. First studies in plant life in Australasia, with numerous questions, directions for outdoor work, and drawing and composition exercises. Botany. HOW PLANTS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED BY MAN 157 not enough. (4) Insect pests, which sometimes hurt the trees of the wood, were kept off. (5) The tree was regularly pruned, (6) Eoot-food was added to the soil when required. 4. In a similar way have our vegetables teen im- proved. What a step, for example, from the wild cabbage of the coasts of England to the many kinds of cabbage and cauliflower that grow in our gardens ! 5. How the parsnip of to-day was ra
. First studies in plant life in Australasia, with numerous questions, directions for outdoor work, and drawing and composition exercises. Botany. HOW PLANTS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED BY MAN 157 not enough. (4) Insect pests, which sometimes hurt the trees of the wood, were kept off. (5) The tree was regularly pruned, (6) Eoot-food was added to the soil when required. 4. In a similar way have our vegetables teen im- proved. What a step, for example, from the wild cabbage of the coasts of England to the many kinds of cabbage and cauliflower that grow in our gardens ! 5. How the parsnip of to-day was raised. The seed .of the wild parsnip of Eng- land was sown in 1847 in an English garden. The soil was loose and rich ; and only the very best of the seeds were saved from the very best of the plants. Thi^ choice of plant and seed was re- peated, year after year, until the spindly, tough, strong-flavoured wild root became large and sweet. Then the seed of this Parsnip. garden-parsnip was sold all over the world by seedsmen. It is in this way also, that we have improved the turnip, carrot, radish and other vegetables. 6. As knowledge grows, some of our natiye plants may become garden vegetables. Our native spinach, sometimes called New Zealand spinach, is already used in this way.* Captain Cook made his men take this vegetable twice a day. You must not think, how- ever, that we can take any wild plant and grow it in *The Native Bower Spinach—a trailing plant very common on the Victorian coast, is also eatable, but is not so good a variety as the New Zealand Spinach, which is a native of New South Wales and Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Gillies, William. Melbourne, Whitcombe & Tombs, Ltd
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Keywords: ., bookcollectionbiodiversity, bookleafnumber170, booksubjectbotany
