THE BROAD BEAN. 
to the last, with the leaf-stalks of a bright 
red, turning of a dingy colour when cooked. 
The Yellow- stalked Beet is also like the 
two last, growing upright, and varying from 
deep orange to pale yellow in the colour of the 
leaf-stalks and veins of the leaves. 
The New Silver Beet is a recent introduc- 
tion from France, and the most worthy of 
cultivation of any. The leaves grow somewhat 
upright, forming a rather thick crown, of a 
light green colour, with white, or silvery veins 
and leaf-stalks. The latter are broad, fluted, 
from six to nine inches long, with a very thin 
skin, and are very brittle. Boiled and served up 
like sea-kale they are very sweet and tender, 
and form a useful side-dish. 
The number of varieties might be easily in- 
creased from the French catalogues, but the 
above are enough for practical purposes. 
In addition it may be mentioned, that a 
native weed, the common Sea-beet {Beta 
maritime/) is also occasionally grown as a 
spinaceous plant. It is of common occurrence 
on the sandy and rocky sea coast, producing a 
tuft of thick, dark green, fleshy leaves from 
the crown of a strong root, and afterwards 
sending out a number of trailing branches, 
furnished with smaller but similar leaves. It 
is a perennial plant, producing abundance 
of seed on these branches every year. A 
superior variety is grown in some parts of 
Ireland, called the Irish Sea-beet, which has 
larger leaves, and not so deep in colour, and 
runs to seed rather sooner than the other. 
Although the difference between the two 
plants is not very great, yet this is far superior 
to the common in flavour. 
In cultivating the Sea-beet, as the object 
in vidv is to produce quickly an abundance of 
large succulent leaves, it will be necessary to 
accommodate the plants with a deep rich soil, 
ami, in dry weather, an abundant supply of 
water. These conditions complied with, little 
more is necessary than to keep the ground well 
stirred and clear of weeds. The seed should 
be sown every year, in March, as the old 
plants will hardly be worth keeping more than 
two seasons. 
The cultivation of the second class of 
Beets, for their leaves and stalks, must also 
approximate to the last. In March or April, 
a rich deep piece of ground should be chosen, 
and the seed sown in rather shallow drills, 
from a foot to eighteen inches apart. If the 
weather prove very dry, the ground should be 
regularly watered, as otherwise the seed is apt 
to mould and rot. As the plants advance they 
must be kept clear of weeds, and be gradually 
thinned until they stand as wide apart in the 
rows as the rows are asunder. When arrived at 
their full growth, they may be partially 
stripped of their outer leaves three or four 
times during the season, for spinach, but hardly 
so often if fine leaf-stalks are wanted. • If it 
is intended to keep any of the crop over the 
winter, either for a spring supply of leaves or 
to save seed, the crowns of the roots must be 
carefully protected from wet and frost. Of 
course an annual sowing is necessary to have 
this vegetable in its highest perfection. The 
best varieties to stand the winter are the com- 
mon and the large white, but the best and 
most delicate eating is the new silver. 
To grow the Beet-root in perfection, a 
similar rich deep soil should be chosen ; if a 
sandy loam, so much the better, that being the 
favourite land for nearly all tuberous or 
fusiform rooted plants. .Sow the seed at the 
same time as recommended for the others, and 
let the after management be the same. Before 
the frost sets in, say in October, proceed to 
lift the roots carefully, using a broad pronged 
fork for that purpose ; twist, or break over the 
leaves, being careful not to bruise the crown, 
or any part of the root, if avoidable ; and alter 
letting the roots lay for a few hours, to par- 
tially dry, store them away in sand in a cold 
dry cellar, or similar place. 
As all the varieties of Beet-root sport very 
much, particular care should be taken in 
selecting roots to save seed from. Those which 
combine a regular shape, with deep bright 
colour, and a small or moderate crown of 
leaves, should alone be selected for this pur- 
pose, and should be carefully ticketed and laid 
by until all frost is gone in the nest spring, 
when they should be planted in a piece of good 
ground, and the stems securely staked as they 
advance in growth. A plentiful supply of 
seed will reward this slight trouble. 
By far the best method of cooking Beet-roots 
is to bake them in the mould as they are dug 
up or stored ; for if they are washed, or laid 
in water for any time, they absorb too much, 
and lose flavour thereby. Roasting them in 
wood ashes is still better ; and if either of 
these methods be once tried, few would think 
of boiling them again. It renders the colour 
better, preserves the juice, and improves the 
flavour, rendering them much sweeter, and fur 
more palatable. 
THE BROAD BEAN. 
TnE Broad or Garden Bean (Fala vulga- 
rh) is said to be a native of the East, but has 
been cultivated through so many ages as to 
render it very difficult to say to what country 
it is really indigenous. Its date of intro- 
duction into this country is also equally ob- 
scure, but it is, no doubt, very ancient, as 
is evidenced by its being a standard favourite 
in the gardens of the peasantry throughout 
the country. Tli ! following list will he found 
