[Sidenote: Have the ditch a foot from the hedge.] towarde the dyche. And a foote from that make thy 36 dyche. For if thou make it to nyghe thy settes, the water maye fortune to weare the grounde on that syde, and cause thy settes to fall downe. 125. ¶ To make a dyche. [Sidenote: Of what size to make ditches.] If thou make thy dyche foure foote brode, than wolde it be two foote and a halfe depe. And if it be .v. fote brode, than .iii. fote depe, and so accordynge; and if it be fyue fote brod, than it wolde be double sette, and the 4 rather it wolde fence it-selfe, and the lower hedge wyll serue. 126. ¶ To make a hedge. [Sidenote: Stakes for a hedge.] Thou muste gette the stakes of the harte of oke, for those be best; crabtre, blacke-thorne, and ellore be good. Reed wethy is beste in marsshe grounde; asshe, maple, hasel, and whyte-thorne wyl serue for a time. And set 4 [Sidenote: [Fol. 54_b_.]] thy stakes within .ii. foote and a halfe together, excepte thou haue very good edderynge, and longe, to bynde with. [Sidenote: Ethers for a hedge.] And if it be double eddered, it is moch the better, and gret strength to the hedge, and moche lenger it wil last. 8 And lay thy small trouse or thornes, that thou hedgeste withall, ouer thy quickesettes, that shepe do not eate the [Sidenote: Drive the stakes firmly.] sprynge nor buddes of thy settes. Let thy stakes be well dryuen, that the poynt take the hard erthe. And whan 12 thou haste made thy hedge, and eddered it well, than take [Sidenote: Wind in the ethers.] thy mall agayne, and dryue downe thy edderinges, and also thy stakes by and by. For with the wyndynge of the edderynges thou doost leuse thy stakes; and therfore 16 [Sidenote: Then drive the stakes again.] they muste nedes be dryuen newe, and hardened agayne, and the better the stake wil be dryuen, whan he is wel bounden. 127. ¶ To plasshe or pleche a hedge.