26 
THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
Coming down to about the Sixteenth century when Gerarde 
flourished, we find that varieties had sprung into existence, for 
in his “ Historie of Plantes,” he gives descriptions of several 
kinds of Cabbage and Cauliflower. In Scotland the cabbage 
must have been cultivated long before Cromwell and the 
Commonwealth, for “ kail ” is frequently alluded to in the songs 
anterior to this date and also occurs in the Scottish legends. 
Notwithstanding this fact, the date of the introduction of the 
plant here is generally attributed to Cromwell’s time, and the 
introduction itself by his soldiers, but it must have found a place 
in the peasants’ “kail yards” perhaps centuries before then. 
Like the others of its genus the cabbage possesses very high 
anti-scorbutic properties depending* it is supposed, on an acrid 
and volatile oily principle of which the chemical constituents 
are imperfectly understood. The plant has also a large share of 
azote (nitrogen) as is usual with cruciferous ones. Indeed we 
may perhaps go even so far as to state that an order of plants 
possessing a greater share of the element does not exist. 
Nevertheless cabbage, unless eaten very fresh and tender, is 
painfully incapable of digestion and tends decidedly to produce 
flatulency. And yet the Germans have a dish prepared, it would 
seem expressly to favour the above result. It is called sauer¬ 
kraut, and is concocted as thus :—The cabbage is cut into small 
pieces and a layer about three inches thick is spread at the 
bottom of the barrel. Over this, salt, unground pepper and 
cloves are thrown. Following this is another layer of cabbage, 
then another dose of salt, etc., until the-barrel is completely 
filled. A board is placed on top of the mass and heavily 
weighted. In this state it remains for about a fortnight during 
which time an acid fermentation sets in and water rises to the 
top. The smell, as one can very well suppose, is not nice to 
English nostrils, but the stolid nasal-hardened folks place the 
whole concern down the cellar where it remains in good con¬ 
dition far into the spring. It is a national dish and very greatly 
esteemed and—well—such is life. 
And now for a glimpse at some of the varieties and their classi¬ 
fication and then I think we may leave the subject and get on to 
our “ cabbage eaters.” Europe must ever claim the honour of 
being the scene of the metamorphoses of the cabbage for it is 
here that the many varieties that have all had their origin in the 
sea shore progenitor have been formed—chiefly since the time 
of the ancient Greeks. An Eastern theory of the modifications 
has at times arisen but has as rapidly fallen again. The fact of 
the common names being so numerous in European languages 
and so rare or modem in Asiatic ones is in itself almost enough 
to dispose of such an opinion. Theophrastus notes three varieties, 
Pliny six or seven, Tournefort twenty, De Candolle more than 
hirty, and these exclusive of gardeners’ crosses, almost indis- 
