COLE CROPS 



Under the phrase Cole Crops are commonly included 

 several plants now quite different from one another, but 

 which have all been developed from the Wild Cabbage, 

 a member of the Mustard Family , native to European sea 

 coasts. It is a rather small plant and is very different 

 from any of those which have been derived from it. 

 These include Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, and 

 Brussels Sprouts. 



The Cabbage 



The Cabbage is much the most important of these 

 Cole Crops. It has been grown since prehistoric times 

 and has become a staple article of human food over a 

 large part of the globe. The head is really a shortened 

 stem or giant bud in which in vertical cross-section one can 

 easily see the leaf-stems and leaf-blades, and even the 

 small buds in the axils of the stems. The plant is a 

 biennial, forming heads of leaves the first year and send- 

 ing up flower stalks the second. There are several dis- 

 tinct types of Cabbages; some have conical heads, others 

 flattened ones. The Savoy Cabbages have crumpled 

 leaves. In each type there are red as well as green or 

 white-leaved sorts. 



To mature successfully. Cabbages require a deep, 

 moist, rich, loamy soil in which they can grow continu- 

 ously until the heads are formed. The young plants are 

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