348

KITCHEN VEGETABLES.

mark the several descriptive differences. However, thisgeneral observation should be noticed; it seems that theperfection to which this plant is brought in its severalstages, is owing to the care employed in its cultivation.Further, there is scarce a doubt, but the sexual intercourseof these plants, according to the laws of vegetable life, canproduce several new varieties,—in the seed of the plant.Much also depends upon the nature of the soil where im-planted. For sandy soils, it appears, have the propertyof decreasing the odoriferous smell of plants; and it hasbeen remarked, that they will not recover it when trans-planted into a milder bed. Upon this experiment Rozierfounded his proposition for improving rape oil.

The brassica oleracea has two very peculiar plants, parti-cipating of the nature of a cabbage and a turnip; the first iscalled turnip-cabbage, kohlrabi above the earth, (brassicagongylodes,) the stem of which swells out, above the earth,into a‘ thick pulpy turnip-like tubercle, which is dressed andeaten like a turnip. It is a monstrous excrescence of thestem, which is hereditary, like the broad stem of the Italianfennel. There is certainly room to believe this species ofcabbage w 6 7 as unknown to the ancients. Its mention, cer-tainly occurs for the first time among the botanists of thesixteenth century. Spielmann conjectures it was broughtfrom the Levant during the crusades; but it was known attoo late a period to justify this persuasion.

That variety called kohlrabi under the earth, or turnip-rooted cabbhge, the stem of which produces a similar kindof tubercle at the surface of the earlh, or immediately underit. It lias been thought by Beckmann, that this species waslirst described by Caspar Bauhin , in anno 1620, under thename napo-brassica, which it still retains, as a new species, towhich he was not able to assign any synonyms. 6 He says,that this turnip was cultivated on the Bohemian frontiers,w'here it was called dorsen, or dorschen; and the same nameis given to it there at present, as we are assured fromMehler, w'ho has given a good figure of it in his work. 7 InGermany , it is commonly called steckriibe, and, as is said,was first made known in 1764, by the Bohemian glass-dealers.

The second species of cabbage is called by Linnaeus brassica napus: this plant grows wild upon our sandysea coasts, and also in the isle of Gothland : in many north-ern countries it is cultivated for the oil the seeds yield, sold

6 Proriomus Theatri, p. M. Pinax, p. 111.

7 Mehler, p. 16. Tab. vi. (or 36). And in Keruer, Tab. 312.