436 History of Garden Vegetables. [May 
used, Roman beet, implies introduction from Italy, where the 
half-long type was known in 1584 certainly. We may believe 
Ruellius’s reference in 1536 to be for France. In 1631 it was in 
French gardens under the name of Beta rubra pastinaca,’ and 
the culture of “ betteraves” was described in “ Le Jardinier Soli- 
taire,” 1612. Gerarde? mentions the Romaine beete, but gives no 
figure, in 1597, and Bodzus a Stapel apparently knew only this 
kind in Holland in 1644. In 1665, in England, only the Red 
Roman was named by Lovell, and the Red Beet was the only 
kind noticed by Townsend,* a seedsman, in 1726, and a second 
sort, the common long red, is mentioned in addition by Mawe5 
in 1778, and by Bryant® in 1783. gin America one kind only was 
in McMahon's’ catalogue of 1806,—the red beet,—but in 1828 
four kinds are offered for sale by Thorburn? At present, Vil- 
morin’ describes seventeen varieties and names and partly de- 
scribes many others. 
The modern names of the beet are,—in France, betteraves pota- 
geres; in England, Garden Beet; in Germany, Sa/at-rube, Beete, 
Rothe rube ; in Spain, remolacha hortelana.° 
BENINCASA. Benincasa hispida Cogn. 
This cucurbit has been lately introduced into European gar- 
dens, but it has been grown ‘in Eastern Asia for a long period. 
According to Bretschneider," it can be identified in a Chinese 
book of the fifth century, and is mentioned as cultivated in Chi- 
nese writings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 
1503-8, Ludovico di Varthema* describes it in India under the 
name of comolanga. In 1859, Naudin ® says it is much esteemed 
in Southeastern Asia, and particularly in China, and that the size 
of its fruit, its excellent keeping qualities, the excellence of its 
flesh, and the ease of its culture should long since have brought 
it into our garden culture. He had seen two varieties ,—one, the 
cylindrical, ten to sixteen inches long, and one specimen twenty- 
_ ¥ Laurembergius, Hort., ous rgi. - * Gerarde, Herbal, 1597, 251. 
3 Lovell, Herbal, 1655, 40. 4 Townsend, Seedsman, 1726, 22. 
i 5 Mawe, Gard., 1778. 6 Bryant, Fl. Diet., 1783, 26. 
Hasna Am. Gard. Aal; 1806. 8 Thorburn’s Cat., 1828. 
l T NOVICO zd., 16 
E arse arree aiam Ann, des Se. Nat, 4th ser., t. 12, p. 10: 
