farmers' miscellany. 81 



'ommon corn-house or corn-crib, only the spaces between the thin 

 cantlings are a little wider, in order to admit of a freer entrance of 

 jir. In the interior, temporary scaffoldings are put up about two 

 3et apart, which are also formed of scantlings laid upon supports, 

 ■nth inch spaces between each. Upon these platforms the teasel 

 ; laid to dry. Here, being freely exposed to currents of air pass- 

 ig through the building, the moisture speedily evaporates and is 

 irried away ; and being at the same time in the shade, the mate- 

 al preserves its elastic property as well as flexible state, upon 

 hich its great utility in cloth dressing depends. From these re- 

 larks, it will be seen that the requisites for raising and curing 

 !)od teasel, are first to cut it at the proper time, and second to dis- 

 pate the moisture without injury to the head ; and farther, that a 

 zy farmer is not the man to raise teasel. Such is not Mr. Hop- 

 Ins. His teasel commands the price of the imported article, and 

 ; fact is the best sent to market. An acre, well managed, yields 

 iion an average, 75,000 heads. Their price in market varies from 

 (ijht to tw^elve shillings per 1,000. Ten shillings is about the 

 jjjdium price. This plant is not supposed by Mr. Hopkins to 

 <|haust the soil, but rather to benefit it, partly by the mechanical 

 jtion of the roots, which being somewhat of a tap form pene- 

 lite deeply, and hence divide it ; and thereby it is better prepared 

 ic corn and other crops. Without doubt a large proportion of 

 tij matter of the plant is strictly derived from the atmosphere 

 trough the intervention of the soil ; still, like all other vegetable 

 Idies, it has its inorganic constituents, which must be derived 

 f m the soil itself, and hence, thus far, the plant must impoverish 

 t; soil. So much then, for the teasel, which will probably always 

 bir a fair price and pay for cultivation ; yet, comparatively few 

 sm disposed to grow it, either from the care which they are 

 Uiwilling to bestow in curing it, as well as on account of the time 

 J uired for the article to grow ; as nearly two years must elapse 

 b'bre there is a return for the labor and expense incurred in its 

 clivation. 

 ^ly subject being exhausted, I must close. 



Yours, &c., E. 



uburn, June 5, 1845. 

 OL II. — NO. I. L 



