273 
A DAISY EXTRACTOR, 
In winter, when the fields are bare, and all the weeds are shut up in their safe 
and quiet cells, beneath the sheltering turf, a bright warm day will seldom fail to 
lure abroad one or two of the aboriginal daisies, to cheer the casual footsteps of the 
wanderer who takes a winter’s walk at noon.” 
The little daring strangers find a welcome; then are their cheerful eyes greeted 
by equally charming eyes of childhood ; and many a “ Chaucer’s darling ” is brought 
in, to linger out its three days of beauty, among the groups of exotics, that decorate 
the vase upon the mantle-shelf. 
But nipping frosts will yield to the influence of genial airs, — as a harsh spirit is 
subdued by gentleness ; and then the fields are gay with flowers, and the erewhile 
friendly winter daisies come out in crowds, and 
the pasture [that had been cheered, becomes not 
only disfigured, but spoiled by their over popula- 
tion ; and now our lawns are daily mown with 
“ daisy cutters,” and are strewn with their heads 
in littering heaps : now too, the discovery of a 
more efficient mode of destroying the intrusive 
weed would be a “ consummation devoutly to be 
wished ; ’ and this is accomplished in the little 
instrument, of which a drawing and description 
is here given. 
The desirableness of such a tool had long been 
obvious, the inefficiency of the cutter ” had been 
even more so ; for the frequent decapitation of 
the heads increased the evil by strengthening 
their roots. These latter too, as is well known, 
ramify from a tough centre, and are with difficulty 
extracted from the soil. 
A small spud hoe, about an inch in width, had 
been tried, and found to be ineffectual, since how 
deeply soever we might insert it, the ramifica- 
tions remained, and they would sprout again ; 
besides that, a sharp instrument would be likely 
to cut the roots of the surrounding grass. I there- 
fore had a small spud made, with teeth of the 
annexed size and figure, which was fixed into a long handle : and with this little 
tool in the month of April last, — before the grass was shut up for hay, I used to 
amuse myself for hours, by raising the roots out of the turf, entire. 
The settled drought of the spring prevented me from trying my skill upon the 
daisies on the lawn, because the bare spots left by the roots would have been 
