

V 



548 



Commonly cultivated as spinach; in Dominica (Rep. Agrie. 



Dept. Dominica, 1917-18, p. 5; Agric. News Barbados, Oct. 6th, 

 19fj6, p. 317) and other parts of the West Indies, the young 

 shoots being cooked Hke European spinach {spinacea oleracea, 

 Linn.) (I.e. Nov. 3rd, 1917, p. 349); India (Hooper, Agric. 

 Ledger, No. 6, 1904, p. 65), Sierra Leone (Scott ElHot, Herb. 

 Kew). A climbing plant suitable for treUis work, or covering 

 the ground. 



m 



r 



Beta, Linn. 



Beta vulgaris, Lirm. Sp. PL (1753) p. 222. 



A biennial, usually grown as an annual. Root fleshy, conical 

 or napiform; blood red; leaves large, succulent, more or less 

 the colour of the root; but varying according to variety, of 

 which there are many under cultivation. 



Beetroot ; Sugar Beet ; Mangold or Mangel, Mangold Wurzel. 



A native of Southern Europe — Mediterranean region. Culti- 

 vated more or less throughout Europe, Canada, United States 

 and many warm countries. 



The '' Red Beet " is well known in gardens everywhere as a 

 vegetable; the '' Silver Beet " {-B. vulgaris, var. Cicla) is grown 



more 



the '* Mangold " or " Mangel " which comes under the same 

 species is an important field crop at home and in America. The 

 "' Sugar Beet '' includes the white varieties '' blanche a sucre 

 amelioree " and blanche a sucre Klein-Wanzleben," capable of 

 producing 16 to 18 per cent, of sugar of which our chief supplies 

 come from France, Belgium, Denmark, Holland and Central 

 Europe. Syrup is also made from this root and in France 

 Beetroot is the most important source of industrial alcohol — 

 distilled largely from refuse, molasses, or from beets containing 

 so low a percentage of sugar (4 per cent, or so) as to be unprofit- 

 able for use in the sugar factories ; though at times it may 

 happen that the high price of alcohol enables distillers to use 

 the best roots. In the preparation for sugar the leaves and 

 crowns may be fed to stock, used in the fresh stage, dried or as 

 ensilage and the pulp residue is also good fodder. An average 

 of 4 tons of tops (1 ton crowns, 3 tons leaves) is a good yield per 

 acre which when dried give about 1 ton of feeding material con- 



same 



(Townsend, Year Book, U.S. Dept. Agric. 1908). 



'' Salino-Sodico " 



shipment of 250 tons from 



Spanish 



made to Hamburg in 1! ^ _ ^ ^ 



p. 356). 



In Africa Beta vulgaris has been grown in Nigeria — Ibadan 

 as a vegetable (Ricketts, Govt. Gaz. S. Nigeria, March 3rd, 1909, 

 Suppl. p. 11), Zaria, for decorative purposes (Parsons, N. Nig. 

 Gaz. April 30th, 1910, p. 99)— in Egypt—Upper Division of the 

 country; "the sugar content is high; the crop occupies the 



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