BEL 



[125] 



BEN 



BELL-GLASS, is so called from its 

 usual form being that of a bell. It is 

 formed of one entire piece, and of com- 

 mon bottle glass when intended for shel- 

 tering cauliflowers, &c., in the open 

 borders ; but of white, or very pale 

 green glass, for preserving moisture to 

 cuttings. Formerly they were made 

 with a top almost flat, whence, to pre- 

 vent drip upon the cuttings, &c., it be- 

 came necessary to wipe them frequently. 

 They are now much improved by being 

 cone-topped, because the moisture con- 

 densed consequently trickles down into 

 the soil. 



BELLIDIA'STRUM. (From bcllis, a daisy, 

 and astrum, a star ; being star-like. Nat. 

 ord., Composites [Asteracese], Linn., 19- 

 Syngenesia, 1-Superftua. Allied to ASTER). 

 A hardy herbaceous perennial ; divisions ; 

 sandy loam. 



B.Miche'Ui (Micheli's). 1. White. June. 

 'Austria. 1570. 



BE'LLIS. The Daisy. (From belkts, 

 pretty ; referring to the flowers. Nat. 

 ord., Composites [Astoraoese]. Linn., 19- 

 Syngenesia, 1-Superfluci). All the culti- 

 vated kinds are hardy herbaceous peren- 

 nials. Seeds, but chiefly division of the 

 roots ; common soil. 



B. hybrida (hybrid). \. White. April. 

 Italy. 1824. 



integrifoflia (entire -leaved), i. White 



pink. July. Texas. 1801. 



pere'nnis (perennial). White. June. 



Britain. This is the common daisy. 

 fistulo'sa (piped, double quilled}. 



%. Red. June. 

 horttfnsis (garden, large double). 



. Red. June. 

 proli'fera (proliferous). . Stfiped. 



June. Commonly called The Hen and 



Chickens. 



sylve'stris (wood), f. White. June. Por- 



tugal. 1797. 



It is curious that the daisy is not 

 more cultivated and crossed by florists 

 and amateurs. It is quite as capable of 

 improvement as the chrysanthemum. 

 The continental florists have not treated 

 it with similar neglect; and M. Van 

 Hoiitte of Ghent has more than twenty 

 distinct varieties in his catalogue white, 

 pink, and variegated ; quilled, red-disked, 

 and double. 



BELLIUM. (From bellis, a daisy ; the 

 flowers being like the daisy. Nat. ord., 

 Composites [Asteracese]. 



nesia, 1-Superflua}. Seeds and divisions; 

 sandy soil, and a little peat. 

 B. bellidloi'des (daisy-like). J. White. July. 

 Italy. 1796. Hardy annual. 



crassifo'lium (thick-leaved). \. Whitish 



yellow. June. Sardinia. 1831. Half- 

 hardy perennial. 



intermedium (intermediate). \. White. 



August. Hardy herbaceous perennial. 



minu'tum (minute). 1. White. August. 



Levant. 1772. Hardy herbaceous 

 perennial. 



BELLOWS are employed for fumigating, 

 differing only from the common bellows 

 by having a receptacle for ignited to- 

 bacco in the pipe of its nozzle, through 

 which the air, being gently forced in the 

 usual way, propels the smoke in any 

 desired direction, where the insects to be 

 destroyed appear. Brown's Fumigator 

 is superior to any bellows for such pur- 

 poses. 



BELOPE'RONE. (Frem belos, an arrow, 

 an&perone, a band or strap; in reference 

 to the arrow-shaped connectivum. Nat. 

 ord., Acanthads [Acanthaceae]. Linn., 

 2-Diandria, \-Monogynia. Allied to Jus- 

 ticia). Stove evergreen shrub. Cut- 

 tings ; light loam. Summer temp., 60 

 to 70 ; winter, 45 to 55. 

 B. oblonga'ta (oblong-tea wrf). 3. Rosy pur- 

 ple. September. Brazil. 1832. 



BENDING DOWN. This term is chiefly 

 applied to the bending of the annual or 

 other shoots of fruit-trees, for the pur- 

 pose of making them fruitful, or to make 

 them assume some desired form. Balls 

 of clay have been fastened to the ex- 

 tremities of the shoots to weigh them 

 down into the position required; but the 

 most desirable mode is by fastening them 

 by a string to pegs driven into the 

 ground. 



BENGAL QUINCE. JEgk ma'rmelos. 



BENJAMIN TREE, fi'cm Benjamina 

 and Lau'rus Benzoin. 



BENTHA'MIA. (Named after Mr. Bent- 

 ham, a distinguished English botanist. 

 Nat. ord., Cornels [Cornaceae]. Linn., 

 4-Tetrandria, \-Monogynia). Hardy 

 evergreen shrubs. Layers; seeds where 

 procurable; loam; does best in a shel- 

 tered place. 



B.fragi'fera (strawberry-fruited). 10. Yel- 

 lowish red. August. Nepaul. 1826. 

 japo'nica (Japanese). Japan. 1847. 



It is doubtful whether B. fragifera 

 will endure our winters unprotected, 



