BET 
but in winter they muft be removed into the ftove, 
where they muft be placed in a temperate warmth, 
and fhould be often, but fparingly, watered. The 
fecond year thefe plants will flower, and fometimes 
they will perfect their feeds in this country ; but they 
muft be conftantly preferved 'in the ftove, for they 
will not live in the open air. 
BETA, the Beet. 
The Characters are. 
The flower hath a five-leaved concave empalement , which 
is permanent. It hath no petal , hut five awl-fhaped fta- 
mina , placed oppofite to the leaves of the empalement , 
crowned by roundifh fummits. The germen is Jituated 
below the receptacle , fupporting two ftoort erebf fiyles , 
• crowned by pointed fiigma. The germen af terward becomes 
a capfule with one cell , having a fingle feed , wrapped up 
in the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 
of Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Digynia, 
' the flower having five ftamina and two ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Beta {Maritime!) caulibus decumbentibus, foliistri- 
angularibus petiolatis. Beet with declining ftalks , and 
triangular leaves having foot -jialks. Beta fylveftris ma- 
ritima. C. B. P. 118. 
2. Beta ( Hortenfis ) foiiis radicalibus petiolatis, caulinis 
• fefliiibus, fpicis lateralibus longifiimis. Beet with the 
lower leaves having foot-ftalks , thofe upon the jialks with- 
out , and very long fpikes of flowers. Beta alba vel pal- 
lefcens, quae cicla ofneinarum. C. B. P. 1 1 8. 
3. Beta {Vulgar is) caule erect o. Lin. Sp. 322. Common 
red Beet. Beta rubra radice rapacea. C. B. P. 118. 
Red Beet with a Turnep root. 
There are feveraP varieties of this genus, fome of 
which are cultivated in the gardens for the kitchen ; 
but as thefe have been improved by culture, fo they 
muft not be deemed diftinft fpecies. There are fome 
who have fuppofed all the fpecies were only feminal 
variations, but from having cultivated them upward 
• of forty years, 1 could never obierve, that either of 
the three fpecies here enumerated have altered from 
one to the other. The only alteration- which I have 
obferved in the third fpecies, has been in the colour 
of the leaves and roots, which will be hereafter men- 
tioned. 
The firft fort grows naturally on the banks of the 
fea, and in fait marfhes in divers parts of England. 
This has been fuppofed by many, to be the fame with 
the fecond fpecies •, but I have brought the feeds 
from the places where they grow naturally, many 
times, and have cultivated the plants with care, but 
could not find any of the plants vary from their parent 
plants in their characters, fo that I can make no doubt 
of its being a diftindt fpecies. 
The fecond fort is cultivatad in gardens for its leaves, 
which are frequently ufed in loups ; the root of this 
fort feldom grows larger than a man’s thumb •, the 
ftalks grow erect, and are garniflied with oblong 
fpear-fhaped leaves, growing ciofe to the ftalk ; the 
fpikes of flowers come out from the wings of the 
leaves, which are long, and have narrow leaves placed 
between the flowers. The lower leaves of the plant 
are thick and fucculent, and their foot-ftalks are 
broad. The varieties of this are, the White Beet, 
the Green Beet, and the Swifs or Chard Beet. Thefe 
will vary from one to the other by culture, as I have 
qften experienced, but never alter to the firft or third 
fort. 
The third fort hath large, thick, fucculent leaves, 
which are for the moft part of a dark red, or purple 
colour. The roots of this are large, and of a deep 
red colour, on which their goodnefs depends ; for the 
larger thefe roots grow, the tenderer they will be ; 
and the deeper their colour, the more they are 
efteemed. The varieties of this are, the common 
• Red Beet, the Turnep-rooted Red Beet, the Green- 
leaved Red Beet, and the Yellow- rooted Beet. 
The fecond fort, which is cultivated in gardens for 
its leaves, which are ufed in the kitchen, is com- 
monly down by itfelf, and not mixed with other crops. 
This is fawn the beginning of March, upon an open 
fpot of ground, not too-moift; the feeds fhould be 
fown thinly, becaufe the plants require room to 
fpread ; for when they are too ciofe, the leaves will 
be fmali and full of fibres, do unfit for the purpoles 
defigned. When the plants have put out four leaves, 
the ground fhould be hoed, as is pradtifed for Car- 
rots, carefully cutting up ail the weeds, and alfo the 
plants where they are too near each other, leaving 
them at leaft four inches ailmder : if this is performed 
in dry weather, all the prelent weeds will be deferoyed; 
but as young weeds will ibon appear, fo in three 
weeks or a month’s time, the ground fhould be a fe- 
cond time hoed over, to cut up the weeds, and thin 
the plants to a greater diftance ; for by this time they 
will be paft danger, fo fhould not be left nearer than 
fix inches, if regard is had to the goodnefs of their 
leaves : and if it is of the Swifs kind, with broad 
leaves, the plants muft not be nearer than nine or ten 
inches. If the fecond hoeing is well performed, and 
in dry weather, the ground will remain clean a month 
longer, when it fhould be hoed %ver a third time; 
which, if properly done, will deftroy all the weeds 
fo that after this, the plants will fpread and prevent 
the weeds from growing, therefore will -want but little 
cleaning for a confiderable time, and the leaves will 
foon be fit for ufe, when the outer large leaves fhould 
be firft gathered, leaving the fmali inner leaves to 
grow larger ; 1b that a fmali foot cf ground will fup- 
ply a moderate family, and will furnifh a new fupply 
of leaves for two years, provided the plants are not 
permitted to run up to feed, for after that, their leaves 
will not be good : therefore thofe who are curious in 
their herbs, muft fow a frefii fpot of ground annually, 
becaufe thefe plants naturally run up the fecond year; 
and although die roots may be continued longer, by 
cutting off the ftalks when they begin to ihoot, yet 
the leaves will not be fo large or tender upon thefe 
roots, as upon the young plants. 
The Red Beet is frequently fown with Carrots, Parf- 
neps, or Onions, by the kitchen gardeners near Lon- 
don, who draw up their Carrots or Onions when they 
are young, whereby the Beets will have room to grow, 
when the other crops are gathered ; but where the 
crops are not timely removed front them, it will be 
a better method to fow them feparately. This fort 
requires a deep light foil, for as their roots fun deep 
in the ground, fo in fliallow ground they will be 
fliort and ftringy. The feeds fhould be fown in 
March, and muft be treated in the fame manner as 
the former fort ; but the plants fhould not be left 
nearer than a foot diftance, or hi good land a foot 
and a half, for the leaves will cover the ground at 
that diftance. The roots will be fit for ufe in the au- 
tumn, and continue good all the winter ; but in the 
fpring, when they begin to flioot, they will be hard 
and ftringy. A few roots may be left for feed, or 
fome of the faireft roots tranfplanted to a fheltered 
fpot of ground, where they may be defended from 
ftrong winds, which frequently break down their 
ftalks, if they are not well fupponted, efpecially when 
the feeds are formed •, which becoming heavy as it 
increafes in bulk, is apt to weigh down the flender 
ftalks upon which they grow. The feed will ripen in 
September, when the ftalks fhould be cut off, and 
fpread 011 mats to dry, and afterward threfhed out 
and cleaned, and put up in bags for ufe. 
BETONICA [or Vettonica, fo called from the Vet- 
tones, an ancient people of Spain, who firft ufed this 
plant], Betony. 
The Characters are, 
It hath a permanent empalement of one leaf which is tu- 
bulous , cut at the brim into five parts. The flower is of 
one leaf. \ of the lip kind , with a cylindrical incurved tube ; 
the upper lip is roundifh ^ plain , ereff, and entire ; the 
lower lip is cut into three parts , the middle fegment being 
broad , rmndifto, and indented at the end. It hath four 
awl-fhaped ftamina , two long and two.fhcrter , which in- 
cline to the upper lip ; thefe have romdifty fummits. The 
germen is quadripartite , fupporting a ftyle of the length 
and 
