144 



VEGETABLE GARDENING^ 



and many garden flowers such as nasturtium, gillyflower, candy- 

 tuft and alyssum. 



CABBAGE. (Brassica oleracea.) 

 Native of Europe and Western Asia, — Biennial. — It grows 

 naturally to the neight of three or four feet and scarcely resem- 

 bles any of our cultivated kinds. The part eaten is termed the 

 head and is simply a cluster of leaves enwrapping the top of the 

 stem, or in other words, a large bud. It attains the height of 

 three or four feet when it goes to seed. The flowers are gener- 

 ally yellow in color and conspicuous, though not large. There 

 are three great groups of cabbages distinguished respectively by 

 their (1) red leaves, (2) smooth leaves and (b) wrinkled leaves. 

 Red cabbages are chiefly esteemed for pickling. The varieties 

 with smooth, light green leaves (common cabbage) are com- 



Figure 64 — Cross section of cabbage head, showing arrangement of stem and 

 leaves and that it is simply a big terminal bud. 



monly cultivated, while the Savoy cabbage, which has wrinkled 

 leaves, and is of the best quality, is little grown because it does 

 not produce so abundantly as the common kinds. The original 

 species from which the cabbage has sprung is also the parent of 

 the cauliflower, kale and Brussel's sprouts. The seed of the cab- 

 bage is dark brown in color, smooth and round. 



