Agriculture -- England; Conduct of life; Home economics, Rural
If you sowe Winter-corne, as eyther Wheate or Rye vpon swarth
ground, looke how much Corne toucheth the mosse, so much will be
drowned and cannot spring, the mosse in his owne nature dooth keepe
so much wette in it selfe. In some Countries, if a man plow deepe,
hee shal plough past the good ground, and so haue little Corne, but
that Country in my iudgement is not fitte for tyllage, but rather
thereto to reare and breede Cattell, as Oxen, Kine, or Sheepe, or
els they must goe beate their lands with Mattocks, as they doo in
many places of Cornwall, and in some places of Deuonshiere. The
manner of plowing land is in three formes: eyther they be great
Lands, as with high ridges and deepe furrowes, as in all the
North parts of this Land, and in some sotherne parts also, or els
flatte and plaine, without ridge or furrow, as in most parts of
Cambridge-shiere: or els in little Lands, no Land containing aboue
two or three furrowes, as in Midlesex, Essex, and Hartfordshiere.
For the first, it is needfull, where the grounde is stife, tough,
and binding, beeing alwaies capable of much wette, that if the
Lands did not lie hie, not onely would the fatnesse choake the
Corne ere it could come foorth, but also the colde soaking wette,
would confound the vigor and strengthe of the seede. For the
second, that is good where the ground is somewhat light, and giuen
to barrennesse: so that what forcst [_read_ forct] vertue soeuer
you thrust into the ground, either by manure or otherwise, the Land
lying flatte and plaine, shall still retaine it, not suffering it
as els it would to wash away with euery shower. For the last, that
is, where the grounde is both barren, cold, and stiffe: if there
you plough in large Lands, the wether and season will so binde it
together, that the seede shall burst, but not finde any passage to
sproute. Againe, such ground is subiect to much weede, besides, if
your lands should be any greater, you should neuer possibly come to
weede them, eyther as they would or they should be done.
=9.= I. R. alters this section, noting--“Neuer sowe Pease or Beanes
on a light, hote sand ground, for that will neuer beare them, but
for the Beane, the extreamest and the stiffest ground is the best.
If it bee lesse stiffe, then the mingled ware[38] is best, as Pease
and Beanes well sorted. If it bee neither stiffe nor light, then
cleane Pease is the best, for they wil prosper most kindliest.”
13. I. R. adds--“Pease are an excellent seede, and inrich ground
as much as the light manuring: which is the reason, that in many
places of Lincoln-shiere, and els where, sowing their inam Wheate
where theyr Pease grew, they haue the finest Corne.”
=10.= 1-9. Varied by I. R.
13. _kedlokes_] Kellocks (_but elsewhere_ Kedlocks).
41. I. R. adds--“because the freshnes of the molde is to the seede
very comfortable.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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