Part 50

=BEAUFORTIA= (commemorative of Mary, Duchess of Beaufort, a botanical patroness). Including _Schizopleura_. ORD. _Myrtaceæ_. Elegant free-flowering greenhouse Australian shrubs. Flowers scarlet; calyx with a turbinate tube; stamens in bundles opposite the petals. Leaves sessile, opposite or scattered. Beaufortias require a compost of peat, leaf soil, and loam, lightened, if necessary, by the addition of sand. Cuttings of half-ripened shoots root freely in sandy soil, under a glass, with very little heat.

=B. decussata= (decussate). _fl._ scarlet; bundles of stamens on very long claws; filaments radiating. May. _l._ opposite, decussate, ovate, or oval, many-nerved. _h._ 3ft. to 10ft. New Holland, 1803. (B. M. 1733.)

=B. purpurea= (purple).* _fl._ purplish-red, in dense globular heads. _l._ three to five-nerved, erect or spreading, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate-linear. New Holland.

=B. sparsa= (few-leaved). _fl._ bright scarlet. _l._ many-nerved, scattered, ovate-elliptical, obtuse. West Australia. SYN. _B. splendens_. (P. F. G. xiii., 145.)

=B. splendens= (splendid). Synonymous with _B. sparsa_.

=BEAUMONTIA= (in honour of Mrs. Beaumont, formerly of Bretton Hall, Yorkshire). ORD. _Apocynaceæ_. A very ornamental stove twiner, remarkable for its handsome flowers. It succeeds best when planted out in the borders of a temperate house, in rich lumpy loam and peat. Propagated by cuttings, placed in sand, with bottom heat.

=B. grandiflora= (large-flowered).* _fl._, corolla large, white, greenish outside near the base, and dark throat, with a short tube, and a large campanulate five-lobed limb; corymbs axillary and terminal, many-flowered. June. _l._ opposite, broad, oblong-ovate, with a little point, tapering towards the base, smooth and shining above, but rather downy beneath; young leaves and branches rusty. Chittagong and Sylhet, 1820. (B. M. 3213.)

=BED.= A term usually applied to pieces of ground laid out in gardens for sowing small seeds, or for the isolation and better protection of small collections of plants in the reserve ground. The oblong is the best shape for this purpose, about 4ft. or 5ft. wide, somewhat raised, and having a narrow path on each side, so that the workman may attend to the plants or seeds without having to tread on the bed. Any one part of a flower-garden design, cut out in grass, or otherwise formed, is also generally termed a Bed. When required to be planted for effect, as in this case, the Bed should be proportionate in size to the plants that are to be put in it, always planting the highest in the centre and gradually sloping, with other sizes, to the edges, which should be the lowest. Circular Beds are best with one centre plant; and oblong or other shapes should have the height of the centre plants carried nearly the whole length, not, however, placing them in too formal a manner.

=BEDDING-IN.= A method of seed-sowing, now almost obsolete, and chiefly employed in nurseries. "In this method, the ground being dug and formed by alleys into Beds, 4ft. or 5ft. wide, each alley being a spade's width or more between Bed and Bed, and the earth being drawn off the top of the Bed with a rake or spade, 1/2in. or 1in. deep into the alleys, the seed is then sown all over the surface of the Bed; which being done, the earth in the alleys is immediately cast over the Bed, again covering the seeds the same depth, and the surface is raked smooth" (Johnson). In the case of small seeds, a very light covering is needed, and that only of very fine soil.

=BEDDING-OUT.= The temporary placing out of doors of greenhouse and other tender plants during the summer months. It is considered by some to be the showiest, most expensive, and most unnatural of any style. The geometrical arrangement of gaudy colours is not at all times satisfactory, and under the most favourable conditions the design is rarely retained more than two or three months, say, from July to September. The method is, however, so extensively adopted as to demand due notice in this work. Bedding usually commences in May. An important consideration is the proper preparation of the soil for the reception of the plants. It will be found to materially assist the growth if the soil is well dug over a fortnight before the plants are put in. By this means, it will acquire a certain amount of solidity, a point of great importance with fibrous-rooted plants that are subject to injury from the fine roots not taking a firm hold of the soil. Having decided upon the arrangement of the plants, proceed to work with the planting. With round, oval, or, indeed, almost any shaped bed, begin in the centre and work towards the edge; in borders, commence at the back and finish with the front row. Plant with a trowel, disturbing the balls as little as possible, and when in the holes press the soil moderately firm. After the Bed is finished, give a good soaking of water to settle the soil at the roots. Manure for Flower-beds should always be perfectly rotten, such as that from a spent hotbed. When the plants are thoroughly established, water must only be given if they show signs of distress; and then a good soaking should be applied. A careful hoeing of the surface after planting will be most beneficial, leaving it smooth and tidy. A Dutch hoe will be the best to use. Injudicious use of manure and water will only cause a foliaceous growth. The proper treatment of the various Bedding Plants will be found under their respective headings. For spring decoration, the Beds may be filled with Dutch bulbs, and spring-flowering annuals and perennials _ad infinitum_; or, after the plants are removed in autumn, the Beds may be filled with evergreens plunged in pots, such as Aucuba, Arbor vitæ, Euonymus, and various little Conifers, which have a bright appearance through the winter, and can be removed at any time. With the relative value, or advisability of adoption, of either or any system of gardening, it scarcely comes within the province of this work to deal. No hard-and-fast rules can be laid down as regards "style," and each individual may follow his own taste and inclination.

_Carpet Bedding._ This mode of gardening, although not so generally employed as it was some few years ago, has many admirers, and small plots, geometrically arranged in multi-coloured beds on lawns, are frequently seen. In our large public parks, the system is largely adopted, and evidently proves very gratifying to the multitudes who visit these places; but probably no system is more unnatural or expensive, as such a large number of plants are necessary in order to produce a desirable effect. The illustrations (Figs. 214 and 215) represent two designs for Carpet Beds. The numbers placed in the various compartments indicate the way the different colours should be arranged, repeats being marked by the same cypher. A very varied and large selection of plants can be used for Carpet Bedding, some of which are quite hardy, such as _Herniaria glabra_ and _Veronica repens_, two of the best dwarf green plants; _Sempervivum californicum_, _Sedum lydium_, _S. glaucum_, _Antennaria tomentosa_, &c. These may be planted early in the season, with Golden Feather, and are especially valuable, as they are generally employed to a great extent. Other plants, not quite so hardy, are _Mentha Pulegium gibraltarica_ and _Echeveria secunda glauca_, both of which are extensively used; while the tenderest subjects are Alternantheras of various kinds, _Coleus Verschaffeltii_ and _Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum_. These latter should not be planted till the first or second week in June. As the plants are usually small, and require to be planted thickly, the work is best accomplished with the fingers, pressing the soil moderately firm. First of all, work out the design, and plant the leading lines; afterwards fill in the "panels."

_Sub-Tropical Bedding._ This term is applied to the arrangement of tropical plants in Beds or groups outside for the summer months, and if discriminately adopted a very attractive and unique display may be made, depending greatly upon position, and mainly upon the material at command. If a sheltered and partially shady situation is enjoyed, a grand effect may be produced by the grouping of tree and other large ferns with palms, Cannas, Aralias, Dracænas, &c., avoiding, of course, formal arrangement, and yet, when finished, a symmetrical appearance should be produced. In more open positions, palms, Castor Oil Plants, Cannas, _Humea elegans_, Aralias, Phormiums, Wigandias, Nicotianas, &c., may be employed, the result being, if properly arranged, most gratifying. Sub-Tropical Bedding should not be done till the middle or end of June, and the Beds should be well dug and freely manured for those that are to be planted out.

Fig. 216 represents a Border or long piece of ground, which may be either marked out permanently with Box edging, dwarf-growing silver or golden leaved plants, tiles, stones, or pebbles, and filled in with silver sand or bright-coloured stones or gravel; or the lines may be widened out into walks. The whole of the small circles not numbered are intended for specimen foliage and other plants, such as Fuchsias, Yuccas, Aloes, Cannas, Solanums, variegated or plain Reeds, Grasses, Maize (_Zea_), &c. No. 1, tall plants of _Echeveria metallica_, edged with _E. glauca_; 2, 2, yellow or orange Calceolaria; 3, 3, Mrs. Leavers Pelargonium; 4, 4, Triomphe de Stella ditto; 5, 5, purple or blue Verbena; 6, 6, white ditto. The narrow border round the side may then be filled in with Golden-feather Pyrethrum, blue Lobelia, or _Alternanthera amabilis_. This same plan may also be treated in quite a different manner, according to the taste of those adopting it, or the stock of plants at command.

Fig. 217 illustrates a design admirably adapted for a rosery or small flower garden. Its only fault is the number of sharp angles at the corners of some of the Beds; but this can be counteracted by the predominance of curved lines. It is easily formed, and the effect is good if furnished in the following manner: The circle in the centre, 1, _Centaurea ragusina compacta_, edged with a double line of _Coleus Verschaffeltii_; the four figures 2, 2, 2, 2, scarlet Pelargoniums, such as Vesuvius, Bonfire, Triomphe de Stella, or others; 3, 3, Mrs. Pollock, golden-zoned Pelargoniums, edged with _Alternanthera amœna_; 4, 4, Lady Cullum, ditto, ditto, edged with ditto; 5, 5, _Lobelia speciosa_, Imperial Dwarf Ageratum, or Purple King Verbena; 6, 6, white Verbena or white Ivy-leaved Pelargonium.

The group of Beds illustrated in Fig. 218 is effective on grass or gravel. If on the latter, the lines should be defined with Box, Golden Thyme, Cerastium, or Santolinas. The design is pretty on level, but is still more effective on sloping ground; in the latter case, it should rise from the straight walk (dotted line). Thus each Bed may be seen to the best advantage, and the group may be extended to any length. The circular Beds should be planted with two distinct colours, such as good pink and scarlet Pelargoniums of similar habits of growth, placing the colours in alternate Beds. The Beds, _a_, _a_, _a_, Flower of Spring, or another silver-leaved Pelargonium; _b_, _b_, _b_, Purple King Verbena, or Imperial Dwarf Ageratum; _c_, _c_, White Perfection Verbena, and silver-leaved or white-flowered Ivy-leaved Pelargonium; _d_, _d_, _Alternanthera magnifica_; _e_, _e_, Blue Lobelia. The long border, _Alternanthera paronychioides_, edged with _Antennaria tomentosa_; or _Iresine Lindenii_, edged with Pyrethrum, Golden Fleece or Crystal Palace Gem Pelargonium. The two sides may also be planted alike. The colours are reversed above to produce a greater variety and a more striking effect. This design is also well adapted for Carpet Bedding.

_Nursery Bed._ This is merely a reserve ground or nursery for a large stock of plants of various sorts, such as Roses, &c. One of the first requirements is an easy access to the individual plants, and with the least possible waste of space. This may be obtained by arranging the Beds in regular geometric figures, as shown in Figs. 219 and 220, and, by exercising a little care and taste, the whole can be so contrived as to present an ornamental appearance.

We are indebted to Messrs. Cannell and Sons for the diagrams of Bedding-out designs shown at Fig. 221, which may be made very effective:

Bed A. This Bed may be planted with the following: Summer-flowering: 1, Gain's Yellow Calceolaria or Ageratum Lady Jane; 2, Geranium Vesuvius or another scarlet; 3 and 4, Viola Blue-bell or Purple King Verbena; 5, edged with _Gnaphalium lanatum_, or _Antennaria tomentosa_, white foliaged plants. Summer Foliage: 1, _Coleus Verschaffeltii_; 2, _Centaurea ragusina compacta_; 3 and 4, Mrs. Pollock Geranium; 5, band of any of the Echeverias, or _Kleinia repens_.

Bed B. Plants mentioned for A will do for this.

Bed C. This is really intended for a Carpet Bed. 1, _Alternanthera amabilis_, with a narrow line of _amœna_ for the edge; 2, _Mentha_, or _Herniaria glabra_; 3, band of _Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum_. Flowering: 1, Any kind of Scarlet Geranium; 2, Golden-leaved ditto; 3, Blue Lobelia (edge). Spring: 1, White Arabis; 2, _Myosotis dissitiflora_; 3, Golden Feather.

Bed D. Summer: 1, Pink Geranium; 2, _Iresine Lindenii_; 3, Golden Feather. Carpet: 1, _Alternanthera versicolor grandis_; 2, _Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum_; 3, _Alternanthera magnifica_, edged with _Sempervivum montanum_.

Bed E. 1, Scarlet Geranium; 2, Pink ditto; 3, _Lobelia speciosa_; or, 1, _Alternanthera amœna_; 2, _Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum_; 3, _Echeveria secunda glauca_.

Bed F. 1, _Dracæna_, _Chamæpeuce_, or any other graceful foliage plant for the centre; 2 and 4, _Alternanthera amabilis_, the divided lines, 6, being filled with Mentha or Echeverias; 3 and 5, _Alternanthera amœna_; and the outer edge, 7, with _Sempervivum californicum_. This bed would look well if planted with any of the above-mentioned spring flowers. Spring: Bed might be raised to a mound, and lined out with hardy Sedums, or Sempervivums, placing a larger growing one in the centre; and 2, 3, 4, and 5 divisions may be filled with any spring-flowering dwarf-growing plants.

Bed G. 1, Small plant of Yucca; 2, _Coleus Verschaffeltii_; 3, _Alyssum variegatum_; 4, _Lobelia pumila magnifica_.

Bed H. 1, Golden Feather; Mesembryanthemum; 3, Mentha; 4, _Alternanthera amabilis_; or 1, _Coleus Verschaffeltii_; 2, _Centaurea ragusina_; 3, Calceolaria Golden Gem; 4, Ageratum Lady Jane.

=BEDDING PLANTS.= This term applies to many half-hardy subjects which are planted out in beds for summer display, such as Ageratums, Calceolarias, Geraniums, Heliotropes, Lobelias, Verbenas, &c., all of which will be treated under their respective headings. They are mostly soft-wooded plants and are easily cultivated with proper means, in spring and autumn.

=BEDFORDIA= (named in honour of a former Duke of Bedford). ORD. _Compositæ_. Greenhouse evergreen shrubs, allied to _Cacalia_. They thrive in a mixture of sand, peat, loam, and brick rubbish, in equal proportions. Propagated by cuttings, which should be dried a little before inserting them in rough, sandy soil.

=B. salicina= (willow-like). _fl.-heads_ yellow, axillary and solitary, or few together. April. _l._ alternate, lanceolate, linear, glossy above, covered with white tomentum underneath. _h._ 3ft. Victoria and Tasmania, 1820. SYN. _Cacalia salicina_. (B. R. 923.)

=BEDSTRAW.= _See_ =Galium=.

=BEECH.= _See_ =Fagus=.

=BEES.= _See_ =Honey Bees=, =Humble Bees=, and =Wasps=.

=BEET= (_Beta_, which _see_). The present varieties of Beetroot are the offspring of _Beta vulgaris_, a plant of biennial duration, and a native of the sea coasts of Southern Europe. It was cultivated in this country about 1656, but was probably long previously introduced by the ancient Romans. Beetroot is largely used as salad, more extensively on the Continent than with us, also pickled; medium sized, deeply coloured roots being the chief desideratum. Some varieties are largely grown for their highly-coloured foliage, being planted in bedding-out designs, and generally proving extremely effective.

Cultivation: For obtaining the best results, an open situation should be chosen, free from the shade of trees. The ground should be light and sandy, and, if possible, that which has been previously manured for some other crop, French beans, for instance. Trench the soil to a depth of 2ft. in the autumn, and ridge it up for the winter. As soon as dry enough to allow of working in spring, dig over the whole bed with a steel digging fork, and break the soil tolerably fine. Sow any time from the last week in April to the end of May. Prepare the drills about a foot or 15in. apart, and from 1in. to 2in. deep. The seeds grow quicker if steeped in water previous to sowing, afterwards allowing them to get dry enough to separate from each other. Sow thinly, and fill in the drills with a rake. As soon as the plants are up, hoe between the rows, and keep free from weeds. In a fortnight or three weeks after this hoeing, if the weather has been favourable, the plants will be large enough for thinning. Thin out to about 9in. apart, and carefully fill up, in dull weather, any blanks that may occur. Transplanting is, however, not generally a very satisfactory method. Carefully lift the roots in autumn, before frost comes, and wring off the leaves about an inch from the crowns. Place the roots in a cool shed or house, and allow the soil on them to get quite dry, when they may be stored for winter use in dry sand, or soil, in a shed free from frost. It is preferable to keep the crowns free from soil, to prevent decay from the ends of the leaves left on them. If this be carefully done, the roots will keep till the next season's early crop is ready. In all processes connected with the growing, storing, or cooking of this vegetable, the greatest care must be taken to avoid bruising or otherwise injuring the roots, as deficiency of colour would be the result, especially in the case of the red-fleshed kinds, in some cases rendering them valueless for table use. Seed Saving: When lifting the crop in autumn, select as many of the best formed and coloured roots as required, and store them separately from the rest. In April, plant them in a spot by themselves, where there is no danger of impregnation from other varieties, and in due time good seed will ripen. If good foliaged varieties are required, the best should be selected when growing in the summer, and either be marked by some means, or have the inferior ones removed from them.

_Sorts._ These are somewhat numerous--almost every seedsman having a so-called "improved strain." Nutting's Dwarf Red, Chelsea, Pine Apple, Dell's Crimson and Red Castelnaudary, are the best of the crimson or red-fleshed kinds. The Egyptian Turnip-rooted is a distinct variety, with flesh of a good colour, and fine flavour; excellent for summer salads. Betterave de Bretagne is a Continental variety; the roots grow to a good size, with a distinct outer skin of a dark colour; flesh rich purple. The best of the yellow-fleshed kinds are Small Yellow and Long Yellow (see Fig. 222); but these are not grown nearly so much as the deep-coloured section; in fact, they are almost useless for garden purposes.

_Beetroot for Bedding Purposes_: In this case, where the foliage is the main object, the seed may be sown in a reserve bed, and the plants transferred to their positions in the flower garden. If, however, a line is required in a ribbon or other border, the best plan is to sow there, and thin out the plants to equal distances. Dell's Crimson is one of the best varieties for this purpose, being very compact and of a good dark colour.

Varieties of the Leaf Beet (_Beta Cicla_), and Sea or Perennial Beet (_Beta maritima_), are sometimes, but very seldom, cultivated for the use of the leafstalks and leaves, the roots being hard and unfit for cooking purposes. They are at the best but substitutes for other vegetables--namely, the midrib for Sea-kale and the leaves for Spinach. If desired, seeds may be sown in the way described for Beetroot, in April for using in autumn and winter, and in August for spring use, plants of the latter sowing being protected in severe weather. The best sorts are Red-stalked, Yellow-stalked, and White (see Fig. 223) or Silver Leaf.

=BEET CARRION BEETLE= (_Silpha opaca_). This destructive insect is frequently found in dead animals, but often its grub almost destroys the leaves of Beet and Mangold Wurzel crops. The grubs, which are black and shining, when full grown are from 1/3in. to 1/2in. long; the three segments next the head are rounded at the sides, but the other segments are sharp, and the tail segment has a sharp spine on each side. "When full-fed, the grubs bury themselves, and form cells at the depth of 3in. or 4in. below the surface of the earth, in which they turn to pupæ, and from these the Beetle has been seen to come up in about the space of a fortnight or three weeks" (Ormerod). The Beetles are flattish, and about five lines long, brown-black, with a tawny down; eyes large and oval; horns club-shaped; body somewhat oval; wing-cases very flat, turned up at the outer edge, each case having three sharp ridges running along it; tip of abdomen dull red. Any manures or methods of cultivation that would stimulate growth in the plants, so as to permit renovation of injuries, would be found useful. If farmyard manure were applied to the soil intended for Beet _in the autumn_ instead of in spring, it would lessen the risk of attack to the Beets.