44 CULTIVATION OF THE TEAZLE. 



It has been thought that the cultivation of 

 teazles exhausted the land, and some landlords in 

 consequence have forbidden the growth of them in 

 their agreements ; perhaps I can be no sufficient 

 judge of the accuracy of this idea, from our limited 

 growth ; but speaking locally, such land as we 

 make use of for their culture is of so inferior a 

 nature, that little deterioration can ensue from 

 any crop. The teazle, having a tap root, does 

 not exhaust the superficial soil as a fibrous-rooted 

 plant would do ; the ground on which they grow 

 is hoed, and turned by the spade repeatedly, and 

 up to a certain period kept free from weeds; but 

 as the plant is forming heads, little attention seems 

 given to the eradication of intrusive rubbish, and, 

 consequently, after gathering the crop, the soil is 

 frequently in a very foul state, and from hence 

 the chief injury to the land may arise, rather than 

 from the teazle plant. Though this crop requires 

 no manure, nor affords any to the soil, yet the re- 

 moval of the earth so repeatedly by the hoe and 

 spade becomes equivalent to a fallow : with us a 

 wheat crop often succeeds the teazle, and I have 

 observed in this case as good a return of that grain 

 as is produced by the adjoining fields where teazles 

 had not been grown. 



This plant seems to be known in many countries 

 by a name expressive of its use. Old Gerard has 

 recorded several of these names. Its old English 

 name was the carding teazle ; the Latin name car- 

 duus veneris ; the French call it chardon de foul- 



