166 ON PLANTS IN RELATION TO ANIMALS. 
4 
It is sometimes a common agrarian weed, but one that is 
liable to great changes; as an example, we would refer to 
the fact that some eighteen years since, when we entered 
upon our present farm, S. nigra was one of the commonest of 
weeds. Now, however, it would be difficult to find a specimen; 
not so the S. arvensis , which is to be met with everywhere. 
Of the true cabbage division, we shall refer to the follow¬ 
ing : 
1. Brassica oleracea.—WM cabbage. 
2. Brassica napus , vel campestris .*—Rape, navew, coleseed. 
S. Brassica rapa.— -Turnip. 
1. The wild cabbage is well known as a denizen of rocks 
and rough ground about our sea-coasts, whence its small 
heads were at one time obtained and cooked under the name 
of “ colewort.” This, doubtless, caused some experimenters 
to attempt-their growth as a garden esculent, with what 
interest and success may be gathered from the now generally 
recognised fact that cauliflowers, different kinds of cabbages, 
such as the white and the extremely red sort used for pickling, 
greens, &c., are all derivatives from the common wild species. 
Our own experiments upon this subject prove conclusively 
that all sorts of cabbage heads, greens, and broccoli, are 
derived from the wild colewort; for, having procured seeds 
of the latter from the rocky sea-coast at Llandudno and sub¬ 
jected them to cultivation, we were surprised to find how 
quickly we were enabled to select examples for carrying on 
our amelioration or ennobling of the wild plant in various 
directions, resulting in several new forms ; one of which, an 
exceedingly hardy curled green, the seed of which can be 
obtained of the Messrs. Sutton, of Reading, who speak of 
it as follows : 
“Buckman’s Hardy Winter Green. —A valuable va¬ 
riety, introduced by Professor Buckman. It is, perhaps, 
the hardiest of all kales, and stands through the severest 
winter; of excellent cooking qualities, and may be used 
quite late in the spring.”* 
Cabbages were no doubt at one time eaten raw and pro¬ 
bably as a salad with oil and vinegar. It is not generally 
known that the different sorts of cabbage grown like mus¬ 
tard forms an agreeable and healthful small salad plant. It 
is thus that we use up parcels of old seeds, of course gather¬ 
ing the produce when it has fully expanded the cotyledon 
leaves, though in the different smooth-leaved sorts they are 
not bad if advanced to their secondary leaves. 
* See Sutton’s ‘Amateur’s Guide in Horticulture,’ for 1880, in which 
this form is very well figured, p. 18, figured on page 6. 
