| OCTOBERS
HUSBANDRIE
Now
lay up thy barley land, dry as ye can,
Laie up barlie land.
when
ever ye sowe it so looke for it than:
Get
daily aforehand be never behinde,
least
winter preventing do alter thy minde.
Who
laieth up fallow too soone or too wet,
with
noiances many doth barley beset,
For
weede and the water so soketh and sucks,
that
goodness from either it utterly plucks.
Greene
rie in September when timely thou hast,
October
for wheat sowing calleth as fast.
Wheat Sowing
If
weather will suffer, this consell I give,
Leave
sowing of wheat before Hallowmas eve.
Where
wheat upon edish ye mind to bestowe,
Sow
edish betimes
let
that be the first of the wheat ye do sow:
he
seemeth to hart it and comfort to bring,
that
giveth it comfort of Mihelmas spring.
White
wheat upon peaseetch doth grow as he wold,
Best wheat first
but
fallow is best, if we did as we shold:
sowen
Yet
where, how, and when, ye entend to begin,
let
ever the finest be first sowen in.
Who
soweth in raine, he shall reape it with teares,
who
soweth in harmes, he is ever in feares,
Who
soweth ill seede or defraudeth his land,
hath
eie sore abroode, with a coresie at hand.
Seede
husbandly sowen, water furrow thy ground,
that
raine when it cometh may run away round,
Then
stir about Nicoll, with aoor and bow,
take
penie for killing everie crowe.
A
digression to the usage of diver countries`
CONCERNING
TILLAGE
Each
soile hath no liking for everie graine,
nor
barlie and wheat is for everir vaine:
Yet
knowe I no countrie so barren of soile,
but
some kind of corne may be gotten with toile.
In
Brantham, where rie but no barlie did growe,
good
barlie I had, as meany did knowe:
Five
seame of an aker I truely was paid,
for
thirtie lode muck of each aker so laid.
In
Suffolk againe, where as wheat never grew,
good
hubandrie used good wheat land I knew:
This
Proverbe experience long ago gave,
that
nothing who practseth nothing shall have.
As
gravell and sand is for rie and not wheat,
(or
yeeldeth hir burden to tone the more great,)
So
peasen and barlie delight not in sand,
but
rather in claie or in rottoner land.
Wheat
sometimes is steelie or burnt as it growes,
for
pride or for povertie practise so knowes,
Too
lustie of courage for wheat doth not well,
nor
after sir peeler he looveth to dwell.
Much
wetnes, hog rooting, amd land out of hart,
makes
thistles a number foorthwith to upstart,
If
thistles so growing proove lustie and long,
it
signifieth land to be hardie and strong.
As
land full of tilth and hartie good plight,
yeelds
blade to a length and encreaseth in might,
So
crop upon crop, upon whose courage we doubt,
yeelds
blade for a brag, but holdeth not out.
The
straw and the ear to have bignes and length.
betokeneth
land to be good and in strength.
It
eare be but short and the straw be but small,
it
signifieth barenes and barren withall.
White
wheat or else red, red rivet or whight,
far
passeth all other, for land that is light.
White
pollard or red, that so richly is set,
for
land that is heavy is best ye can get.
Maine
wheat that is mixed with white and with red,
is
next to the best in the market mans hed:
So
Turkey or Purkey wheat many doe love,
because
it id flourie, as other above.
Graie
wheat is the grosest, yet good for the clay,
though
woorst for the market, as fermer may say.
Otes,
rie, or else barlie, and wheat that is gray,
brings
land out of comfort and soone to decay:
One
after another, no comfort betweene,
is
crop upon crop, as will quickly be seen.
Still
crop upon crop many fermers do take,
and
reape little profit for greedines sake.
Though
breadcorn and drinkcorn such croppers do stand:
count
peason or brank, as a comfort to land.
Good
land that is severall, crops may have three,
in
champion coutrie it may not so be:
Ton
taketh his season, as commoners may,
the
tother with reason may otherwise say.
Some
useth at first a good fallow to make,
to
sowe theron barlie the better to take.
Next
that to sowe pease, and of that to sow wheat,
then
fallow again, or lie lay for thy neat.
First
rie and then barlie, the champion saies,
or
wheat befoe barlie be champion ways:
But
drink before bread corne with Middlesex men,
then
lay on more compas, amd fallow again.
Where
barlie ye sow, after rie or else wheat,
if
land be unlustie, the crop is not great.
So
lose ye your cost, to your coresie and smart'
and
land (overburdened) is cleane out of hart.
Exceptions
take of the champion land,
from
lieng alonge from that at thy hand,
(Just
by) ye may comfort with compas at will,
far
off ye must comfort with favour and skill.
Where
rie or else wheat either barlie ye sowe,
let
codware be next, thereupon for to grow:
Thus
having two crops, whereof codware is ton,
thou
hast the least neede, to lay cost thereupon.
Some
far fro the market delight not in pease,
for
that ery chapman they seem not to please,
If
vent of the market place serve thee not well,
set
hogs up a fatting, to drover to sell,
Two
crops of a fallow enricheth the plough,
though
tone be of pease, it is land good ynough:
One
crop and a fallow some soile will abide,
where
if ye go furder lay profit aside.
Where
peason ye had and a fallow thereon,
sowe
wheat ye may well without doong thereupon:
New
broken upland, or with water opprest,
or
over much doonged, for wheat is not best.
Where
water all winter annoieth too much,
bestowe
not thy wheat upon land that is such:
But
rather sowe otes, or else bullimong there,
gray
peason, or runcivals, fitches, ot tere.
Sowe
acorns ye owners, that timber doe loove,
Sowing of acorns
sowe
hawe and rie with them the better to proove:
It
cattel or cunnie may enter to crop,
yong
oke is in danger of loosing his top.
Who
pescods delighteth to have with the furst,
Sowing of Hastings
if
now he do sowe them, I think it not wurst.
or fullams
The
greener they peason and warmer the roome,
more
lusty the layer, more plenty they come.
Go
plow up or delve up, advised with skill,
the
bredth of a ridge, and in length as you will.
Where
speedy quickset for a fence ye wil drawe,
to
sowe in the seede of the bremble and hawe.
Though
plenty of acornes, the porkling to fat,
A disease in fat hogs
not
taken in season, may perish by that,
If
rating or swelling get once to the throte,
thou
looseth thy porkling, a crowe to a grote.
What
ever thing fat is, againe if it fall,
Not too fat for rearing
thou
ventrest the thing and the fatnes withall,
The
fatter the better, to sel or to kil,
but
not to continue, make proofe if ye wil.
What
ever thing dieth, go burie or burne,
Burieng of
dead
for
tainting of ground, or a worst il turne,
cattell
Such
pestilent smell of a carrenly thing,
to
cattle and people great peril may bring.
Thy
measled bacon, hog, sow, or thy bore,
Measled hog
shut
up for to heale, for infecting thy store:
Or
kill if for bacon, or sowce it to sell,
for
Flemming, that loves it so deintily well.
With
strawisp and peasebolt, with ferne and the brake,
Strawisp and
for
sparing of fewel, some brewe and do bake,
peasebolts
And
heateth their copper, for seething of graines:
good
servant rewardeth refuseth no paines.
Good
breadcorne and drinkcorne, full xx weeks kept,
Olde wheat better
is
better than new, that at harvest is rept: than
new
But
foisty the breadcorne and bowed eated malt,
for
health or for profit, fing noysome thou shalt.
By
thend of October, go gather up sloes,
have
thou in readines plentie of thoes,
And
keep them in bedstraw, or still on the bow,
to
staie both the flixe of thyselfe or thy cow.
Seeith
water and plump therein plenty of sloes,
A medicen for cow
mix
chalk that is dried in powder with thoes.
flixe
Which
so, if ye give, with the water and chalke,
thou
makest the laxe fro thy cowe away walke.
Be
sure of the vergis (a gallond at least)
so
good for the kitchen, so needfull for beast,
It
helpeth thy cattel, so feeble and faint,
if
timely such cattle with it thou aquaint. |