278 Account of the Species and Varieties of Beets. 



themselves are of a dark lurid green, without any admixture of 

 red ; sometimes the colour of the footstalks and veins shews 

 itself of a dark orange ; the outside of the root is a pale 

 orange, the inside is a lemon colour ; when boiled, the whole 

 becomes paler, and the transverse slices shew the rings, as 

 in the red kinds; the lamma forming the rings are very 

 large. The flesh is particularly sweet and tender, but from 

 the size of the root is rather coarse, a defect from which the 

 next kind is free. 



The Small Yellow Beet, or Bette-rave Jaune de Catel- 

 naudari, was raised from some of the seeds received from 

 Messrs. Whitley and Co. as well as from France, where, 

 it originated. The whole appearance of the plant is exactly 

 like that of the Bette-rave Rouge de Castelnaudari, except 

 that it has no red colour about it. It grows entirely in the 

 ground ; the leaves spread on the surface, the outside ones 

 being on footstalks about four inches long ; the inner ones 

 are shorter, numerous, of a dark green colour, and rather 

 waved on the edges ; the footstalks are green rather than 

 vellow ; the root is near three inches in diameter at the 

 top, and extends about eight inches into the ground, putting 

 out strong forks, with fibres attached to them ; it is very 

 similar to the other yellow kind, except in size, and its rings 

 are consequently less coarse; in colour it exactly corres- 

 ponds. When boiled it is tender, yet firm, and very sweet, 

 being unquestionably, the most preferable variety which can 

 be grown for the table, though its colour is not so agreeable 

 to the eye. 



M. Vilmorin, in his reply to some enquiries made by 

 Mr. Sabine last winter, relative to the Beets cultivated 



