Agriculture -- England; Conduct of life; Home economics, Rural
[Sidenote: [Fol. 12.]]
And it is to be knowen, that there be .iii. maner of otes,
[Sidenote: Red oats.]
that is to saye, redde otes, blacke otes, and roughe otes.
Red otes are the beste otes, and whan they be thresshed, 8
they be yelowe in the busshell, and verye good to make
[Sidenote: Black oats.]
otemele of. Blacke otes are as great as they be, but they
haue not so moche floure in them, for they haue a thycker
huske, and also they be not so good to make otemele. 12
[Sidenote: Rough oats.]
The roughe otes be the worste, and it quiteth not the
coste to sowe them: they be very lyghte, and haue longe
tayles, wherby they wyll hange eche one to other. All
these maner of otes weare the grounde very sore, and 16
[Sidenote: Observe how thick to sow.]
maketh it to beare quyche. A yonge housbande ought to
take hede, howe thycke he sowethe all maner of corne,
two or three yeres: and to se, howe it cometh vp, and
whether it be thycke ynoughe or not: and if it be thynne, 20
sowe thycker the nexte yere: and if it be well, holde his
hande there other yeres: and if it be to thynne, let hym
remember hym selfe, whether it be for the vnseasonablenes
of the wether, or for thyn sowynge. And so 24
his wysedome and discretion muste discerne it.
15. ¶ To harowe all maner of cornes.
[Sidenote: [Fol. 12_b_.]]
Nowe these landes be plowed, and the corne sowen, it
[Sidenote: Harrowing.]
is conuenient, that they be well harowed; or els crowes,
doues, and other byrdes wyll eate and beare awaye the
cornes. It is vsed in many countreys, the husbandes to 4
[Sidenote: The ox-harrow.]
haue an oxe-harowe, the whiche is made of sixe smal
[Sidenote: Harrow-bulls.]
peces of timbre, called harowe-bulles, made eyther of
asshe or oke; they be two yardes longe, and as moche as
the small of a mannes legge, and haue shotes[23] of wode 8
put through theym lyke lathes, and in euery bull are syxe
sharpe peces of yren called harowe-tyndes, set some-what
a-slope forwarde, and the formes[t] slote[24] must be bygger
than the other, bycause the fote-teame shall be fastened 12
to the same with a shakyll, or a withe to drawe by. This
[Sidenote: The horse-harrow.]
harrowe is good to breake the greatte clottes, and to make
moche molde, and than the horse-harowes to come after,
to make the clottes smaller, and to laye the grounde euen. 16
It is a greate labour and payne to the oxen, to goo to
[Sidenote: ‘The ox is never woe, Till he to the harrow go.’]
harowe: for they were better to goo to the plowe two
dayes, thanne to harowe one daye. It is an olde saying,
‘The oxe is neuer wo, tyll he to the harowe goo.’ And 20
it is bycause it goeth by twytches, and not alwaye
[Sidenote: [Fol. 13.]]
after one draughte.
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