35 2 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



in any roadside teasel. The wiry, backward- 

 turning bracts under the individual blossoms are 

 the hooks that "full" the cloth by picking up 

 the ends of fibres, and thus forming the desired 

 "nap." 



The teasel buyer pays about a dollar a thousand 

 (ten pounds) for dry heads. The grower cuts the 

 heads with a few inches of stem, and spreads them 

 in lofts of barns or sheds to dry. A fair yield in 

 New York is 100,000 heads per acre. In Europe 

 intensive farming on land much higher in value 

 produces a crop three or four times as large. 

 Considering that the field is in use two years, and 

 must be very carefully tilled, the grower's income 

 is not large, though it is good. His job is to sort 

 the heads, shorten the stems, and pack his stock 

 for shipment to the manufacturer. The heads are 

 surprisingly long-lived in use, the hooks having to 

 be cleaned of fuzz often before they become worn 

 out. 



RUBBER PLANTS 



When white men first came to South America 

 and explored the Amazon River and adjoining 

 territory, they saw native Indians at home, and 

 had many surprises regarding the life they lead. 

 They noticed k game played with a large ball of 



