1887] History of Garden Vegetables. 435 
- Beta rubra radice crassa, alia species. J. Bauh., 1651, ii. 961. 
B. rubra . . . russa; Beta-rapa. Chabr., 1677, 303. 
Turnip-pointed red. Mawe, 1778. 
Turnip-rooted red. Bryant, 1783, 26. 
Early Blood Turnip. Thorb., 1828, 1886. 
Arabic, dangar. Delile. 
YELLow BEETS. 
E 
Beta quarta radice buxea. Cæsalp., 1603, ex Mill. Dict., 1807. 
Yellow-rooted. Mill. Dict., 807. 
Betterave jaune grosse. Vilm., 1883, 41. 
IL 
Beta rubra, lutea ; Beta-rapa. Chabr., 1677, 303. 
Turnip-pointed yellow. Mawe, 1778. 
Yellow Turnip. Thorb., 1828. 
Betterave jaune ronde sucre. Vilm., 1883, 41. 
One form we have omitted,—the Tak bottomed reds, —of which 
the Egyptian and the Bassano of Vilmorin, as figured, may be 
taken as the type. The Bassano was to be found in all the 
markets of Italy in 1841, and the Egyptian was a new sort 
about Boston in 1869.° I have ascertained nothing concerning 
the history of this type. 
The first step in improvement gained from the chard beets was 
a smoothening of the root, and the contrasts are to be seen in 
the figures given by the herbalists, commencing with Fuchsius. 
That this improvement was not continuous, but was contempo- 
raneous with the less improved forms, may be seen by contrast- 
ing the figure of Beta nigra, given by Delachamp in 1587, and 
that given in Blackwell’s “ Herbal” in 1758, in which the roots 
are figured practically as of like form. Cultivation and selection 
have given greater size, greater thickness, smoothness of form, 
and other changes characterized by the term quality, but the 
type changes appeared at once as attention was directed to the 
value of the root. 
The first appearance of the improved beet is recorded in Ger- 
many about 1558 and in England about 1576, but the name 
z Gard. Chron., 1841, 183. . 2 Trans. Mass. Hort. Soc., 1869, 70. 
