BRAS 
the growth of turnips in Hampfhire, Berk (hire, and Lei- 
cefterfhire, in the years 1698 and 1699; and lays, that the 
Newtown men, who hoed his turnips in 1707, had made 
this their bufinefs for many years. Laftly, Mortimer fays, 
that turnips are of a very great advantage to.be fown in 
fields, as food for cattle 'in winter. He adds, that in Suf¬ 
folk they commonly gave them to their cattle in the hotife, 
and that hogs will alio eat them, if they are firlt boiled. 
Hence the common dory that the culture of turnips was 
firfi: introduced by Charles lord vifcount Townfhend can¬ 
not be true; nor did he lead the way evep in Norfolk it- 
felf: for Mr. Lille, whole obfervations in agriculture were 
made between the years 1693 and 1722, informs us, that 
he was allured by Mr. Heron of Norfolk, that they dung 
their turnip-land fo much, thaf their dry-land meadows 
are quite impoverilhed by it. That he difcourfed alfo 
with Mr. Gooch, a Norfolk gentleman, about the turnip- 
hulbandry of that county ; particularly on a diliemper to 
which the root is fubjefl, called the hanbery. The truly 
patriotic nobleman above-mentioned, however, was pro¬ 
bably the occafion of this culture being carried to that ex¬ 
tent and perfeition in which we now fee it; and that molt 
likely about the year 1730, when his lordfhip retired to 
Rainham from public bulinefs ; or perhaps earlier, for he 
was ambaftador extraordinary to the States General in 1 7O9, 
when lie might have become acquainted with the turnip 
culture on the continent. Turnips were certainly not in 
cultivation, except for the table, at the f end of the fix- 
tCenth, and the beginning of the feventeenth, century. 
Barnabe Googe indeed fays (1586), “ ufe to fowe rapes 
for the fultenance both of man and bead.” But we are 
to recoiled: that his work is a tranfl'ation from the German, 
and the above palfage refers to that country. So little was 
known of them in 1388, that Cogan, in his Haven of 
Health, affirms, “ that, although many men love to eate 
turnips, yet fvvine by nature doe abhorre them.” Nei¬ 
ther Gerard in 1597, nor Parkinfon in 1629, give the fmall- 
efl hint of this root being then in field-culture for cattle. 
The former of thefe fays only that “ the fmall turnip grow- 
eth by a village near London, called Hackney, in a fandie 
ground, and brought to the Crolfe in Cheapfide by the 
women of that village to be folde, and are the beft that I 
have ever tailed.” 
• 8. Brafiica oleracea, or common cabbage: root caitle- 
fcent, columnar, flefivy. The cabbage, as it is found in its 
wild Hate on the fea-lhores of Britain, has the Hem-leaves' 
very much waved, and varioufly indented, the colour fea- 
green, frequently with a mixture of purple; the lower 
ones foniewhat ovate and fellile, the upper almoft linear. 
The flowers are large'. Early in the fpring, the fea-cab- 
bagfe is preferable to the cultivated forts; but, when it is 
gathered on the coaft, it mull be boiled in two waters, to 
take away the faltnefs. When old, it is faid to occafion 
giddinefs. The roots may alfo be eaten, but they are not 
fo tender as thofe of the turnip and navew. All the diffe¬ 
rent varieties of garden cabbage originate from this. Thefe 
varieties may, it fhould feem, be reduced to,three general 
divilions : the firff comprehending thofe which grow in 
the natural way, without forming the leaves or ftalks into 
a head. This feftion or divifion, befides the fea cabbage 
or wild colewort, would comprehend the green colewort, 
the borecoles, and turnip cabbage. Secondly, thofe which 
form the leaves into a head, as the white cabbage, the 
red, the Savoy, &c. Thirdly, thofe which form their 
fialks into a head, as the cauliflower, and the different 
varieties of broccoli. The firff fefUon might be fubdivi- 
ded into the wild, with broad leaves, and an even Item; 
the turnip cabbage, with broadTeaves and a protuberant 
flem; and the borecoles, with fine cut leaves and an even 
fiem. The fecond feCtion contains the cabbages common¬ 
ly fo called : as the red ; the numerous varieties of the • 
white, fuch as the fugar-loaf, the early, the foreign mulk, 
the fmall Ruffia, the large-fided, the flat-topped, the 
Yorkfhire, Scotch, American, &c. &c. and thofe with 
wrinkled leaves, as the common Savoy, the-green Savoy, 
SICA. 355 
See. Of the borecoles in the firfi, and the broccoli in th e 
third, feflion, there are alfo variations in colour, the pur¬ 
ple and the white. 
Mr. Miller feems to confound the nnp ^brajjica or tur¬ 
nip cabbage with the fea cabbage: he fays, it grows na¬ 
turally on the fea-fhore, near Dover; that it has a peren¬ 
nial branching ftalk, in which it differs from all the others'} 
that the leaves are inclining to a purple colour, and are 
placed alternately on the branches ; that the flower-flaiks 
grow from the ends of the branches, and fpread out hori¬ 
zontally, but that thofe which arife from the centre of 
the plant grow ereft, and fcldom put out branches. He 
infills that it is a diftinct fpecies, halving always found the 
feeds to produce the fame plant, with this difference only, 
that in,good ground the ftalks will be much larger than in 
poor land. The young flioots, after they are much frozen, 
are'very fweet and good ; but at other times they are very 
ftrong and ftringy. In very hard winters this is a neceffary 
plant, for the moft fevere frolls do not injure it. 
The common colewort, or Dorfetftiire kale, is now al¬ 
moft loft near London, where the markets are ufually fup- 
plied with cabbage-plants inftead of them ; thefe being 
more tender and delicate. The common colewort indeed 
is better able to refill the cold in fevere winters; but it is 
not good till it has been pinched,by froft, and, our winters 
being generally temperate, cabbage plants are now con- 
ftantly brought to market; which, if they be of the fugar- 
loaf kind, are the fweeteft greens from December fo April 
yet known. Indeed, where farmers fow coleworts to feed 
their milch cattle in the fpring, when there is a fcarcity of 
herbage, the common colewort is to be preferred, as be¬ 
ing fo very hardy that no froft will dellroy it. The curled 
coleworts or borecoles are more generally efteemed than 
the common one, being like that fo hardy as never to be 
injured by cold, and at the fame time much more tender 
and delicate; thefe, however, are always fweeter in fevere 
winters than in mild feafons. 
Of the'heading cabbages, the red is chiefly cultivated 
for pickling; the common white, flat, long-fided, and Sa¬ 
voy, for winter ufe. , The mulk cabbage is almoft loft, 
though for eating it is one of the bed we have ; but, be¬ 
ing tenderer than many other forts, it is not fo profitable 
for market gardeners: fuch, however, as cultivate for 
their own tables (hould make choice of this rather than 
any of the common cabbages, for it is always loofer, the 
leaves are more crifp and tender, and it has a moll agreea¬ 
ble mulky feent when cut. The early and fugar-loaf cab¬ 
bages are generally fown for fummer ule, and are com¬ 
monly called Michaewfas cabbages. The Ruffian cab¬ 
bage was formerly in much greater efteem than at prefent, 
it being now only to be found in particular gentlemen’s 
gardens, and rarely brought to market. The other head¬ 
ing cabbages, together with many others, (for it would 
be endlefs to enumerate all the varieties which are perpe¬ 
tually rifing into fame, and falling into oblivion,) are cul¬ 
tivated chiefly for feeding cattle : for which they are cer¬ 
tainly well adapted on ftronglands ; but they are undoubt¬ 
edly a very exhauffing crop.’ 
''When the cabbage was firfi introduced into field culture 
is not precifcly known ; but it has not long. prevailed to 
any conliderabie extent. Mr. Houghton, in his Collec¬ 
tions, relates-, that a beaft was lately (1694) fold near Bury 
for 30I. which was fatted with cabbage-leaves. For the 
table it has been ufed time immemorial; having been fo 
much in favour with the Romans, it could hardly fail of 
being introduced by them during their refidence in our 
ifiand. And our Saxon anceftors certainly had fome fort 
of cabbage, lince they called the month of February 
Sproutcale. The Germans cut cabbages in pieces, and, 
with fome aromatic herbs and fait, prefs them clofe in a 
tub, where they foon fermeht, and are then eaten under 
the name of four crcut. In this Hate they are’much recom¬ 
mended againft the fea feurvy. Cabbages indeed, in ge¬ 
neral are efteemed a fahibrious aliment in the putrid feur¬ 
vy : they are laxative, and produce flatulencies; but the 
3 laxative 
