ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF GARDENING. 
CULTURE OF BEET-ROOT: Sow seeds 1} in. deep in drills 15 in. 
apart in May. Thin seedlings in June to 8in. apart in row. Sandy 
soil manured for previous crop best. Beet must not succeed spinach or 
root crops; may follow cabbage tribe, potatoes, onions, beans, or peas. 
Lift roots in Nov. & store in cool shed. Suitable artificial manure for 
beet: Common salt, 3lb.; nitrate of soda, 141b.; superphosphate, 
14 1b.; saltpetre, 1lb. Season for use, Oct. to April. Crop takes 18 
weeks from time of sowing till ready for use. Seeds retain their 
vitality up to 10 years old. Two ounces of seed will sow a row 50 ft. 
ong. 
Mis Cutture or Beet: Soil, etc., as above. Requires 12 1b. 
seed to sow an acre. Average yield per acre, 300 to 400 bushels. Cost 
of drilling seed, 1s, 6d.; thinning out, 14s.; and hoeing, 8s. to 10s. 
er acre. 
é CULTURE OF SPINACH-BEET: Sow seeds 1} in. deep in rows 18 in. 
apart in April. Thin seedlings in May to 9in. apart in row. Use 
leaves of this only, similar to spinach. Soil & manure as for beet-root. 
CULTURE OF ORNAMENTAL BEET: Sow seeds } in. deep in boxes 
of light soil in temp. 60° to 70° in March; transfer seedlings to cold 
frame in April & plant in beds in flower garden in May. 
SPECIES: B. Cicla (Silver Beet); B. vulgaris parent of edible beetroots; native 
of S. Europe. 
Betel-nut Palm (Areca catechu).—See Areca. 
Betula (Birch-tree; Queen of the Woods)—Ord, Cupulifere. 
Hardy ornamental trees & shrubs. Deciduous. Timber used for 
veneering purposes; making fish casks, & bobbins. Bark used for 
tanning fish nets. 
CULTURE: Soil, ordinary. Position, sheltered or exposed in valleys, 
hills, or mountain slopes; good seaside & town trees. Plant, Oct. 
to March. Propagate by seeds sown on the surface of sandy soil on 
sheltered borders in March; seeds to be simply pressed in, not covered. 
Transplant seedlings when one year old. Dwarf birches propagated 
by layering shoots in Oct. One bushel of seed will produce 16,000 
plants. Tree begins to seed when 25 years old. Number of seeds in 
a pound, 800,000. Average life, 100 years. 
SPECIES CULTIVATED: B. alba (Common LBirch), 50 to 60 ft., Northern 
Hemisphere; alba pendula Youngii (Weeping Birch); alba laciniata pendula (Cut- 
leaved Weeping Birch); alba foliis variegatis (Variegated Birch); alba purpurea 
(Purple Birch); alba urticsefolia (Nettle-leaved Birch); lenta (Cherry Birch), 60 
to 70 ft., N. America; nana (Dwarf Birch), 2 to 3 ft., Northern Hemisphere; 
papyrifera (Paper Birch), 60 to 70 ft., N. America; populifolia (Gray Birch), 20 to 
30 ft., N. America. 
Bhotan Pine Tree (Pinus excelsa).—See Pinus. 
Bidens (Bur Marigold).— Ord. Composite. Hardy annual & 
perennial herbs. aM, 
CULTURE: Soil, ordinary. Position, sunny border. Plant, Oct. 
or April. Propagate perennials by division of old plants in April; 
annuals by seed sown 4in. deep in sandy soil in temp. 70° in March, 
transplanting seed/inis outdoors in May. 
SPECIES CULTIVATED: B. grandiflora, yellow, July, 3 ft., Mexico, annual; 
humilis, yellow, July, 2 ft., Mexico, perennial. 
Bignonia (Cross Vine; Trumpet-flower). — Ord. Bignoniacee. 
Greenhouse & hardy climbing plants. Deciduous. First introduced 
1710. 
CULTURE: Compost, two parts loam, one part peat & silver sand. 
Pot, Feb, or March. Position, Hens sunny for greenhouse species; 
5 
