346 
grown. The plant is a well-known biennial which is widely dis- 
tributed in Europe, and is included in the British Flora. During 
the first year of its life a tuft of bright green leaves, which may 
be anywhere between 6 and 15 inches long, is formed, and the fol- 
lowing year a central stem rises to a height of from 3 to 6 feet. 
This branches freely, and each division is terminated with a flower 
head. The flowers, which open during July and August, are regu- 
larly interspersed with strong, wiry, curved bracts, which, when dry, 
have considerable elasticity. e uniform developnrent of these 
ot and their subsequent ripening decides the value of the 
8. 
A great deal of difference is noticeable in the size of the heads 
borne by individual plants. The central one which terminates the 
main axis is always the largest, and is sometimes called a “king 
teasel,” e next in size are found at the ends of the principal 
branches and are called “queens ;” whilst minor branches bear 
smaller heads, which are distinguished as “‘ princes” or ‘‘ buttons.” 
finish to cloth depends entirely on the regularity and evenness of 
the teasel hooks, it will be seen at once that damage through bad 
ripening, or other causes, adversely affects the monetary value of 
the crop. An idea of the nicety with which the heads have to be 
arranged for different classes of work may be gathered from the 
fact that Messrs. North sort them into 70 different sizes before dis- 
tributing them to their customers. } 
Although several countries include the teasel amongst their 
agricultural crops, it is usually regarded as a minor one, and the 
areas under cultivation are restricted, therefore a shortage in any 
one country results in an all-round rise in price. France has, 
perhaps, the largest acreage, and French-grown heads have a higher 
reputation than those grown in other countries, In addition to 
oe and France, teasels are grown in Germany and the United 
tates. 
According to Syme, “British Botany,” ed. 3, vol. iv, p. 248, 
the culture and use of the teasel was introduced to England by 
foreign artisans about the reign of Richard I., and the plant has 
been grown regularly since the days of Edward III. ‘The crop, 
however, has ‘always been looked upon as a precarious one, and 
earliest days until the cloth-manufacturing centres were moved to 
the Yorkshire coalfield. About that time teasel-growers moved 
northwards also, and teasel-growing in Yorkshire has been carried 
on more or less successfully to the present day ; a sequence of bad 
