BET 



BET 



are, if not the wild sea beet also, although 

 Linnaeus sets it down as annual, and Ray 

 as perennial. Dr. Lettsom, who took 

 much pains to introduce the mangel wur- 

 zel, informs us, that on his own land, 

 which was not favourable to its growth, 

 the roots, upon an average, weighed full 

 ten pounds, and if the leaves were calcu- 

 lated at half that weight, the whole pro- 

 duct would be fifteen pounds of nutritious 

 aliment upon every square of eighteen 

 inches. 



BETONY, betonica, in botany, a genus 

 of the Didynamia Gymnospermia class of 

 plants, whose flower, consisting of a sin- 

 gle labiated petal, is of a bright red co- 

 lour, and disposed in short spikes ; the 

 cup contains four ovated seeds. The spe- 

 cies of this genus, of which there are se- 

 ven, besides varieties, are herbaceous, 

 fibrous rooted, hardy, perennial plants, 

 and the stems are simple, or but little 

 branched. The flowers are in whorls, 

 forming a terminating spike. B. oflicina- 

 lis. wood betony, is a native of woods, 

 heaths, and pastures, among bushes, flow- 

 ering from the beginning of July to Sep- 

 tember. Betony, s^ys Linnaeus, was for- 

 merly much used in medicine, but it is 

 discarded from modern practice. When 

 fresh, it intoxicates. The leaves, when 

 dry, excite sneezing. 



Sheep eat it, but goats refuse it. The 

 leaves and flowers have an herbaceous, 

 roughlsh, and somewhat bitterish taste, 

 with a weak aromatic flavour. An infu- 

 sion or light decoction of them may be 

 drunk as tea, or a saturated tincture in 

 rectified spirit may be given in laxity and 

 debility of viscera. The roots are bitter, 

 nd very nauseous ; in a small dose they 

 vomit and purge violently. This plant 

 dyes wool of a very fine dark yellow co- 

 lour. 



BETULA, the birch-tree, in botany, a 

 genus of plants of the Monoecia Tetran- 

 dria class. The male flower is amentace- 

 ous, formed of a number of monopetalous 

 floscules, each of which is divided into 

 four parts. In the female flower the ca- 

 lyx is lightly divided intA three segments: 

 the fruit is a cylindric cone, and the seeds 

 are on each side edged with a membrane. 

 The alder, B. alnus, as well as the B. al- 

 ba, belongs to this genus; but of all the 

 species, we shall notice only the latter, or 

 common birch-tree, which is known at 

 first sight by the silvery colour of its 

 bark, the smallness of the leaves, and the 

 lightness and airiness of the whole ap- 

 pearance. It is of rather an inferior size 

 among the forest trs. The branches are 



alternate, subdivided, very pliant and flex- 

 ible, covered with a reddish brown or rus- 

 set smooth bark, generally dotted with 

 white. Leaves are alternate, bright green, 

 smooth, shining beneath, with veins cross- 

 ing like the meshes of a net; the petioles 

 are half an inch or more in length, smooth, 

 grooved above, and at the base are ovate 

 green glands. The birch is a native of 

 Europe, from Lapland to Italy, and of 

 Asia, chiefly in mountainous situations, 

 flowering with us in April and May. The 

 twigs are erect in young trees, but being 

 slender and pliant, they are apt to become 

 pendent in old ones: hence there is a va- 

 riety, B. pendula, as beautiful as the 

 weeping willow. Another variety, nam- 

 ed from Dalecarlia, where it is found, has 

 leaves almost palmate, with segments 

 toothed. 



The B. alba, though the worst of tim- 

 ber, is highly useful for articles of small 

 manufactures, as ox-yokes, bowls, dishes, 

 ladles, and divers other domestic uten- 

 sils. In America, they make their canoes, 

 boxes, buckets, dish es,&c. from the birch: 

 from an excrescence or fungus they form 

 excellent touch -wood, and being reduced 

 to powder, it is reckoned a specific for 

 the piles. It is used as fuel, and will 

 bear being burnt into excellent charcoal. 

 The inner silken bark, which strips off' of 

 itself almost annually, was formerly used 

 for writing, before the invention of paper. 

 In Russia and Poland the coarser bark is 

 used instead of tiles or slates for the cov- 

 ering of houses; and in almost all coun- 

 tries the twigs have been used by peda- 

 gogues to keep their pupils in order, and 

 to maintain diligence and discipline in the 

 schools; and also for brooms used in do- 

 mestic economy. The bark is used m 

 processes of dyeing; and in Scotland for 

 tanning leather and making ropes. In 

 Kamtschatka they form the bark into hat? 

 and drinking-cups. 



The vernal sap of the birch-tree is 

 made into wine. In the beginning of 

 March, while the sap is rising, holes must 

 be bored in the body of the tree, and fos ; 

 sets made of elder placed in them to con- 

 vey away the liquid. If the tree be large, 

 it may be tapped in several places at a 

 time, and thus, according to the number 

 of trees, the quantity of liquid is obtain- 

 ed. The sap is to be boiled with sugar, 

 in the proportion of four pounds to a gal- 

 lon, and treated in the same way as other 

 made wines. One great advantage at- 

 taching to the birch is, that it will grow 

 on almost any barren ground : upon 

 ground, says Martyn, that produced no , 



