MANY OR SPECIAL PURPOSES 35I 



perfectly formed. At least, this is what growers 

 of fuller's teasels declare. They say, too, that the 

 flowers of all other heads depend on the king" for 

 pollen, and if the king is dethroned at blooming 

 time the other heads will fail to mature seeds, 

 though they come to larger size. 



If the teasel is grown in your neighborhood, find 

 out if these things are true. The cultivated species 

 is raised on a commercial scale in Onondaga 

 County, New York, where is it a great success. 

 Small plantations in Oregon do well, but buyers 

 prefer the New York teasels. 



European countries buy buttons from America 

 for broadcloths, and we import kings for the 

 making of our blankets. So there is exchange 

 between teasel-growing countries. 



Teasel seed is planted in drills, the plants 

 thinned to ten inches apart in the rows and culti- 

 vated like corn. Each forms a large rosette of 

 leaves the first year, and throws up the blossom 

 stalk the second spring. The blossoms, crowded 

 on the oval head, begin to bloom in a purple belt 

 around the middle. As these flowers fade, the 

 bloom proceeds toward the top and bottom. 

 Two bands of purple are moving in opposite di- 

 rections, until the base and tip have shed their 

 withered petals. This curious habit may be seen 



