PREPARATION OF SOIL. 407 



ceous in tlieir growth, and the produce is diminished both 

 in quantity and in quality. 



Being a crop so exceptional in its tillage characters, 

 it follows no particular order in the rotation. It may suc- 

 ceed any of our ordinary crops; and owing to the careful 

 and constant tillage it receives during the period of culti- 

 vation, it leaves the land in a very free and clean condi- 

 tion, suitable for any crop that it may be desirable to 

 take after it. Generally speaking, teazles are seen grow- 

 ing in small patches upon any outlying or irregular-shaped 

 pieces of strong land; these are troublesome arid difficult 

 to work, and are frequently let by the farmer to the "teazle 

 grower/' who pays a rental for the use of the soil for the 

 two years which the crop requires to come to maturity, 

 and who undertakes the labour and general expenses of 

 cultivation. The soils suitable for the teazle cultivation 

 being of an argillaceous character, require to have the 

 work of preparation completed before the winter sets in. 

 If a straw crop has preceded it, advantage should be 

 taken of the autumn to get the land well cleaned before 

 ploughing the winter furrow, and if the teazles are taken 

 after either a root crop or forage crop, it is equally desir- 

 able to get the land ploughed as early as possible with a 

 good deep furrow, so that the winter's rains and frosts 

 may exert their full action upon it. In the spring the 

 work of preparation is continued until a good deep tilth 

 be produced, and a proper seed-bed secured. 



The beginning of April is generally the best seed-time, 

 and although the common practice is to sow the seed 

 broadcast, " drilling " is strongly recommended. Half a 

 bushel of seed is usually sown to the acre, and the drills 

 should be set at 24 inches apart. The seed requires no 

 previous preparation, and if the season be warm and moist, 

 the young plants soon show tlieir heads above the surface. 

 In about a fortnight or three weeks' time, the plants will 



