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. LV.

Of the two particular Gardens scituate or lying at the end of the Kitchin Garden, and of the Garden of Pleasure.

THe Kitchin Garden, and the other of Pleasure, being of the largenesse aboue declared, may haue referued out of them, two or three acres, for the profit of the Lord of the farme, as for Madder, Wo••d; Tasel, Line▪ and Hempe. And we may also adde vnto these, Saffron, albeit that all these things, euen as well as pulse, if it be a free and kind ground, doe well deserue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 haue euerie one his seueral field by it selfe, and to be tilled and husbanded after the ••anner of corne and pulse.

For Madder therefore, it is meet that there should be appointed out foure or fiue ••eres of ground in a place by it selfe, which must not lye farre from the water, but in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 free and not in a strong mould, and yet not too light: which hath had his three or foure arders with the plough, or (as indeed is best) digged and si••ted: notwithstan∣ding that the sifting of it be a longer peece of worke, and of greater cost, it being v∣••ed to be cast and tilled with thicker raisings of the earth, and smaller clouds than is ••ont to be in the casting or digging of a new vineyard. For this plant hath his pro∣per and particular seasons to be dressed and planted in, as well as the vine: but in this they differ verie manifestly, that the one is an hearbe, and the other a shrubbe, and as it were a knot to many trees: the one dieth yearely (and there is nothing of it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 request but roots for to make good colours of) but the other lasteth and conti∣••••eth at the least twelue yeares in good liking and liuelihood: of which, the first sixe is for growth, and a little for bringing forth of fruit, and the later sixe, for whole, ••••mple, and intire profit, the daunger of haile, washing away of the grapes, when the ••ines be flowre by much raine and frost; being excepted; vnto which in like ma∣••••er Madder in subject, and oftentimes more than the vine, because of his tendernesse. This prehemencie it hath, that the vine being frozen, cannot be recouered, but Mad∣der may be either set or ••owne againe, as also Woad, the speciall husbandrie of such as dwell in Prouence, and the wealth and commoditie of Dyers of Cloth or Wooll, with what colour soeuer it be. It may be sowne or planted: but indeed being sowne it yeeldeth scarce at any time any great store of increase: but if you will sow it, then bestow the like quantitie of the seed thereof vpon an acre, as you are wont to doe of Hempe, and that in the moneth of March, vpon the tops of hills well battilled and ••manured: thus the seed being cast into the ground, and the same well incorporated with harrows of rakes, there is no need of any other labour but keeping of it cleane from hurtfull weeds, vntill such time as the said Madder be readie to be gathered in September for to take the seed of it.

The choyce of the roots which you intend to set and plant, must be out of the coun∣trie of high Prouence, being more Easterly and coole, and as for the sight and tast of them, they must be more yellow, thicke, and stringed, comming neere vnto the co∣lour of the true Prouence Orange-tree, verie bitter in tast, and in seething (for the triall of it) more red and full of juice, that is to say, not so drie and withered. The time to plant, is from March be ended vnto mid-May, and as for the best and most profit to be expected from it, it is not to be attained or come by, till after the two first yeares after the first planting of it: and withall, you must make a sure defence about your ground against the comming in of cattell; for there can no greater hurt happen vnto it. In Italie they vse not to take vp the roots of Madder, till after they haue continued ten yeares in the ground, either set or sowne: but they cut the boughes of it euerie yeare to haue the seed, and after they couer the roots one after another, lay∣ing two fingers depth of earth vpon euerie one, the measure b••ing ••••ken from his

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

chiefe and principall, to the end the frost may not hurt them, and that so the roots may grow the thicker: after the eight or tenth yeare, they pull vp the roots, drying them in the Sunne, and afterward when they would grind or presse them, they doe further drie them in a great Ouen made for the purpose, and so presse them vnder a Mill-stone, and this is called the fine Madder. Thus they haue found by exp••••∣ence, that looke how much the longer they delay the gathering of the root, so much the more Madder haue they euerie yeare, and that fine, which is more than if they should take vp the roots euerie yeare. You may both sow it and plant it in the sam•• place, where you haue taken it vp, or which is better, sow that place for the nex•• two or three yeares following with wheat, because it will beare verie faire and great store thereof: in as much as the field wherein Madder hath beene sowne, is ••ade much fairer and better thereby, as whereof it may be said this ground hath rested it selfe, seeing the root hath done nothing but brought forth boughs, for seed, and that the leaues falling from them, doe as much feed the ground as the ground doth the roots and boughes.

But Autumne being come, and when you see that the hearbe beginneth to look•• yellow, and to loose his naturall colour, you shall draw it out or pull it vp with the spade or pickaxe, and shall strip the roots from their leaues, which you shall cast vp∣on small heapes to drie, for the space of three or foure daies, if the weather be such as it should, or else sixe or eight daies in a rainie and moist weather: then you shal cau•••• them to be taken vp, dusted, and scraped, that so they may haue none of their hai••ie strings at them: and when they are thus made cleane, you shall keepe them whole, or ground into powder either grosse and great, or more fine and small, either for your owne vse or for the sale.

Madder is in this one thing much to be maruelled at, in that it colour••••h his v∣rine that shall but hold it in his hands: and which is more, it maketh the bones and flesh of those cattell red, which haue beene fed with it some certaine time: some say, that the powder of it is so penetratiue, and so taketh vp the nos••hrills, as that it in••••∣nimeth and killeth many in a few yeares. The decoction procureth v••ine, and th•• termes of women, and coloureth egges red that shall be boyled with it. The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be∣cause they are rough and stiffe are good to scowre brasse vessell.

Notes

• Madder.
• The difference betwixt the vine and the Madder.
• To colour the 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• To procure the 〈◊〉〈◊〉.