It belongs to a family
which seems to delight in deserts and salty soil! They have all sorts of
dodges to help them live in such places. For instance, their leaves are
fleshy. Squeeze them, and they are like wet, juicy fruit.
The Sea Beet is also a member of this family. The Red Beet, as well as
the Mangel-wurzel, we owe to this humble seaside plant. Most of our
sugar comes from the Sugar-beet.
Another useful plant is the Sea Cabbage, which grows on some parts of
our sea coast. It is rather a ragged, tough kind of Cabbage, and perhaps
you would not choose it for your dinner-table. We have more tempting
sorts in our gardens--Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, but long,
long ago the wild seaside cabbage was the only one growing. Men found it
to be eatable, and began to plant it near their huts or caves. From that
small beginning all our garden cabbages have come.
Walking a little farther from the sea, we leave the sand and come to
stones, rocks and cliffs. We pass a pretty plant, the Sea Lavender, and
another, the Sea Stock. They love best the sandy, muddy parts of the
shore.
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