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. XXI.

Of the place and time wherein euerie Fruit-tree delighteth to be sowne, planted, and grafted in particular: and first of the Almond-tree.

THe Almond-tree delighteth in hot places, looking towards the South or East, or where the ayre at the least is moderate; as vpon the tops of hills, or places neere vnto hills, that are somewhat stonie and grau••lie, stonie or marlie: in which places it doth not onely flourish well, being planted, and blossome aboundantly, but beareth therewithall great quantitie of drie Almonds, as also hard and well-rellisht ones. But contrariwise, if it be planted in a moist and watrie ground, and cold place, it neither groweth well, not beareth fruit well, neither yet continueth long. The fit time for the setting of it, is about the Win∣ter Sols••ice, which is the eleuenth day of December, euen vnto the end of the same moneth, or somewhat after: for the plant of this tree being forward and early in put∣ting forth buds, if it were planted in the Spring time, it might let slip and loosen the time of the yeare, which might be the fittest for the maintaining and comforting of his blossome. If you would haue it to grow of the stone vnbroken, and if I may so say, of his seed, you must let it be in Ianuarie and all Februarie, in such places as are temperate, or in October and all the moneth of Nouember in places that are hat. And thus to cause it to grow of his fruit, you must take new Almonds, thicke ones, hauing white shells, verie porous and spongie, and lay them in steepe for the space of twelue houres in honied water, and after this digge them in the earth foure finger deepe, the sharpe end downeward, and after to water them three of foure times a moneth. It groweth also of shoots and siences, but the sience must be taken from the top of the tree, full of pith, sound of barke, and cut vnder the knot. And as concer∣ning the grafting of it, you must take the time of Autumne, for (as hath beene said) this tree is a quick-spur and fore-rider: but and if you stay till the Spring time, you shall breake it off when the sience is fully put forth. And for the chusing of graf••s that will take well, you must take them vp on high, and on the top of the tree, and not from the middest, much lesse from below; and these grafts you may graft either in the bud, or in the cleft, and vpon a tree of his owne kind, or vpon the peach or Plum-tree: indeed the Almond-tree that is grafted, is not of such growth, or so ••••••••∣full, as that which is planted.

The good Farmer must plant and make grow great store of Almond-trees, seeing they are not chargeable to maintaine, neither yet their fruit to keepe, but rather of greater profit and lesser losse than anie other, seeing that euen vnder them Come will grow iolly and faire, the Almond-tree hauing but a few leaues, and those little ones.

The barren Almond-tree will become fruitfull, and beare, if you lay open the roots in Winter: or else if you pierce some part of the stocke close by the earth, and put through the hole a wedge of Oake, watering it about with mans vrine.

You shall make bitter Almonds sweet, if you lay round about the roots of the Al∣mond-tree Swines dung, and Vrine, casting much earth vpon it afterward, and this yearely: or if you bore a hole in the stocke of the tree, and put therein a wedge dipe in honey: or if (as Plinie and Theophrastus say) you bore the stocke through and through below, and let the sappe runne out.

Of sweet Almonds you may make sowre ones, if you let the beasts browse and crop off the first and tender branches.

The Almond-tree will be free from all annoyance of fogges, if so be there be sm••ll grauell laid vnto the rootes before it blossome, and when it shall begin to blossome, then to take it away.

You may haue written Almonds, if you breake the shell of an Almond veri•• fine∣ly, without doing anie harme to the kernell, whereupon hauing written what you thinke good, wrap vp the shell and kernell in paper, and so set it well couered with dyrt and Swines dung.

Almonds are gathered when their huskes gape through the force of the Sunne: and hauing beat them downe, if you shell them altogether, and wash them in salt brine, they will become white, and will keepe a long time, prouided that before you lay them vp to keepe, you drie them in the Sunne. Their huskes will be easily taken off from them, if you spread them vpon straw.

The place to keepe them well, must be drie, whether it be Coffer, Presses, or Gar∣ner: and if the number be great that you would keepe, you must see that the place haue good store of ayre, and be lying open to the North wind.

The bitter Almonds haue power to resist drunkennesse, as Plutarch witnesseth, of a certaine Physition, which did vse to drinke out all commers, and not be drunken himselfe, and that by eating fiue or six bitter Almonds before he did drinke: but they kill Hennes and Chickens if they eat them. The bitter Almond bruised and rubbed or layed to the browes and temples, doe appease the head-ach, and procure s••eepe, especially if you put vnto it water of Veruaine.

The vse of sweet Almonds is good for them which are troubled with clammie fleame in their throat, or which haue weake lungs, and are subiect to the grauell in the reines, or difficultie of vrine, as also to restore natures force, and to make men apt to venerie. The gumme of the Almond-tree doth quickly stay the spetting of bloud: yea, the daily vse sufficiently sheweth how profitable this fruit is, for it serueth all the yeare long for the making of Almond milke, Potage, Pennets, Marchpanes, and other such daintie deuises.

Notes

• The Almond-tree.
• The profitable Almond-tree.
• The barren Al∣mond-tree.
• Sweet Almonds.
• Bitter Almonds.
• Almonds within printed letters.
• The gathering of Almonds.
• The place to keepe them in.
• Drunkennesse▪
• Diseased 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪