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. I.

Of Medowes: and their difference.

IN our former Treatise wee haue runne through those things which belong vnto the husbanding and ordering of Gar∣dens and Orchards, and now it requireth, that wee speake of Medow Grounds, vvhereupon consisteth the greatest meanes of feeding and bringing vp of Cattell, to the end wee may perfect and accomplish our fore-appointed pur∣pose. The thing therefore, called in our French tongue Pr••, may seeme to be borrowed from the old word Prat, and both of them to signifie and point out a thing that is readie and prest to doe the Master of the Farme and Farmer seruice, without putting him to anie paines, in respect of the labouring or husbanding of them: but this must be vnderstood of Medowes hauing their prey and maintenance about them; namely, such as are those which are fed and watered with the Marne on the one side, and the Riuer Aube on the other, which is about some hundred and fiftie leagues of square Countrey: as also those about the Riuer called Veselle, which of all others doth most abound in Medowes. It is in like manner in the free and reclaimed grounds from Barle-du•• to Vitrye in Partois, and from Louemont to Vassie in Thierache, all along the little Blondelle, as also a∣long the great and small Morin, in our Country of Beauuoisis. Such medow grounds doe not ••eare stormes and tempests, as Gardens and other arable grounds doe: but with little cost and charges they yeeld their double reuenue and profit euerie yeare; the one of Hay, the other of Pasture. Medowes are of two sorts: the one drie, the other ••oist. The drie craueth not the helpe of anie water to be watered withall, ex∣cept the raine, because it is in a fat place, and where it hath full store of refreshing ••uice: and in such places Hay doth grow of his owne accord, and that a great deale better than where it is forced by casting of water vpon it. The moist medowes haue also seldome anie need of watering, because, most commonly, they lye alongst the bankes of some great or small Riuers, which feedeth and nourisheth them: as those which lye here in France, by the Riuers of Marne, Aube, Blondile, and Morin: and in England, by the Riuers of Thames, Trent, Seauerne, Auon, Teame, Ouze, Wye, and such like: and these medowes are, for the most part, plaine and leuell grounds,

because the inundations of these Riuers washing them ouer at least once or twice euerie Winter, the Moal••s, and other silthie vermine, which hurt the earth, are de∣stroyed, and these Medowes are euer more fruitfull and more aboundant in their en∣crease than the higher Medowes are, but the grasse is nothing neere so sweet and so pleasant, neither feedeth so soundly, nor so suddenly: Whence it commeth, that the husbandman keepeth his high-land hay for his cattell which are to be sed, and his low-ground hay for those which worke.