetable matters ; 

 or from an excess of stagnant water. No 

 soil can be productive where nineteen 

 parts out of twenty are of any one earth 

 or other substance. If either chalk, or 

 sand, or clay, be in excess, the remedy 

 s found in adding one or both of the 

 other two. An excess of organic matter 

 only occurs in peat soils ; and these are 

 reclaimed by draining, paring, and burn- 

 ing, and the addition of earthy matter. 

 Drainage is also the cure for an excess 

 of water. 



BARRENWORT. Epime'dinm. 



BARRINGTO'NIA. (Named after ihe 

 Hon. Dairies Harrington. Nat. ord., Bar* 

 rimjtoniads [Barringtoniacese]. Linn., 

 1 6-Monadelphia S-Polyandria. ) 



Stove evergreen trees and shrubs. B. echina'ta 

 and plutypliy'lla were, until lately, separated into 

 a genus, Commersonia. Cuttings of ripe shoots 

 under a glass, in a strong heat ; lumpy loam and 

 peat. Summer temp., 70 to 90 ; winter, 60 

 to (io. 



B. echina'ta (hedgeho*-/rt70, 20. White. 

 Moluccas. 1820. 



platyphy'lla (broad-leaved . 3. White. June. 



Moluccas. 1806. 



racemo'sa (rAceme-flowered}. 30. Red. Mo- 



luccas. 1820. 



tpecio'sa (showy). 30. Scarlet. Indian 



Archipelago. 1786. 



BARTHOLI'NA. (Named after Barlholin, 

 a Danish physiologist. Nat. ord., Or- 

 chids [Orchidacese]. ~L\rm.,ZQ-Gynandria 

 \-Monogynia. Allied to Serapias ) 



One of those ground-orchids from the Cape 

 which British gardeners have not yet succeeded 

 in cultivating easily. Greenhouse orchid ; divi- 

 sion of the root; sandy loam. Summer temp., 

 60 to 70; winter, 45. 



B. pectina'ta (comb-leaved). 1. Lilac. No- 

 vember. Cape of Good Hope. 1787. 



BARTO'NIA. (Named after Dr. Barton, 

 an American botanist. Nat. ord., Loasads 

 [Loasaceaj]. Linn., 12-Icosandria 1- 

 Jtfonogynia.) 



Half-hardy plants ; seeds ; the biennials should I 

 be sown in summer, and protected in a cold pit I 

 during; the winter ; the annuals may be sown in [ 

 the open air, in April, or in a slight hotted, and 

 transplanted ; most of them delight in a sandy 

 oil and a little peat. B. au'rea does best where 

 the soil is peaty and moist. 



ANNUALS. 



B. albe'scens (white-s*a/*f). 2. White. Chiii. 

 1334. 



au'rea (golden-jfojremO. 3. Yellow. June. 



California. 1834. 



BIENNIALS. 



B. nu'da (naked-awied). 2. White. August. 

 Missouri. 1811. 



orna'ta (ornamented). 2. White. August. 



Missouri. 1811. 



BA'RTSIA. (Named after J. Bart eft, 

 .D. Nat. ord., Fig worts [Scrophulari- 

 eJB]. Linn., I-Didynamia, %-Angio- 



spermia. Allied to Euphrasia.) 

 These require the treatment of choice alpincsj 



hardy annuals ; seeds in April, on rock-work. 



B. nlpi'nn (alpine). . Purple. August. Britain. 



lalijo'lia (.broad-leaved). 1. Purple. Au- 



gust. South of Europe. 



odonti'tes (odontites). 3- Pink. August. 



Britain. 



visco'sa (clammy). $. Yellow. July. Britain. 



wBARWOOD. a'phia. 



BARYO'SMA. See BARO'SMA. 



BASE'LLA. Malabar Nightshade. Its 

 Malabar name. (Nat. ord., Basdlads 

 [BasellaceEeJ. Liun., 5-Pentandria 3- 

 Trigynid.} 



B. a'lba and ru'bra nre used as spinach in the 

 East Indies ; and B. ru' bra yields a rich purpls 

 dye ; not easily fixed, however. Stove biennials, 

 except where otherwise specified, and mostly 

 climbers. If sown in good heat in February, and 

 treated as a border arnual, they will blow freely 

 the same season ; neb., lumpy soil. 



B. a'lba (white). 8. White. August. E. Ind. 168S. 



cordifo'lia, (heart-leaved). 6. Pale purple. 



August. 15. Jnd. 1802. 



lu'cidn (shining). 6. White. August. E. 



Ind. 1802. 



margina'ta 'bordered). 4. July. Mexico. 1824. 



ni'gra (blacky 3. White. August. China. 1822. 



ramo'su (branchy). 6. August. 



ru'bra (red\ 8. Pink. August. E. Ind. 1731. 



tubero'sn (tuberous). 6. Yellow. Septem- 



ber. S. Amur. 3824. 



BASIL (O'cymum.} There are two 

 lands, the Sweet-scented (0. basi'licum), 

 and the Dwarf-bush (O.mi'nimum). The 

 young leaf-tops are the parts made use 

 of in soups and salads, their flavour re- 

 sembling that of cloves. 



The supply is never-failing during 

 summer, as they shoot out rapidly for 

 successional supplies. 



Sow on a very gentle hotbed, under 

 glass, about the end of March or first of 

 April, to raise plants for the principal or 

 main crop. The frame should be filled 

 up with 'earth to within three or four 

 inches of the glass, or very shallow 

 frames may be used for purposes as 

 these. When the plants are up, give a 

 little air by tilting the lights ; and, as 

 they advance, and the weather is warmer, 

 give them more air, until the lights may 

 be taken off altogether during the day, 

 and put on at night. By the above ma- 

 nagement, good, hardened plants will be 

 fit for planting out towards the end of 

 May, or beginning of June, into warm 

 borders, or beds of light, rich earth. If 

 the weather be dry at the time of plant- 



