408 THE TEAZLE CROP. 



be ready for "singling." This should be done as soon as 

 they have made their second pair of leaves, and the best 

 plants left at about 18 inches apart in the rows. The land 

 now requires to be kept clear of weeds, and constantly 

 stirred between the rows; and as a great deal of the labour 

 is commonly done by the grower himself, a peculiar narrow 

 spade, with a blade 1 8 inches long by 6 wide, known as the 

 "teazle spade/' is used for the purpose, the handle of which 

 is curved, so as to allow of it being used as a paring tool, 

 thus effecting its work as a sort of hand cultivator. This 

 operation is repeated at intervals, as may be necessary, 

 during the summer, at a cost of about 12s. to 15s. per acre 

 for each "spading;" and as the general custom is to go 

 over the land three times the first season, each time working 

 a little deeper than the previous one, this item of labour 

 alone will amount to from 40s. to 5()s. per acre. Any 

 sickly plants should be removed, and blanks filled up from 

 the nursery bed, which it is always good policy to have 

 in a spare place on the ground or elsewhere, as where 

 the expenses of cultivation are so large, it is important to 

 secure, as far as possible, a good return. Where teazles 

 are cultivated to any extent as a regular crop, it is some- 

 times the practice to sow only one half of the ground 

 intended for the crop with teazles, and the other half 

 with some other crop (either for seed or forage purposes, 

 as may be most suitable), that will leave the land clear 

 early in the autumn. In such case the } r oung plants are 

 left much closer in the drills, say at 6 to 9 inches apart, 

 so that when the crop has been got off the other portion 

 of the land, and it has been ploughed up and properly 

 prepared, it may be stocked with the surplus plants, care- 

 fully drawn from the drills and transplanted at the proper 

 distances apart. By this practice the rent of half the 

 teazle ground is saved, while the profit obtained from its 

 produce is more than sufficient to pay for the extra labour 



