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. IIII.

What space and largenesse Arable grounds would haue.

NOw if you desire that your Corne-grounds should be faire to sight, make a goodly shew, be easie to be tilled, and beare plentifully, part them into many peeces cast foure square, and let neuer a one of them exceed in the length of fortie poles, nor yet be lesse than thirtie or fiue and twentie: and, if the inconuenientnesse of the place vvill not suffer you to cast them into squares, then make them somewhat more long, but yet not exceeding the fore∣said fortie poles in length: for besides infinite other commodities and pleasures ac∣companying short fields, and such as are not of large reach, this is one verie speciall profit, namely, that oxen and horses doe labour there vvith lesse trauell and vveari∣somnesse, in as much as they do not onely cheere vp themselues, and take their breath being at the end of the furrow, but also for that the plow-man cleanseth and freeth his plow of the earth vvherewith it is woont to be laden, as then also carrying them about to enter vpon a new furrow: cause your ground if possibly it may be, to lie le∣uell and euen; for besides the pleasure of seeing from the one end to the other, they vvill also be the more easie to be plowed, dunged, and sowne: let them be ditched round about, or at the least on the sides, as well to draine away raine-vvater, or other if any should stand there, as for to cut off the trade-waies of passengers. Plant not with∣in not about your Corne-grounds any trees, for feare of the shadow, knowing assu∣redly that the more that corne is shadowed, the further off it is from being comfor∣ted and rejoyced by the Sunne, as also from hauing the dust (which is vvoont to lye much vpon it) blowne off by the vvinds, and likewise from being deliuered from

snow, fogges, and tempests, o••tentimes a heauie burthen vpon the backe thereof. And yet put case that for your pleasure you vvould plant some trees thereabout, then let them be no other but Willowes, or such like, that may beare no great head to make shadow: and therefore let neuer come nie thereto either the poplar, or aspe, or aller, vvhose shadow is not onely daungerous and hu••tfull vnto the corne ground, but vvhich is more, vvith their great, thicke, and great store of roots, they draw vnto them the best juice, they sucke vp the fat of the earth, and so steale away the best from the seed that is sowne.

And no lesse than these the Ashe is most poysonous vnto Corne-grounds, for how farre soeuer his shadow extendeth, so farre you shall see the ground euer forbeare to prosper, and yet it is not vtterly vnnecessarie to haue trees grow about your Corne∣fields; for if you plant Fruit trees about them, as the Apple, Peare, Ceruise, and such like, you shall find the profit many times double the injuries that are reaped from them: neither is it forcibly necessarie that your fields should be cast into these small square grounds, seeing you may haue them as large as you please, according to the quantitie of your Farme, or the nature thereof, vvhich may as well lye pub∣lique and in common amongst your neighbours, as priuate and seuerall to your selfe, in either of vvhich you may make your lands of what length or bredth you please, vvhether acres, halfe acres, or roods: and herein is specially to be noted, that you must cast your lands according to the natures of your ground, & not the prospect of your eye, for if your ground be a gentle earth, either mixt or vnmixt, and lye drie and free all Winter from vvater, neither by any meanes is subiect from it owne na∣ture or casualtie to any superfluitie of moisture, this ground you may lay leuell, smooth, and plaine, and make it appeare as an entire garden, or one land, but if it be within any daunger of vvater, or subject to a spewing and moist qualitie; then you shall lay your lands high, raising vp ridges in the middest, and ••urrowes of one side, and according as the moisture is more or lesse, so you shall make the ridges high or low, and the descent greater or lesse: but if your ground, besides the moisture, o•• by meanes of the too much moisture, be subject to much binding, then you shall make the lands a great deale lesse, laying euerie foure or fiue furrowes round like a land, and making a hollownesse betweene them, so that the earth may be light and drie: and this you must doe either vpon leuells, or vpon descending and hanging grounds; and to conclude, the larger your fields are, and the drier they are kept, the better they will be, and the better your corne vvill prosper vpon them.

Notes

• Ashe is hurtful to Corne.
• L••nds must be ca•••• acco••ding to the nature of the ••oyle.