Bassia 



( 105 ) 



Bay Tree 



plants, rustic baskets ;uv useful. They may be 

 made of wood, 2' to 3' in diameter, and from 8" to 

 In" deep. The outer sides and rim should be 

 cmered with cork, or Oak bark, and be furnished 

 with lumps of wire for training the growths of 

 climbing plants over the top. They may be 

 placed on low stumps and other conspicuous 

 plaees iii the garden, rilled with soil, and furnished 

 with suitable plants. Strong wire arrangements in 

 the fiirni of baskets are employed in some gardens, 

 and furnished with Ivy, Koses, and other plains. 

 Fur market baskets gee MARKET. 



BASSIA. 



These East Indian trees (ord. Sapotacese) may 

 be grown in peat and loam, in a stove house, but 

 they are of no horticultural value. In India, 

 however, and in tropical countries where they 

 have been introduced, they have an economic 

 value. 



Principal Species : 



butyraeea, 40', Je., wh. lougifolin, 40', My., Jy., 



latifolia, 40', My., Jy., wh. 



ivli., yel. 



BASS MATS. 



The name given to tough, durable mats, chiefly 

 imported from Ifussia. and made from the inner 

 bark bast of the Lime tree. Two of these mats 

 fastened together b- their edges to form a bag, 

 and stuffed with straw, make a very efficient 

 winter protector for plants grown in cold frames. 

 while a single mat may be usefully employed in 

 summer to shield plants from too powerful sun- 

 shine. Before using the mats, the loose strands at 

 both ends should be carefully knotted together 

 in fours, which, by preventing fraying, will con- 

 duce to the longevity of the mat. When mats have 

 become too thin or broken to be efficient for pro- 

 tection, they may be made to serve a useful turn 

 for covering standpipes in frosty weather, and pro- 

 teeting stems of Koses or other tender subjects; 

 or their strands will furnish useful tying material 

 for Celery. Lettuces, etc. 



BAST. 



Tin- inner bark of trees, of which that from the 

 Lime tree was formerly extensively used for tying 

 purposes, but is now superseded by Haphia (raffia), 

 whieh see. 



BASTARD TRENCHING. 



A valuable means of improving soil. It is per- 

 formed by opening a trench about a yard wide ami 

 a good spit deep, the soil thus removed being 

 wheeled to the other end of the plot for filling in 

 when the work is finished. Into the trench thus 

 made a good layer of manure should be placed and 

 dug in with the bottom spit of the trench, filling 

 up in the ground level with the top spit from the 

 adjoining undug portion, and so on until the end 

 of the ground is reached, when the deported soil 

 should be used to form the top layer. 



BATATAS. 



This genus, which includes the Sweet Potato 

 Cedulis), is now referred to Ipomoea, to which 

 reference may be made. 



BATEMANNIA. 



The only species (Colleyi. s'. August, purple, 

 green, ord. Orchidaceie) has always been compara- 

 tively rare in cultivation. A temperature of from 

 60 to G5 during winter, and from 70" to 85 during 



summer, suits it ; and in the matter of compost its 

 requirements are met by a mixture of broken crocks 

 and sphagnum, with a little peat fibre. A shallow 

 Teak basket is the best receptacle for this Orchid, 

 but even when such is used it is advisable to mound 

 up the rooting medium, so as to raise the plant and 

 allow water to pass from it rapidly. Suspend 

 basket and plant as near the roof-glass as the out- 

 side conditions will permit with safety, always 

 remembering that cold draughts and drip are 

 extremely injurious. 



BAUERA. 



Evergreen greenhouse shrubs (ord. Saxifragese). 

 They flower freely, and are not difficult to grow if 

 potted firmly in sandy peat and loam over ample 

 drainage. When hard - wooded subjects were 

 fashionable the Baueras were largely grown, and it 

 must not be thought that they are not worth 

 cultivating because the interest in them has de- 

 clined. Firm cuttings will root readily if inserted 

 in very sandy soil and placed under a bell-glass. 



Principal Species : 



rubioides, 2', Sep., pk. (*yn. rubisefolia). 



BAUHINIA. 



Very widely distributed through various tropical 

 countries are the numerous species of this remark- 

 able genus (ord. Leguminosse). Almost all are stove 

 plants, though a few, notably Galpini, will succeed 

 in a cooler structure. All are shrubby, and not a 

 few are of climbing habit and suitable for clothing 

 the rafters of a fairly large house. Propaga- 

 tion is effected by placing cuttings of half-ripe 

 growth in sandy soil, and keeping them in a close 

 place where bottom heat is at command. Good 

 loam and sand will suffice as compost, but it is 

 advisable to add a little leaf soil or peat. When 

 growing freely an abundance of water is necessary 

 at the roots and overhead, but during winter the 

 supply should be considerably reduced. With 

 the exception of Galpini the species do not flower 

 freely under cultivation. 



Principal Species : 



Ualpiui, (V, Jy., wh. purpurea, 6', Aug., pur. 



grandiflora, 6\ Jy., wh. Vahlii, 20', My., Jy., wh., 



natalensis, Sep., wh. pk. 



Other Species : 



aculeata, fi', Jy., wh. (>,n. malabarica, 15', My. to 



pubescens). Aug., wh. 



acuminata, S', Jy., wh. tomentosa, 6', Je., Jy., 



unatoiuica. 6', A'ug., wh. yel., wh. 



coccinea, 8', Ap., Aug., variegata, 6' , Je. , striped. 



sc. Candida, 8', Je., wh. 



BAY TREE. 



The Sweet Bay has from ancient times been a 

 popular plant. Formerly it was used chiefly for 

 crowns wherewith to deck the brow of a winner in 

 the Roman and Grecian games, or the successful 

 students of art or medicine. The degree of Bachelor 

 reminds us of this old custom, for the word itself 

 signifies a successful student crowned with Laurels 

 (Hay). "Poet Laureate" is a similar reminder, the 

 term literally meaning "the poet crowned with 

 Laurels." Nowadays Bay leaves are freely used in 

 flavouring, while the trees themselves, when trained 

 as standards or pyramids, are utilised for hall, 

 terrace, or verandaii decoration, (f-'rr ulsn Lauras 

 nobilis.) 



Batidiia (sec Litliospermum). 



