200 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
cultivation. The Latin word Bmssica is derived from the Celtic 
Bresic. There is no plant which has produced, by cultivation, 
a greater number of varieties than the Brassica (jlcracen. The 
opinion is generally entertained by botanists, that the white 
and red cabbage, savoy, borecoles, cauliflower, and brocoli, have 
all originally sprung from the wild cabbage of the sea-coasts. 
Now when varieties reproduce themselves permanently, they 
become races, and there is evidence that some of these races 
have been cultivated in other countries from the earliest times 
of which we have any record. Take for example the permanent 
variety of the red cabbage {Brassica oJerncca var. rubra), now 
chiefly used for pickling, which was known to the Eomans. As 
the primitive inhabitants of the different European nations 
had very little communication with each other, it is probable 
that the wild cabbage {Brassica ohracca), which grows on the 
shores of Denmark, France, and the Mediterranean, furnished, 
in every instance, the cultivated varieties of those countries. 
The cabbage was most likely first grown in Great Britain by 
the Saxons. It was such a favomute with them, that they 
called the second month of the year Sproiit-lcaJc. 
Two leading sub-divisions may be effected of nearly all the 
varieties of the garden cabbage. These varieties are either — 
1. Headless cabbages, {Brassica oleracia var. acei^haJa), such 
as the borecole, the leaves of which continue expanded, never 
forming ahead : or, 2. Close-headed cabbages {B. 0. var. capi- 
^a^a),'such as the white and red cabbage and the savoy, whose 
concave leaves are densely imbricated over each other, and form 
a close compact head before flowering. The w^ord cabbage is 
in fact derived from the Latin caput, a head, through the 
French cahus. Brussels sprouts {B. 0. var subanda). This 
is only a variety of the savoy, with an elongated stem, from 
the sides of which spring out small green heads like cabbages 
in miniature. If the stem be examined, these sprouts will be 
found invariably to start just above the scars left by the fallen 
outer leaves. The cauliflower {B. 0. caulijiora). In the cauli- 
flower we eat the fleshy flower, stalks, and undeveloped buds, 
which are crowded together into a compact mass. It was 
a favourite saying of the great lexicographer. Dr. Johnson — 
Of all the flowers of the garden, I like the cauliflower the 
best!^^ a sentiment worthy of that learned epicure. The cauli- 
flower was first brought from the Isle of Cyprus, about the 
beginning of the seventeenth century. Brocoli. The name 
is Italian. This is only a sub-variety of the cauliflower, 
distinguished from it by the dark green or purple colour of the 
head. It is also a much hardier plant, and stands the winter. 
These varieties of the cabbage illustrate in the most striking 
manner the changes which are produced in species by culti- 
