1.In some sandy places near the sea the cabbage plant grows wild①.We should not care to eat wild cabbages；but by growing these plants in good ground，and sowing their seeds year after year，we should get after many years cabbages like those that are so good to eat.
2.Let us buy an ounce or two of cabbage-seed at some good seed-shop.When we see the little brown seeds，we wonder how so large a plant as the cabbage can grow out of each of them.
3.We shall dig and rake a small plot of our garden，and sow our cabbage-seeds there in the middle of summer.By the time autumn comes，we shall have many small green cabbage plants，each about two or three inches high.
4.We must then dig up these little plants，and plant them out again in good ground，about two feet apart.Here they will remain②all the winter；and next spring they will begin to growquickly.The leaves will cling closely together，and will form a hard mass，or “heart，”round which some larger leaves will grow loosely.
①Wild，without being cultivated；not sown by man.
②Remain，stay.
5.In March and April the spring cabbage is ready for use.We cut the cabbage from the top of its short stock or stem，strip off the rough outside leaves，and wash it well.Then the heart of the cabbage is boiled and eaten.
6.All children ought to eat plenty of cabbage.It contains things that will make their blood pure，and will help to keep them in good health.
COMMON CABBAGE（卷心菜）
7.Instead of cutting all our cabbage plants，we shall leave a few in the ground until the end of the summer.Soon the heart of each plant will open，and long stems will grow up from its centre.Small yellow flowers then appear on these stems.Each flower has four little yellow leaves or petals，which grow in the form of a cross.
CAULIFLOWER（白菜花）
8.For this reason，the cabbage and many other plants，such as the turnip，the mustard，and the wallflower，which have flowers of the same shape，get the name of “cross-bearers.”It is well to know that none of the plants in this class are poisonous.
9.There are several other useful plants that grow in our gardens which are really cabbages，although we call them by other names.One of these is the cauliflower，and another is the broccoli.A great mass of white flower-buds grows in the middle of each of these plants；and when this mass of buds is boiled，it is good to eat.
BROCCOLI（西兰花）
10.Another kind of cabbage sends up a tall stem，on the sides of which little bundles of green leaves grow in balls：these are called brussels sprouts.
11.Then we have the cabbage called kale，which has long curly leaves；and the savoy cabbage，withshort wrinkled①leaves.
A kind of cabbage grows in Jersey②which has astem taller than a man.
SAVOY CABBAGE（抱子甘蓝）
Walking-sticks are sometimes made from its stems.
12.It is a good thing that there are so many kinds of cabbages；for some are ready for eating at one time，and some at another，so that we can have cabbages for dinner all the year round.
SUMMARY
The cabbage is grown from seed which is sown in summer.In autumn the plants are lifted，and planted out again about two feet apart.In spring the cabbage is ready for use.Other plants like the cabbage are the cauliflower，the broccoli，brussels sprouts，kale，and savoy cabbage.Some of these are ready at one time of the year，and some at another.The cabbage grows wild in some sandy places near the seaside.
【中文阅读】
1．在一些接近海边的多沙地带，长着野生的卷心菜。我们现在应该不想再吃野生卷心菜了。人们年复一年地在肥沃的土地上种植这些植物，播下种子，在很多年之后，就得到了非常美味的卷心菜。
①Wrinkled，curled.
②Jersey，an island in the English Channel.
2．咱们在信得过的种子商店里，买上一两盎司卷心菜种子吧。看见这些小小的褐色种子，不禁要想，卷心菜那么大的植物，是怎么从这么小的种子里长出来的呢？①3．我们应该在仲夏时节，在自家菜园里挖出一小块地（plot），再用耙子耙一遍，把卷心菜种子播下去。到了秋天，就能有很多小小的卷心菜长出来了，每一株大约2-3英寸高。
4．然后把这些小卷心菜挖出来②，再种在肥沃的土地上，彼此间隔大概2英尺远。让它们在这儿过一个冬天，来年开春的时候，就会长得飞快。卷心菜的叶子会紧紧依靠在一起，形成一块比较硬的部分，这部分叫做“菜心”。外面还有些更大的叶子，长得松松的。
5．春天三四月，卷心菜就能吃了。我们把卷心菜从短短的“茎”或者“干”的顶部割下来，把外边硬硬的菜叶剥掉，洗干净，把菜心煮着吃。
6．小朋友们都应该多吃卷心菜，因为里面的成分能净化血液，保持小朋友的身体健康。
7．我们不应该把所有的卷心菜都割下来，而是应该留几株在土里，一直留到夏末。很快，每一株卷心菜的菜心就会打开，从中心长出一些长长的茎，茎上会生出小黄花。每一朵花，都有四片小小的黄色花瓣，长成十字形。
8．因为这个原因，卷心菜，还有其他很多植物，比如郁金香、芥（）菜③、紫罗兰（wall-flower），这些植物的花都是这个形状，因此叫“十字花科”（cross-bearers）。而且幸运的是，这一类植物都没有毒。④9．我们的菜园里还有几种其他有用的植物，也属于卷心菜一类，但名字是不一样的。其中之一是“白菜花（cauli-flower）”，另一种是“西兰花”
（broccoli）。这些植物中间长着大量的白色花蕾，煮着吃是很好吃的。10．另外一种卷心菜长着高高的茎，茎的侧面有球形的绿叶，长成一小丛一小丛的，这种植物名叫“球芽甘蓝”（brussels sprout）。
11．还有一种卷心菜叫“羽衣甘蓝”（kale），长着长长的卷叶；还有“抱子甘蓝”（the savoy cabbage），叶子很短，还皱皱巴巴的。有一种卷心菜长在英国的泽西岛（Jersey），茎居然比一个人还高，有时候用它的茎来做手杖。
12．有这么多种卷心菜是一件好事，因为一年当中，有些时间，这种植物成熟，有些时间，那种植物成熟，所以我们一年到头都吃得上卷心菜。⑤译注①一盎司相当于28.35克，比市帛的半两多一点儿。关于生物体和外部的能量交换，是一个非常有趣的问题。读者可以自行做一下这方面的研究。
②当然，一定要连着根，还有根周围的土团！
③“芥”平时念，但是“芥菜”应该念（）。
④这种说法不太准确。十字花科的油菜、芥菜、萝卜等植物，其实都含有芥子油苷，可以影响人体的发育，所以要用沸水焯一下再吃。其实，卷心菜的芥子油苷对于上一课提到的菜粉蝶是致命的，但是菜粉蝶的幼虫在长期进化的过程中，发展出了阻止卷心菜分泌芥子油的能力，所以才能毫无顾忌地大吃大嚼。
⑤中国人再熟悉不过的“大白菜”学名叫“芸薹属黄芽白”，以前在北方是过冬时的重要食品。因为价格非常便宜，所以现在你还经常能在商家的宣传里听到它--“白菜价”！
THE SNOW-DROP
