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. X.

That the ••attell vsed to plow withall, doe differ according to the manner and custome of the Countries.

IN rough and tough grounds, as also in free and kindly grounds (as hath been said) where there are required as needfull three Horses to a plough of fiftie foot (but not so coupled and spanged, as they be in Countries where they vse to plow with Mares, Oxen, Asses, or Buffles) you must, after the first caring, breake the clods with the rowler, and lay it flat, square, and plaine, with a planke. In leane, grauellie, and weaker grounds, you shall not stand in need to be at such cost either with horse or man; for it is not requisite that you should draw so deepe a draught in the earth: and againe, the husbandmen of such Countries haue sooner finished and made an end than others, and yet doe labour with more lei∣sure, because of the ayre and climate of their Countrey. Yet this is but a particular fa∣shion in France: therefore to speak more generally, both according to that and other forraine soyles, you shall vnderstand, that there be two principall causes to make a man plow with Horses, although he may haue Oxen at his pleasure: The one is, when he liueth in a verie wet and dyrtie soyle, where the ground of it selfe yeeldeth forth such a continuall moisture, that the finallest trampling or treading thereupon bringeth it to a verie myre; in this case it is best to plow with Horse, because they draw euer di∣rectly one after the other, and tread euer in the furrow, without annoying the land, and goe also much more light and nimbly than other cattell; whereas Oxen going double, and treading vpon the land, would foyle it, and make it so myrie, that it would be good for no purpose: The other, when a man liueth farre from his neces∣sarie accommodations, as from his fuell, his fencing, his timber, and other such like necessaries, which he must forcibly vse euerie yeare; in this case he must euer keepe his teame of Horses, because they are fittest for trauell and long iournies, doing them euer with the greatest speed and least losse: whereas the Oxe, being a heauie beast, would soone surfet, and are indeed so vnapt for the same, that a man can hardly doe them greater iniurie. Now for the number of Horses to be vsed in the plow, it must be according to the greatnesse of the labour, and the strength of the cattell: for in the heauie and stiffe clayes, sixe are euer few ynough, either to fallow with, or to plow the Pease-earth with; and f••ure for anie other ardor: in the lighter sands foure is suffici∣ent at all times, and three vpon anie necessitie. As for the mixt soyles, if they be bin∣ding, they will craue as much strength as the clayes: but if they be loose, the same that serues the light sands will serue them also. And herein is to be noted, that the stoned Horse is euer better for the draught than either the Mare or Gelding, yet all good and meet for seruice. Againe, they worke with the Asse and the Oxe, as in A••uergne with the young Mule, and in Romaine and Champaigne in Italie with the Buffle: whereas, of a truth, the labour of Oxen is not readie, nor so quicke of dispatch in the time of necessitie; and for to remedie and helpe this mischiefe, you must begin your worke with the Oxen sooner, and haue a greater number of them than of Horse. The prouision of Oxen is of lesse charges for diet, buying and selling againe: whereunto you may adde, that you may eat the Oxe, or sell him againe, after you haue had his la∣bour a certaine time. True it is, that he that hath wrought all the morning, must rest the afternoone; and the Oxen going earlier to plough, returne earlier from labor than the Horse. The greatest commoditie comming by them, is, that they better endure the vnseasonablenesse of times, and in sturdie and stiffe ground they draw a deeper draught, and acquite themselues in the worke with more commendation: againe, they ••raue nothing so much shooing or harneis in the Countries where yron and harneis is deere, neither are they subject vnto so manie maladies, saue that they must be kep•• from being starued with cold, and from the raine, as also care taken that they be well couered.

This I speake as of our French Oxen, which are not much inured to labour: but if you please to looke vnto the English Oxe, you shall see, that he is the worthiest crea∣ture of all other for the plow, both in respect of his constancie in labour, and of hi•• long endurance therein; as also for his leisurable and certaine drawing, without 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or twitches, keeping euer one pace, without going faster or slower: whereas the horse by his courage and fiercenesse doth, when he is prickt forward, draw so rashly and suddenly, that a good hand can hardly, now and then, keepe an euen and direct f••••∣row. These Oxen are fittest for those soyles which are tough and firme, without 〈◊〉〈◊〉 spewing moisture in them, because (as was before said) they draw double: ye•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 some places, and in moist grounds, you shall see them draw single, like vnto horses, with o∣pen collars, and large hames. Touching the number meet for a Plow, the horse and they are all one, for six Oxen will serue well either to fallow or breake vp Pease earth, and foure will performe anie other ardor: yet if you will let them haue anie Tytt or meane Iade to goe before them, and lead the way (which will, as it were, ea••e the yoakes from their neckes) it will be a great deale the better, and they will take their labours with much more pleasure: and howsoeuer our custome is in France, yet they will endure a full daies labour as well as a horse, prouided that they be driuen tempe∣rately and gently: for nothing breedeth surfet so soone in Oxen, as ouer-has••ie dri∣uing, or heating them without discretion.

I find not anie labour lesle chargeable than that of Asses, such as are to be had in Tabie, Calabrie, Sicile, and in the countrie of Iaffle, being all of them countries where they grow great and faire: for they endure more labor, and are not subiect to so many diseases, neither are they so costly to feed. True it is, that they do not so much, neither yet altogether so well: wherefore they are better to be vsed in leane grounds; except the yong Mule of Auuergne, which exceedeth all other beasts: but he is troublesome, hard to be brought to draw, and so brainsick, as that there is not the yong Mule which hath not his madding fit, and vexeth his master now and then: where••pon it groweth that some vse to say, namely, A good young Mule, but a curst beast.

The plowing with Buffles, as is to be seene in Romaine, and elsewhere, is good in grounds that are fat, and standing vpon a Potters clay: and are not chargeable in har∣neis, because that hauing so short a necke, they stand not in need of anie thing but a ring, to hold and keepe them by the snowt: but in Summer they are dangerous, and fall oftentimes into a frenzie, especially when they see anie red clothes; and yet not∣withstanding they hold out longer at labour, and are more readie and diligent tha•• the Oxe. Finally, this poore beast serueth to giue milke, besides the worke and labo•• performed by them: as also their hide is of much more vse than that of the Cow or Oxe: for in some places Husbandmen doe vse Mares, Asses, shee Mules, and Kin••, to draw and goe to plow, after the same manner that the males doe.

I doe not intend to trouble my selfe in this place with the fashion of the Plough, neither yet with the diuers sorts thereof, that are found in diuers and sundry 〈◊〉〈◊〉: so as if you should aske me of the difference betwixt the Ox-plough and the Horse-plough, I intend not to shape you anie further answere than this, namely, that accor∣ding to the loafe, so must the knife be: euen so, according to the force and stre••gh of the ground, so you must haue your instruments and tooles for to cu•• and fill the same. Neither will I trouble my selfe with examining the fashions of our ploughs with 〈◊〉〈◊〉 described of Hesiod, to see whether they be like, or no: no more than I in••end to med∣dle with the fashion and making of Columella his Hedging-bill, or Wedge, which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 saith in his time to haue beene named after the French name.

Notes

• Plowing with Horse.
• Horses & Oxen of France.
• Plowing with Oxen.
• English Oxe.
• To plow with Asses.
• A good Mules, but a curst beast.
• The diuersitie of Ploughes.