BET 



in^ to Ray, in having a perennial root. This is probably 

 the original parent of all the garden beets. A native of 

 Holland and Great Britain, on the fea-coaft, and in fait 

 marfhes : it is alfo found plentifully about Nottingham. It 

 is perennial, and flowers in Augull. 4 B./<;/u/iz, fpreading 

 beet. Ait. hort. kew. i. 315. " Flowers heaped ; all 

 the leaves linear-lanceolate ; branches divaricated. " Stem 

 (hort, hardly a foot high, very branching ; branches long, 

 divaricate ; calycine leaflets at the bafe, but not toothed." 

 Flowers in Auguft. A native of the iPiand of Madeira. In- 

 troduced in 1788. Martyn. 



Beta, in Garddning, comprehends feveral different ufeful 

 efculent roots and cuhnary herbs of the hardy kind, as the 

 B. cicla, or common culinary beet, which has a fmall, ob- 

 long, white root, producing from its crown many large, 

 oblong, fucculent leaves, on broad footllalks, and erecl 

 branching feed ; ftems two or three feet high, garniihed 

 with clofe-fetting leaves, and long fpikes of greenifli flowers, 

 which are fucceedcd by plenty of ripe feed in autumn. 

 The varieties of which are the common grein-kaved bat ; 

 large white beet ; chard, or great Szvlfs beet, having very 

 broad leaves, with thick foot-llalks and ribs. Thefe often 

 vary from one to the other, the feed of one frequently pro- 

 ducing fome of each fort, though by proper care in favi.;g 

 it, the difference may be preferved. 



The B. major, or great German beet, commonly called mangel 

 <wurzel, has a large, long, reddifli, or fometimes whitifli-red 

 root ; and very large, oblong, thick, fucculent leaves. 

 The varieties of which are — the dark -green leaved — light 

 green-leaved — red-veined leaved. This fpecies has been 

 very much recommended, on account of its va(l growth 

 and great utility both in its root and leaves ; expe- 

 rience has, however, fiiewn the former to have little 

 claim to efteem for domeftic ufes, as it is of an infipid 

 and unpalatable tafte ; but the leaves being large and fuc- 

 culent, are good to ufe occafionally, in the manner of com- 

 mon beet, and particularly to boil as fpinach, or put into 

 foups ; and the (lalks and midrib of the leaf to be ttewed 

 and eaten as afparagus. Dr. Lettfom, who took much 

 pains to introduce the mangel wurzel. 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 calculated at half that weight, the whole pro- 

 duct would be fifteen pounds of nutritious ahment, upon 

 every fquare of iS inches. 



The B. rubra, or red beet, has a large, red, eatable 

 root, crowned by many large, oblong, reddi(h-dark-pur- 

 ple leaves ; and when it fhoots, fends up ereft ftalks 

 and branches, terminated by long fpikes, of flowers and feed. 

 The varieties of which are common red beet, with a large, 

 longifh, dark-red root ; turnep-rooted red beet, with a Ihort, 

 large, dark-red root ; with a red root and green leaves ; 

 with a yellow root ; but the firll of thcie varieties is moftly 

 preferred for general culture, though tiie fecond is equally 

 good, but the root is not of fo good a fliapc as that of the 

 former ; the other two are not proper to k;ultivate for a 

 crop. 



Methods of Culture of the common Beet. h.\\ the varieties 

 are propagated by feed fowu annually in the Ipring, in Fe- 

 bruary, March, or April, in the places where rlie plants are 

 to remain, in order to attain proper growth ior uft in-fum- 

 merand autumn. They will continue till ipni^g, when they 

 (hoot for feed. If the fowing be neglefted in the fpring, 

 fome feed may occafionally be fown m lummer, any time 

 till the beginning of Auguil, m a moilt lituation, but the 

 fpring is the moU eligible fcafon for obtaining a good crop. 

 They may be f'>Ar. in any ••ominon ioil, aHowing ;fa<:h lort a 



BET 



feparate plat or bed. The ground (hould be dug one fpadc 

 deep in the ufual way ; the feed then either fown broad- 

 caft on the furface, and raked in ; or, as it is a large feed, 

 (hallow drills may be drawn, at the di:\ance of fix inches for the 

 common green and white varieties, butalmoft double that for 

 the large white and chard beet, fowing the feeds thinly, and 

 raking the earth over them, about an inch deep ; then trim- 

 ming the furface fmooth. The plants come up in about a 

 month, and when they have leaves an inch or two broad, 

 they flrould be hoed, to thin and deftroy weeds, cutting out 

 the common green and white forts to about fix inches dif. 

 tance ; but the chard beet fhonld be allowed ten or twelve 

 inches room every way, that their large fucculent leaves may 

 have full foope to fpread. Tliey are commonly in perfeftion 

 in June and July, and it is neceflar)- to obferve, in gathering 

 them, to take the large outward leaves, the others coming 

 in for ufe in their turn, an abundant fucceffive fupply rifing 

 from the root. A fuccefllon crop mud be raifed every year 

 from feed in the fpring, &c. for although the fame crop 

 might be occafionally continued two years, by cutting down 

 the feed-ftems of the year-old plants, according as they ad- 

 vance in fpring and lummer ; the roots abiding, produce a 

 fupply of leaves, but which are much inferior in fubftancc to 

 thofe of the«nnually-raifed feedhng plants; it is better, there- 

 fore, to fow every year, in order to have a good produftion. 

 The large white and great chard beet are in much edeem, 

 for the ftalks and ribs of the large leaves, being divefted 

 of the leafy part and peeled, are great improveri of 

 foup, and ufeful alio for dewing, and to be dreflfed and eaten 

 like afparagus, and the leaves themfelves are fine pot-herbs ; 

 for all which ufes, the feveral varieties of this fpecie* may, 

 as has been feen, be obtained almoft the year round. 



7he Mange! H'urzel Beet. This fort has generally been 

 reckoned a variety of the B. cicla ; but fome botanifts have 

 made it a diftiril fpecies, uuder the title of B. alli/fima. Ic 

 is raifed from feed fown annually in the fpring, the fame at 

 the other forts, in any open Ctuation, but ihould generally be 

 fown thinner, dther is drills one or two feet afunder, or 

 broad-caft on the general furface, and raked in ; and when 

 the plants are come up one, two, or three inches in growth, 

 they (hould be thinned to a proportionable diftance, to give 

 room for the full expanfion of their large leaves. Some, 

 however, advife tranfplanting, when the young plants are 

 of two or tliree inches growth, fetting them in rows one er 

 two feet afunder ; this feems, however, unneceflarj' ; efpe- 

 cially, as they have long, downright, tap roots, which gene- 

 rally are the moll fucccfsful when they remain where fown ; 

 the method may, however, be praftifed occafionally by way of 

 experiment. The plants generally continue to produce leaves 

 the greateft part of the year, and the roots attain perfeiElion 

 for ufe in autumn and winter, till fpring ; but when it is re- 

 quired to have a principal crop of full-Czed roots, fome 

 (hould be allotted for that purpofe, without cutting or 

 gathering the leaves. This fort is valued molt generally 

 for its leaves, for which it principally merits culture in the 

 gardens ; as we cannot much recommend the roue, which, 

 although it grows very large, fometimes of feveral pounds 

 Wiighi, is greatly inferior in ufe, both to the red beet, and that 

 of mod others of our efculent roots, for any domcitic purpofef. 

 It is fometimes diefled in the manner of carrot? and parfneps, 

 &c. (liced, and fervcJ up with butter, but is generally of a 

 niawkifh, unpalatable relifli. 



Til*: leaves, tiowever, which, if the plants have large fcope 

 of room, grow twelve or fifteen inches broad or more, and 

 of proportionable length, are exceedingly good, when yor.ng, 

 to ute as the common white an»l green beet ; and the young, 

 thick, flefliy ftalks, di^eiled of the leafy parr, peeled or 

 L 1 2 r^Hiped, 



