Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. XIII.

Of Kine and Calues.

FOr the better keeping of Kine, let the Huswife procure and cause 〈◊〉〈◊〉 maids to ouer-looke oftentimes and see that all things be well in the Cow-house; for there is nothing that doth them so much good, and keepe them so well in health and good liking, their meat and ••odder ex∣cepted, as the cleane and neat keeping of their houses: let them rub them along the backe, about the necke and head, and no more, with a wispe of Straw hard wryth•••• together, and made somewhat rough. At their comming from the Pasture, and in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 morning after they haue beene dressed, let them carefully fill vp the holes that are in their house floore, wherein their pisse might stand and stinke, and let them cast Sand or Grauell vpon the floore, that they may haue the faster and surer setting of the•••• feet. Let them not be put to the Bull before they be vpon their third yeare, nor any longer than vnto their twelfth yeare: for if they be put too sooner than they be growne vp to their full strength and growth, they will bring forth Calues halfe cast, small and little, weake and feeble. And againe, if you goe about to continue the•••• bearing after twelue yeares, their Calues will not be so strong, not of so comely a shape. Yet in our neighbour Countries, as great Britaine, and other places of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 temperature, their Cattell will beare well till sixteene or eighteene yeares of age, and some till twentie, but not generally. You shall lead them thereto throughout all the time of the moneth of May, Iune, and Iuly, when the grasse doth most flourish: and againe, about this time they are chiefely set to goe a bulling, seeking for the Bull of themselues, without being led vnto him: And you shall know their inclination to the taking of the Bul•• by their hoofes, if they be puffed vp, or swolne, as also by their continuall lowing, and by their leaping vpon the Bulls backe. The profit which riseth by their taking of the Bull at this time is, for that they will happen a∣bout tenne moneths after (which is the iust time of their going with Calfe) to calue, and that being at such time as new grasse doth draw on, it will be an occasion of greatly encreasing their milke, and vpon this occasion also their Calues shall be a great deale the better fed. To the end they may hold bulling the better, you must see that at such time they be kept bare and leane, for so they will hold a great deal•• better: On the contrarie, a good Bull for breed must be fat, well set together, and well meated, hauing for two moneths space before beene fed with Barley and F••••∣ches. He must also be chosen more long than high, of a red haire, large betwixt the shoulders, strong legged, round trussed and bodied, broad breasted, short 〈◊〉〈◊〉, broad browed, fierce countenanced, terrible to fight, blacke eyes, short hornes, long tayle, and full of haire. But in England and other places they neuer vse to feed their horned Cattell with Corne, for they find it of small or no profit, Grasse or Hay be∣ing euer sufficient: and though in France the red colour be euer most preferred, yet as Serres also affirmeth, the blacke is fully as excellent: for the red exceedeth but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prouing an extraordinarie vertue in the milke, but the blacke is euer the hardest, best flesht, best ••allowed, and hath the strongest hyde. And if it happen that the Cow refuse the Bull, or the Bull her, they must be brought to haue a desire the one to the other, by holding neere their nosthrils the tayle of a Hart burned, or else vsing som•• other composition, whereof we will speake in the Treatise of Horses. During the time of their going with Calfe, they must be kept from leaping of Ditches, as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from leaping of Hedges or Bushes: and a little before the time that they doe calue, to feed them in the house, or yard adioyning to the house, and that with good Prou••••∣der, or Blossomes, not milking them at all; for the milke that they haue then cannot be but naught, and becom••neth hard as a stone. When they haue calued, they may not be milked to make any Butter or Cheese, vntill two moneths be past: after which tim•• you shall send them againe to their pasture, not suffering their Calues to sucke them

any longer, except it be at night when they returne from Pasture (so long as they feed vpon fresh Prouander, which you shall haue in readinesse for them) and in the mor∣••ing before you send them to Pasture. In what state soeuer they be, you shall not let them drinke aboue twice a day in Summer, and once in Winter, and that not of Riuer or Floud water, but of some water which is wa••me, as Raine water, Fenne or Well water, hauing beene drawne a long time before, for Well water by reason of the coldnesse might somewhat hurt them. It is true that the Cow will not refuse any water that is without fault, so that it be cleare; for she loueth cleare water especially, as the Horse, on the contrarie, that which is puddly and troubled, being a signe of his goodnesse, if so he ••umble the water with his foot before he drinke. And as for •• Calues newly calued, you must leaue them with good litter of fresh straw, vntill such •• time as she haue licked, cleansed, and wiped them, and for some fiue or six daies after: •• for the being of the Cow with the Calfe doth heat and settle the Calfe. After such •• time you shall put it by it selfe in some Shed, prouiding it good Litter, and renewing •• the same oftentimes, and thence you shall bring them forth when you would haue them sucke, and carrie them thither backe againe so soone as they haue sucked: And if you see, eyther that they will not sucke, or that being willing to sucke, they can doe nothing but offer to take the paps, without sucking any thing; you shall looke vn∣der the tongue if they haue not the Barbes, which is a whit••sh fleshinesse growing vnder the tongue, almost after the manner of the Pip: which (and if it be so) you shall take away gently, without slaying the tongue, with little nipping Pincers, washing the place afterward either with red Wine of it selfe, or with the infusion of Salt and Garlicke stamped together; for this disease will cause them to languish vnto death▪ by keeping them from sucking. Let the huswife also be diligent in taking a∣way the Lice that may breed vpon Calues, and make them languish and thrine no∣thing at all, as doth also the Scab when they haue it: and this is to be knowne by their skins, if they become hard and stiffe after the manner of little ridges, and that stroa∣king your hand along, you feele the skin hackt and rough like a File, and the haire staring and standing vpright. For the healing of such scabs, she shall rub them with Butter or with Oyle of the setlings of the Lampe all ouer the bodie where the scab is seized. But as it is a great deale better to preuent diseases than to cure them, the hus∣wife shall cut off all entrance from these two annoyances, if she cause to be rubd with the wispes of straw vnbound her Calues twice a day: if she suffer not their pisse to stand in puddles vnder them: if she see that they be kept with fresh Litter and drie, causing their dung to be carefully cast out from among their Litter.

But to returne to the keeping and ordering of Kine, the huswife shall appoint times for the milking of them, as that they be milkt euening and morning at a conuenient houre, and when they be at red: That the Milke be strained so soone as it is taken, and that Butte•• be chernd with leysure, but not any losse: that the Cheese be well crasht, prest, and freed from their Whey; and especially, that her Pots, kneading Troughs, Strainers, Slices, and Che••se presses, and other implements seruing for the Dairie, be kept neat and cleane: and that none of her maids haue any thing to doe with either the Butter or Cheese when they haue their termes. In the morning before going to field, she shall cause the Calues to be gelded, and that before they be two yeares old, and not after: for Calues grow the more when they are gelded in the time of their growth, because thereby their bodies are made the more moist. When they are gel∣ded, in respect of their paine and griefe there shal be giuen them Hay small shredded and mingled with Branne, vntill they be come againe to their former stomackes and appetites. They must not be gelded either when it is verie hot or cold, or in the old of the Moone. Being more than three yeares old, they shall be put to the Neat-heard, to begin to prepare them for the Draught: and likewise she shall deliuer him her Ki••e with Calfe, and those which after nine yeares doe not bring forth any more Calues, for yet they may serue to draw in the yoake.

Furthermore, shee shall make much account euermore of the Cow which is of a meane stature, of a long bodie, a large flanke, foure or fiue yeares old, of a party blacke

colour, or spotted with white and blacke, her bagge great and side, a great 〈◊〉〈◊〉, broad betwixt the browes, a blacke eye, and geat hornes, not turning in one 〈◊〉〈◊〉 another, nor yet short or small, but bright, blacke, and of a wide and well-spread shape, her eare verie hairie, a narrow iaw, a thick and grosse muzzle, wide 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and sniuelly, little and black lips, her haire glistering and thick set, her legges 〈◊〉〈◊〉, her thighes grosse and thicke, and her necke long and grosse, her backe large and broad, her tayle long euen to the heele, her hoo••es short and euen, a broad breast, a great and grosse brisket, and her dugges great and long. As concerning the diseases of Calues and Kine, they shall be handled, as shall be said hereafter in the Chapter of the Neat-heard.

The dung of a Cow made hot in the embers, being wrapped in certaine 〈◊〉〈◊〉 leaues, or in the leaues of Colewort, and applyed in forme of a Cataplasme, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 appease the paine called Sciatica: being fried with vineger, doth ripen the Fings euill: being fried in a Frying-panne with the flowers of Camomile, Melilote, and Brambles, it diminisheth the sw••lling of the Cods: applyed very hot vpon the pl••∣ces troubled with the Dropsie, it cureth them throughly: and applyed vnto any place stung by Bees, Waspes, and Horne••s, it taketh away all the paine.

Notes

• A cleane cow-house.
• The putting of Ki•••• to the Bull
• The time of the year•• fittest for Ki•••• to be put to the Bull.
• Sienes of a good ••ull.
• Feeding of Cattell.
• A C••w with Calf••.
• The Cow would haue a cleare water, as the Horse a trou∣bled.
• The Barbs vn∣der Calues 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Lice and Scabs of Calues.
• Kine.
• To g••ld the Calues.
• The marks of a good Cow▪