CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 255 



natifid, entire, broad, undulated, thick, smooth, covered 

 with a glaucous bloom. The stem bears at the top a 

 spike of yellow, rarely white flowers. 



336. Botany of cultivated forms. — ^There is great varia- 

 tion among cultivated types, particularly of the leaves. 

 The outer leaves may be large or small; few or many; 

 flat or curved ; curved inward or curved outward ; inclos- 

 ing the head closely or loosely; long or short; broad or 

 narrow; thick or thin; base well filled out or spatulate; 

 veins few or many, fine or coarse ; margin entire or cre- 

 nate ; surface flat or undulate, smooth or crumpled ; shape 

 uniform or variable; savoyed little or much, finely or 

 coarsely; color light green, dark green, red or tinged 

 with purple; border sometimes tinged with purple; color 

 uniform or variable ; bloom much or little, bright or dull. 



The heads may be large or small ; flat, flattened, glob- 

 ular or elongated; pointed acutely or obtusely; horizon- 

 tal section round or angular; soft to very hard. The 

 head leaves may reach or pass beyond the center ; drawn 

 or folded tightly or loosely ; thick or thin ; crisp or tough ; 

 well blanched or poorly blanched ; sweet or bitter ; flavor 

 good or poor. Core large or small ; long or short. 



337. Classification. — The various methods of classifi- 

 cation suggested are unsatisfactory. Market gardeners 

 often speak of varieties as being early, midseason and 

 late. This system of grouping, however, means little, for 

 the time of maturity is largely a matter of how early the 

 crop is started. Jersey Wakefield is generally recognized 

 as an early variety, but some home growers desiring 

 pointed heads and high quality sow the seed in July and 

 August, so that the heads will not mature until October 

 or November, and then the product becomes late cab- 

 bage. Succession is usually regarded as a midseason 

 variety, but by starting it early under glass marketable 

 heads may be secured in the North soon after July i, 

 while later sowings will not make solid cabbage until 



