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Bras&icaceous Esculents, or the Cabbage Tribe. 



The Cabbage tribe include the White and Red Cabbage, Savoy, 

 Brussels Sprouts, Borecole, Cauliflower, and Broccoli. All these are con- 

 sidered to have sprung from Brassica oleracea, L., a cruciferous biennial, 

 found on the sea-shore at Dover and a few other parts of Europe, on 

 chalky or calcareous soil. At Dover the plant varies considerably in 

 its foliage and general appearance, and in its wild state it is there used 

 as a culinary vegetable, and found of excellent flavour (' Gard. Mag., 

 viii. p. 54). Improved varieties have been cultivated in gardens 

 since the time of the Romans, and probably long before. They occupy 

 a large space among the rotation crops of every kitchen garden, be- 

 cause there is not a day in the year in which one or more of the 

 kinds is not required at table. We shall first enumerate the varieties 

 and the best sub-varieties of each, and give what is peculiar in their 

 culture ; and conclude the section with the culture and management 

 of the Cabbage tribe generally. 



The White cabbage (B. oleracea var. capitata, Dec. ; Chou pomme, or 

 cabus blanc, Fr.) is perhaps the most general vegetable in cultivation 

 in temperate climates; it is in perfection from May to November, and 

 the Scotch Drumhead field cabbage, or the Vanack, and Rosette Cole- 

 wort, afford a supply through the winter ; from the open air, when 

 the winter is mild, and taken up and planted under cover when it is 

 severe. The properties of a good cabbage are, a small, short stem, 

 and a large, compact, well-formed head of succulent leaves, sumranded 

 with but few loose leaves. The sub-varieties are now very numerous, 

 almost every grower having his favourite. But the Early York and 

 Battersea still hold their ground, and such varieties as the true 

 Atkins' Matchless, Nonpareil, Early Barnes, Little Pixie, Cattel's 

 Reliance, Wheeler's Imperial, &c., are among the best for early or 

 general crops ; the Sugarloaf is likewise a useful, tender, summer 

 cabbage ; and the Early York, for early and late crops, and the 

 Cornish and Vanack for main crops. The Vanack cabbage is always 

 in season ; and as it sprouts freely from the stem after being cut, and 

 the sprouts form heads as well as the summits of the plants, one plan- 

 tation of this kind might serve the whole summer, and actually does 

 so in some considerable gardens in the neighbourhood of London. 

 The main plantation of cabbages, to come into use in May, is made 

 about the end of October, and for this the seeds are sown in the last 

 week of Julv or first week of August. Any time from the 8th to the 

 12th of August will do well to sow good varieties of early kinds of 

 cabbage ; and such should be as plentiful in March and April as they 

 were in May and June, under the improved method of growing pretty 

 little early close-headed varieties, such as Little Pixie or Vanack, 

 on sloping banks, planted twelve to fifteen inches apart. Many 

 of the London market-gardeners are so particular as to the time of 

 sowing that they sow annually on the same day viz., July 25, or as 

 near it as circumstances will permit. The seeds are sown in an open 



