Chap. IX. CABBAGES. 343 



leaf-buds. Thus: I. All the leaf- buds active and open, as in the 

 wild-cabbage, kail, &c. II. All the leaf-buds active, but forming 

 heads, as in Brussel-sprouts, &c. III. Terminal leaf-bud alone 

 active, forming a head as in common cabbages, savoys, &c. IV. 

 Terminal leaf-bud alone active, and open, with most of the flowers 

 abortive and succulent, as in the cauliflower and broccoli. V. All 

 the leaf-buds active and open, with most of the flowers abortive 

 and succulent, as in the sprouting-broccoli. This latter variety is 

 a new one, and bears the same relation to common broccoli, as 

 Brussel-sprouts do to common cabbages; it suddenly appeared 

 in a bed of common broccoli, and was found faithfully to transmit 

 its newly-acquired and remarkable characters. 



The principal kinds of cabbage existed at least as early as the 

 sixteenth century, 70 so that numerous modifications of structure 

 have been inherited for a long period. This fact is the more 

 remarkable as great care must be taken to prevent the crossing of 

 the different kinds. To give proof of this : I raised 233 seedlings 

 from cabbages of different kinds, which had purposely been planted 

 near each other, and of the seedlings no less than 155 were plainly 

 deteriorated and mongrelized; nor were the remaining 78 all 

 perfectly true. It may be doubted whether many permanent 

 varieties have been formed by intentional or accidental crosses; 

 for such crossed plants are found to be very inconstant. One 

 kind, however, called " Cottager's Kail," has lately been produced 

 by crossing common kail and Brussel-sprouts, recrossed with 

 purple broccoli, 71 and is said to be true ; but plants raised by me 

 were not nearly so constant in character as any common kind of 

 cabbage. 



Although most of the kinds keep true if carefully preserved from 

 crossing, yet the seed-beds must be yearly examined, and a few 

 seedlings are generally found false ; but even in this case the force 

 of inheritance is shown, for, as Metzger has remarked 72 when 

 speaking of Brussel-sprouts, the variations generally keep to their 

 " unter art," or main race. But in order that any kind may be 

 truly propagated there must be no great change in the conditions 

 of life; thus cabbages will not form heads in hot countries, 

 and the same thing has been observed with an English variety 

 grown during an extremely warm and damp autumn near Paris. 73 

 Extremely poor soil also affects the characters of certain varieties. 



Most authors believe that all the races are descended from the 

 wild cabbage found on the western shores of Europe ; but Alph. 

 De Candolle 74 forcibly argues, on historical and other grounds, that 

 it is more probable that two or three closely allied forms, generally 

 ranked as distinct species, still living in the Mediterranean region, 



70 Alph. De Candolle, 'Geograph. 72 < Kohlarten,' s. 22. 



Bet.' pp. 842 and 989. 73 Godron, ' De l'Espece,' torn. ii. p, 



71 'Gardener's Chron.,' Feb. 1858, 52; Metzger, 'Kohlarten,' s. 22. 

 p. 128. 7i 'Geograph. Bet.,' p. 84-3. 



