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

To grind corne.

THe husbandman hauing made good choice of his corne, shall send it to the mill whether it go with water or with wind, according as the countrie shall be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fit and conuenient for: or and if he haue choice and may send it to either, then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall rather chuse to send it to a watermill, carried about with a very swift 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for the more forcible turning about of the stone, and which hath his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of a ve∣ry hard greet and all of one peece if it bee possible, such as are in B••ie and Cham∣paigne, especially, at Ferte vnder Ioarre: for, the milstones that are tender and soft, doe easily breake and quickely grow out of frame, and withall do continually 〈◊〉〈◊〉 some grauell in turning about, which being mixt with the meale, taketh away all the pleasantnes and good sauour of the bread, and becommeth oftentimes troublesom•• vnto the teeth. Many doe counsell and aduise to beat the corne in a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 before it be sent to the mill to be ground, and in beating of it to sprinkle it ouer with 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and after to drie it in the Sunne, and then in the end to send it to the mill. Some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not send it to the mill except it be very drie, and when as it is not drie, they set it in the Sunne to drie; as holding this opinion that the drier it is the more 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it yeel∣deth. Others besprinkle it with salt water, hoping by such watering of it, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the meale will become more white, and that they shall haue greater quantite of 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Of old time as may be gathered out of Aristotles problems, barley was woone to be p••rched before it was ground. In France none of these waies of preparing their 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to the mill are vsed, but as the corne is, so they send it to the mill. It is true, that the miller is to lay his stones in such sort, as that according to the owners will, 〈…〉〈…〉

make a greater or a smaller meale, as also according as the corne it selfe shall be more grosse, hard, small or soft. Yet the lesse the corne is bruised the finer the meale will be, and the grosser your branne is, the better and vvhiter will your paste be: vvhence it comes that the skilful Baker wil euer chuse the great black Cullen stones to grinde his fine Wheat vpon, which no more but bruising, and, as it were, crushing the corne makes the meale as pure and as vvhite as Snow. As for the drinesse or danknesse of corne, it is certaine that no graine, except Wheat, can be too drie, but that the skilfull Miller sayes should euer sticke to the Hopper: vvhence it comes that he will, vvhen he findes his Wheat too drie, dash or sprinkle some vvater vpon it, which makes it grinde a great deale the better, and makes the meale much vvhiter.