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house, many hundreds of caterpillars might be reared upon 
the refuse of the teazle crop, and only require a little time 
devoting daily to supply them with fresh food, removing 
cocoons and refuse substances, which could be readily done 
by the children before going to work or school every 
morning. 
Kaufmann says an acre of the Ricinus plant at its full 
growth is found amply sufficient to feed a quarter of a 
million caterpillars. The quantity of leaves which, without 
detriment to the plants, might be obtained from an equal 
space of ground planted with teazles will depend upon the 
state of growth at which the plants have arrived shortly 
before the buds reach maturity. When the foliage is in full 
vigour at least one-half may be removed. The cultivation 
of the teazle yields a clear profit, varying from 25 to 100 
thalers per acre, and since the plants have many large 
leaves and stems of great length, there is thus, in addition to 
the crop of heads, a large amount of vegetable matter, which 
may be fixed at 14 or 15 per cent, per acre, dry weight, available 
for the food of caterpillars, but which, at present, only serves 
to augment the manure heap. Supposing, then, that over 
and above the returns from the teazle crop, an additional 
profit might be derived from a portion that would otherwise 
go to waste, it is surely a sufficient stimulus to encourage 
this new branch of industry, independent of the profit 
derived from the silk. 
In the Canary Islands the natives have already more 
than doubled the value of their rural products by the easy 
cultivation of Cochineal. Why should we not follow their 
example, and attempt the introduction of the Silkworm into 
the rural districts of England, and more especially into the 
West Riding of Yorkshire ? I am happy to find a similar 
experiment is in agitation in the neighbourhood of 
Leamington, where the teazle is extensively cultivated, and 
