CABBAGE. 59 



All of these, with the turnip-rooted cabbage and the Brus- 

 sels sprouts, claim a common origin from the single species 

 of brassica above mentioned. Cabbage of some sort, 

 White, in his History of Selborne, informs us, must have 

 been known to the Saxons ; for they named the month of 

 February Sprout kale. Being a favourite with the Ro- 

 mans, it is probable that the Italian cabbage would be in- 

 troduced at an early period into South Britain. To tin 

 inhabitants of the north of Scotland, cabbages were firsl 

 made known by the soldiers of the enterprising Cromwell, 

 when quartered at Inverness. Edin. Encij. art. HORTICUL- 

 TUKE. 



CABBAGE. Brassica oleracea capitata. Among the 

 varieties of the cabbage, which have been introduced into 

 this country, the following are enumerated in Mr. Russell's 

 Catalogue : 



Early Salisbury dwarf, 

 Early York, 

 Early Dutch, 

 Early sugarloaf, 

 Early London B 



Larae Bergen, or great American, 

 Early emperor, 



Early Wellington, 



Russian, 



Large late drumhead, 



Laie imperial, 



Late sugarloaf, 



Large green glazed, 



Tree, or thousand-headed, 



Large Scotch,/or cattle, 



Green globe Savoy, 



Red Dutch, for jnckling, 



Large cape Savoy, 



Yellow Savoy, [ground) 



Turnip-rooted, or Arabian, (above 



Turnip-rooted, (below ground) 



Choude Milan. 



Soil and situation. Every variety of cabbage grows best 

 in a strong, rich, substantial soil, inclining rather to clay 

 than sand ; but will grow in any soil, if it be well worked, 

 and abundantly manured with well rotted dung. But, ac- 

 cording to Loudon, " The soil for seedlings should be light, 

 and, excepting for early sowings, not rich. Where market 

 gardeners raise great quantities of seedling cabbages to 

 stand the winter, and to be sold for transplanting in the 

 spring, they choose, in general, the poorest and stiffest land 

 they have got, more especially in Scotland, where large 

 autumnal sowings, of winter drumhead and round Scotch, 

 are annually made, and where the stiffness of the soil gives 

 a peculiar firmness of texture and hardiness of constitution 

 to the plants, and prevents their being thrown out of the 

 soil during the thaws which succeed a frosty winter. 

 Transplanted cabbages require a rich mould, rather clayey 

 than sandy ; and, as Neill and Nicol observe, it can scarcely 



