oj the Genus lirassica. 193 



bourg, called in England White Spanish Radish, is a variety 

 less known. 



Observations on the Cross-bred Vegetables found among the 

 preceding Plants. 



There is no doubt that many of the plants which I have 

 enumerated are the results of different cross-breeds, obtained 

 by mere chance in various gardens, and preserved by the care 

 of agriculturists. Having never found an opportunity of 

 making such experiments methodically, I shall content my- 

 self with relating a few facts communicated to me by M. Sa- 

 geret, who, being an excellent and zealous cultivator, has de- 

 voted several years to the trial of cross-breeds. The results 

 he has obtained on cultivated Cabbages appear to me worthy 

 the attention of the curious. The cultivated Cabbage, Bras- 

 sica oleracea, according to M. Sageret, presents a singular 

 phsenomenon, that of being incapable of receiving fecundation 

 from any but its own species ; he tried in vain the pollen of 

 the Brassica campestris oleifora, or Colsa, as well as that of 

 every other species of Brassica ; he then found out that it had 

 a natural tendency to fecundate several other species of Cab- 

 bages, and even the cultivated Black Radish, but it could not 

 be impregnated by any except its own varieties : the Brassica 

 oleracea botrytis has not, however, undergone a trial with it. 

 It appears that the cross-breeds known are produced in gar- 

 dens without any interference. 



The Colsa, the Chou-navet, and the Ruta-baga, appear 

 from these experiments to be hybrid products of the Cabbage, 

 and Turnip, taken in different degrees of culture, and domes- 

 tication ; they are none of them capable of crossing the true 

 Cabbage, but may all become fruitful by its means ; they can 

 produce amongst themselves other cross-races which bring 

 their own seeds to perfection ; the Colsa in particular can- 

 not be considered as the type of the cultivated Cabbage, as 

 Messrs. Duchesne and Lamarck supposed; but its manner of 

 mixing in artificial breeds, shows, as I have already observed, 

 that it forms a type sui generis. One might suppose that the 

 Colsa was originally produced from the Cabbage and the 

 Navette; the Brassica campestris j^abtdaria by the Cabbage 

 and the oblong Turnip ; the Napo-Brassica by the Cabbage 

 and the white Turnip, and the Ruta-baga by the Cabbage and 

 the yellow Turnip. 



General Obseiva lions. 



The several plants which I have offered to notice, and 



classed according to my own observations, are, as every body 



Vol.61. No. '299. Marc/i lH'J;i. H b knows. 



