PRACTICAL WORK 17 



longest duration. There are, however, many exceptions, and the 

 Violet and Bluebell will occur to every one. 



Many of our cultivated plants are derived from Halophytes. 

 The Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, etc., are cultivated 

 varieties of the Cabbage Brassica (Brassica oleracea), a plant 

 belonging to the maritime cliffs of the Mediterranean region. 

 Thence it spread to the coasts of northern France and of 

 southern England, and is now found on many of the cliffs of 

 our islands, in some cases being probably an " escape " from 

 cultivation. The Beet and Mangel Wurzel are cultivated varie- 

 ties of the Wild Beet (Beta maritima), whose natural habitat is 

 the muddy seashore. It is possible, though this is not certainly 

 known, that the Radish comes from a seacoast variety of the 

 Wild Radish, i.e. from Raphanus maritimum. The Horse Radish 

 (CoMearia Armor acia) is not an indigenous plant, but it has 

 become naturalised near the sea. The Carrot is probably an 

 original native of the seacoasts of Southern Europe. 



The Asparagus has its natural home in the maritime sands, 

 or sandy plains, of Central and Western Asia, whence it spread 

 to the Mediterranean and western coasts of Europe. At the 

 present time the Wild Asparagus is confined in Britain to the 

 south-western shores of England and to one or two counties of 

 Ireland. 



Lastly, the Coconut tree (Cocos nucifera], so much cultivated 

 in the tropics, grows under natural conditions only on the saline 

 soil of the seashore. 



PRACTICAL WORK. On sandy seashores note the effect of 

 the wind. If the most prevalent winds are those that blow 

 towards the shore, the sand is heaped up into dunes ; on the 

 other hand, if the predominant winds are generally off-shore, 

 the sand is continually blown back into the sea and dunes are 

 not formed. 



Look for " ripple marks," which may often be observed on 

 blown sand. The sand grains, pushed along by the wind, travel 

 up the long slopes and fall over the steep slopes. Not only do 

 the particles travel, but the ridges also follow each other more 

 closely. 



VOL. V. 2 



