AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 260 



between the rows, and the earth drawn lightly around the plants 

 with a hoe, thinning them to a distance of 6 to 8 inches. Dur 

 ing the rest of the season, the weeds must be kept down, and 

 the earth preserved mellow by the cultivator and hoe. Early 

 the next spring the cultivator is again used, and earth drawn 

 around the roots with the hoe. In July, the blossoms will ap 

 pear; and about the first of August the earliest are sufficiently 

 ripe for cutting. This is done as soon as the blossom is entirely 

 off the &quot;bur,&quot; and before the seed is fully matured. It is necessary 

 to go through the field two or three times to collect them all at 

 the proper age, to prevent any being injured by remaining on 

 the stem while others are being matured. Cutting is performed 

 with a large knife, held by the workman in one hand, while he 

 seizes the teasel with the other, leaving from 3 to 6 inches of 

 stalk, and throwing it into a basket. An experienced work 

 man will cut from 20,000 to 25,000 in a day, if the crop is a 

 good one. When taken from the field, they are carefully spread, 

 6 inches deep, on open floors, in an airy place, under cover. If 

 the weather is damp, they must be frequently turned. When 

 sufficiently dry, which is known by the seed seperating freely 

 in moving, they are stored away, or packed in boxes for market. 

 The yield is from 50,000 to 200,000 per acre, worth from 75 

 cents to$2 per thousand. In Europe, they are sorted according to 

 quality, each quality being known by a peculiar name, and they 

 are bound up in a curious manner. 



595. The only insect injurious to this plant is &quot;the common 

 white grub&quot; which feeds on the young roots ; in some instances 

 to such an extent as to destroy a whole crop. The winter, also, 

 occasionally makes great destruction ; the plants being partially or 

 entirely killed [in Oneida county, N. Y.,] by an open winter, 

 accompanied by severe frost. Late frosts in Spring are like 

 wise injurious. A sort of &quot;rust&quot; is also destructive, caused by 

 a long continuance of warm, wet weather, after the flower bud 

 is fully formed. (Patent Office Report, 1850, p. S15.) 



