, 1874-10-31
SPARKS OF SCIENCE,
CAJ}uAQEH,


tbs valuable oaoulouts: tho turnp radisl,,
water-crcss, mustard, rape, and forso-radIBl, ;
tho common denizons Of tito flowor-garIon tho
wnll-flowar, etock, AoIosty, md rocket md,
finally, that very curious annual found wild in
tito EEJpttnu deserts, ald known rs tho Ioso OF
Jericho. The botanical name Of tho cabbage ts
Drasstca ocracea, and fiom this single apecIca
arc derived, through cultivation, tho varieties.
Kno or greens, Dorocolo, Colowort, Envoy, Kohl.
1abi, Caulaowor, mud 1,rotoli. with snlloss Sub
vnriotiee, multiplying from year to year. Tho
Wild cabbage, III l.a original state, is found on
tho coast Of droat Britain and nlong tue 11odi-
tatranean. It growa 10 tho height Of or foot
llaa large. wavy, irrogularlyshspod lonvos; aud
sonds un stalk Of palo-yc4low flowers, closely
Resembling those OF tho mustard. Tint this ID
tho ,.ncuttiyatcd stuto OF tho gardon.cabbago Ia
shown by Tho fact that therod cabbage III neg
lccted gardens tho soa.ocnat will roycrt to tle
same condition in tito corrso Of few gonora-
tions.
Varieties Of the cpbbage sayo boon cultivated
from time inmclnorial. Tho o1dcst aree1t nu-
ti,ors mention three kinds Of Kalo the ruffcd,
called so!inau; second, nauled Lea; and q
third, cornmbo. pliny writes at length Of tho
at Rome among sIayos atl ftoemen. It was
also highly esteemed By the ancients for its
medicinal virtues. Two Greok phystciaus. Cbry-
7ipp'nn md Dre1chus. and tho philoaopher
on ita properties; willie It ia related Of tIo Re-
mans TINT, aftor oxpelliug. their phyaicans, they
mainta1ncd lhoir hoalth, Tor GOO yoars, by usiuE
and APPLYING this vegetable for their solo remedy
IN cases Of diseaso. Both Greeks and Romans
ate tho leaves raw. 10 clear thor brains after ex-
ceselye Indulgence In vino. Raw cabbage, eaten
| alone, digosts In two aud half hours eaton
| with vinegar In two hours; while boiled cabbage
requires four and half hours for digestion.
| 1t Is supposed tAat Kals waB introduced into
England by tho Romans. Tho Saxon name Tor
| February is Sprout-Kale, and that is the month
| when tho sprouts begin to be tit for uao. Cab
phge M was for many years imported from
III referred tho distinction of estab-
| lisling tho cultivation OF tho plant In England.
At the foot Of tho monument errctcd oyor tho
grave Of this Knight, at Winborno, St. Giles,
Dorsetahire, there lies rudoiy sculptured globo,
about which there Ia pretty controversy some
contesting that it 10 intended for cabbage |;
| and ot'nrs, that it is meant to Represent can
non~bnll. In any ovent, Biz Anthony has rot his
name lassingl, associated with cahbngo.l,eniy.
Tho second edition OF Gerard'B Herbal, pub
llshed in 1868. eays, In allusion to. tho gardon-
cabbage: "This ID tho grcat ordinary cabbage,
own exxe;ryThore and Ia commonly eaton al
In tho leland of Jersey, owing TO favorable
climate md culture, tho cabbaga has y tree
!ko character. ana tho ssrdens whoro it
i, grown present IT, the appearance Of groves
ago, are feet In hciEht.: Darwin mentions
stalk which attained tho height Of 10 feet, and
"had ita spring. at the top occupied by
magplos neat" Not un3iequently the stems
riso to tho height Of 10 or u feet, These stout,
woody groWths arc used for a variety Of pur-
poseH. such az cEoss-Bpars for tho roofs and
thatch OF small farrn-buildiuga and cottages. II
kept dry, theso raftoss will last many years.
fFrn Fu$ $AHS ztr tai
sticks dorsey canes), which look pretty when
vhrnishod, and are largely bought Iy summer
tourists: pliny relates TINT, III Italy, caboagss
we're cultivated to all enormous size; aud the
Gardeners Nag1xine, Vol ILL.,, mentions one
that, spriugng up BY accident In IN onion-botl,
weighed, when cut, 25 pounds. a white
cabbage grown at Fakcnhan. England, Inst year,
covered All ores Of ground exceeding feet
III dinmeter. When STRIPPED Of ita outer leaves,
nnd measured S7}x lnchoa In circumfercuce Tho
stalk from Wnieh it was cut measured ~ inches
in dlametor.
cau!laower tho most delicate Of all tho varfo-
ties OF tho cabbage. ls said to havo o1lginatcd in
Cyprus. Thence 1t moved slowly norlhwasd to
England, which It reached in tho seventeenth,
century. For some tlme it was delicacy seen
only on tho tablcn OF tho opulent !. but, i'll tne
reign Of William ILL.,. the Dutch gardeners in
troduced into the county succeeded in pro-
ducine the plants tu auch abundance and lu1uri-
anco that, up to tho timo OF the French Neyou-
ton, ton, they wero imported from England into Hol-
lsaa, Germany any q Franee The Broccoli ia q
ecarcely distinguished from it.
On tho Island Of De6olRtiou,-a barren, vol
cantc rock situated in the Southern Ocoau,-
thoro grows variety Of B''assica, in great
to feet long. and lie close to The ground,-
boating at their extrenntIes large heads Of
leaves, sometimes 18 inches ACROSS. aud forming
q 9. dense white heart, like the garden-cabbaGo.
ntt4 ID
has The taHto Of oress and mustard but It is
hailed with delight by tho crews Of Ships which |
touch at tho shores OF this deAo!ata spot, as it
affords happy addition to thoir ratious Of Lard
JUNK nuu aeR-blacuit. !
THL NORTHERN CELESTIAL uEM1spuERx.
a now survey of the Northern Colos.iaa He,nl- |
sphore Is In process Of execution by slillful !
astronomers Of the day. Tho first performance
OF this great work waA accomplished by Laiaude, |
in 17a5-'98. Tho second waa mndo by the |
sicilian piazzi. In 1921, Dossel commenced tho |
revision Of Lalaldcs cataloyuo Of stars, finiah-
ing tho work in 1888. In 1sg9, Argelandor, aidod |
by schoentold aud Kruegor, completed the OBJ
sefvation Of all the stars. not below the tonth !
magnitude. that were visible at Bonn. Fills liss
conp1ised a42, 122 Etars lying between tho NORTH
po!a ana tue second degree OF south latitude
bnt thcae surveysneed to bo repeated at inter-
YAls, to correct the mis,akes that naY have oc-
Cured. to supply tho possible omissions, mud
also to determine il certain stars, supposed to
be liked, may not prove to be planetary III aome
other solar systom than ours.
Iliis ,aht revision has been instituted under
t!io direction Of the German Astronomical So
clcty. Fifteen obsoryatorits havo the work in |
.iana' ~: Pnlkowa. Dorpat, kaznn, HclAiug-
1oss, s;n,v beMnn' Leydsn Cambridge lEnglana)
!,ans chtcago' Cambridge Omitted etates). and
l'nlormo. That Of Pulkoua, Russia. has under
taken Tho observation Of tho $40 fundamental
stars star eonsidore!l necessary for tho precision Of
Iho now catalogue. At Dorpnt, nusBia, M
Schwartz hns assumed tho survey Of the zono
iylnE J. between tho 10th and 75th degrees north
1eefuatioll, containing G,777 stazs. at Helslng-
[ors, Russia, alM. Krnegor, Fabritius, al!d
1eyoetloen, are revising tho zone 55-06
1osreeb north dcclination: at Bouu,
NM. Tl.iele and solloenfed ara revising
;he zone between tho 1850 degrees; at
5oseon, 3l. kaiaor revises the 20-95 degrees; at
harvard Collage. Cambridge, Mr. @. Winlock
,aa c!,ossn tho do.55 tho Observatory Of Trim
", CAmhr|dge,. England, taIos the 30,45 at
.elp2!g. u. Drnhns at.rtoYs tho l0:l5; ut Noaf-