146 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



Let me tell you something interesting about 

 cauliflower. When the fleshy flower stems of 

 certain wild cabbage plants were first noticed, and 

 thought to be worth developing by selection, 

 it was the gardeners of Italy that carried the work 

 forward until the older varieties of what we call 

 cauliflower were produced. They called it Broc- 

 coli, and that is the Italian name for cauliflower 

 to-day. All along the shores of the Mediter- 

 ranean, and all through the year, these plants, in 

 many varieties, are grown for the markets. It is 

 not usual to hear the name, Broccoli, in other 

 countries, though the name, cauliflower, is every- 

 where. It is used by itself, as a vegetable and 

 combined with other vegetables in pickles. 



The headed cabbages form a great group that 

 developed along the line of improvement of the 

 terminal head. The sun tinged some to a rosy 

 color. From that the line of purple cabbages 

 came. The solid globular head of great size 

 is one type. The oval head, more loose and soft, 

 is another. Late and early varieties are numerous. 

 So are tender and hardy kinds. Heavy coarse- 

 fibred kinds are grown for cattle. There are 

 varieties for sauerkraut and others for crisp salads. 

 They all fall into two groups, based upon the 

 leaves. They may be smooth or crinkled. The 



