The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. XXIIII.

¶ Of good seed-corne. The manner of sowing ground well. How much seed of euery kind of graine an acre will take. The due seasons of Seednesse. [unspec M]

THe best corne or Zea for seede, is of one yeares age, two yeares old is not so good: that of three, is worst of all: for beyond that time, the heart is dead, and such corne wil neuer spurt.

And verily this that is said of one sort may be verified of all kindes. The corne that setleth to [unspec A] the bottome of the mowgh in a barn toward the floore, is euer to be reserued for seed. And that must needs be best, because it is weightiest, for therein lieth the goodnesse: neither is there a better way to discern and distinguish good corn from other. If you see an eare of corn hauing grains in it here and there staring distant asunder, be sure the corn is not good for this purpose, and therefore it must be cast aside. The best graine looketh reddish, and being broken between ones teeth, retaineth stil the same colour within: the worse corn for seed is that which sheweth more of the white flower within.

Furthermore, this is certain, that some grounds take more seed, and some lesse. And hereby verily do husband men gather their first presage religiously, of a good or bad haruest; for when they see the ground swallow more seed than ordinary, they haue a ceremonie to say & beleeue [unspec B] that it is hungry, and hath greedily eaten the seed. When a man is to sow a moist ground, good reason there is to make the quicker dispatch, and to do it betimes, for fear lest rain come to rot it. But contrariwise in dry places it is not amisse to stay the later, and attend till raine follow, lest by lying long in the earth, and not conceiuing for want of moisture, it lose the heart & turn to nothing. Semblably, when a man soweth early, he must bestow the more seed and sow thick, because it is long ere it swel and be ready to chit. But if he be late in his seednes, he should cast it thin into the ground, for thick sowing will choke and kill the seed. Moreouer, in this feat of sowing there is a pretty skil and cunning, namely to cary an euen hand, and cast the seed equal∣ly thorowout the whole field. The hand (in any case) of the seeds-man must agree with his gate and march: it ought alwaies to go iust with his right foot. Herein also this would not be for∣gotten, [unspec C] that one is more fortunate and hath a more lucky hand than another: and the seed will prosper better and yeeld more encrease that such a one soweth: an hidden secret surely in Na∣ture, and whereof we can yeeld no sound reason. Ouer and besides, this is to be considered, that corn comming from a cold soile, must not be sowne in a hot ground; nor that which grew in a forward and hasty field, ought to be transferred into lateward lands. Howsoeuer, some there be that haue giuen rule clean contrary: howbeit they haue deceiued themselues with al their foo∣lish curiositie.

Now as touching the quantitie of seed that must be giuen, according to the varietie both of ground and grain, these principles following are to be obserued: in a reasonable good ground of a mean temperature, an acre in ordinarie proportion wil ask of common wheat Triticum, or [unspec D] of the fine wheat Siligo, 5 modij; of the red wheat Far, or of * 1.1 seed [for so we cal a kind of bread corn] ten Modij; of Barly six; of Beans as much as of common wheat, and a fift part or one Mo∣dius ouer; of Vetches 12; of Cich pease the greater, Cichlings the lesse, and of pease three; of Lupines ten; of Lentils 3; [as for these, folk would haue them sowed together with dry dung] of Ervile six; of Silicia or Feni-greek six; of Phaseols or Kidny beans foure; of Dradge or Bali∣mong for horse prouender, 20; but of Millet and Panick 4 Sextars. Howbeit herein can be set down no iust proportion, for the soile may alter all. And in one word, a fat ground will receiue more, and a lean lesse. Besides, there ariseth a difference another way, in this manner; if it be a massie, fast, chalky, and moist ground, you may bestow in one acre thereof six Modij, either of common wheat or of fine Siligo; but in case it be loose and light, naked, dry, and yet in good [unspec E] heart and free, it will aske but foure. For the leaner that a ground is, vnlesse it be sown scant, and the straw come vp also thinne, the shorter eare will the corne haue, and the same light in the head, and nothing therein. Be the ground rich and fat, ye shall see out of one root a number of stems to spring; so that although the grain be thin sown, yet will it come vp thick, and beare a faire and full eare. And therefore in an acre of ground you shall not do amisse to keep a meane between foure and six Modij, hauing respect to the nature of the soile. And yet some there be who would haue [of wheat] fiue Modij sown at all aduenture, and neither more not lesse, what∣soeuer the ground be. To conclude, if the ground be set with trees, or lying on the side of an 〈◊〉〈◊〉, all is one, as if it were lean, hungry, and out of heart. And hereto may be reduced that notable Aphorisme, worthy to be kept and obserued as a diuine Oracle: Take not too much of a land, [unspec F] weare not out all the fatnesse, but leaue it in some heart. Ouer and aboue the rules aforesaid, Accius in his Treatise called Praxidicus, comes in with one more of his own: Sow your ground (saith he) when the Moone is in any of these signes, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, and Aquarius. And Zoroastres hath another Astronomicall obseruation by himselfe, That the Sun should be

entred into Scorpio, and past twelue degrees thereof, the Moone being at the same time in [unspec G] Taurus.

Now followeth the deep question to be discussed and determined, As touching the fit time and season of sowing corn: which I haue put off and deferred to this present place. And this would be handled and considered vpon with exceeding great care and regard, as depending for the most part of Astronomie, and requiring good insight in the course and motion of the Pla∣nets, in the order also and influence of the fixed stars: and therefore I purpose to lay abroad the opinions and judgments of antient writers principally in that behalf. To begin therefore with Hesiod, esteemed the prince and chiefe of all those that gaue precepts of Agriculture; hee hath set down one certain time of Seednes, to wit, presently after the fall or occultation of the Star Vergiliae, i. the Brood-hen: and no maruell, for he wrot that book of his in Boeotia, a countrey in [unspec H] the very heart of Hellas or Greece, respectiuely to his own countrymen and that climat: and in very truth that was the time of sowing there, as we haue noted and specified already. The best Authors of name, and who haue written most exactly of this argument, are all agreed vpon this point and conclusion, saying, That as all fowles of the aire and foure footed beasts haue their due season of ingendring; euen so there is a certaine time when as the earth is as it were in the ruit, and hath a lust to be conceiued. The Greeks in general termes haue described that season in this wise, namely, When the earth is hot and moist. Virgil giueth a precept to sow the com∣mon wheat Triticum, and the red bearded wheat Far, after the retrait or departure aforesaid of the Brood-hen Vergiliae. As for Barly, he would haue it cast into the ground betweene the Ae∣quinox in Autumne, and the winter Sun-sted: but Vetches, Kidney-beans, or Lentils, at the set∣ting [unspec I] or going downe of the star Boote. Which being so, it would do well to digest the rising and falling both of these stars and also of others, into their set dayes; to shew (I say) at what fixed time they appear, and when again they are hidden. Some there be who are of opinion, that it is good sowing euen before the occultation of the said star Virgiliae, but in a dry ground on∣ly and in hot countries: for so (say they) will the seed swell and mortifie the better; which the naturall humiditie only of the earth is sufficient to putrifie and prepare so, that when the next rain falleth, it will be ready to spurt and chit within a day. Others attend and wait seuen dayes after the retrait of the foresaid Brood-hen, for the rain that commonly falleth about that time. There be again that begin to sow in cold regions immediatly after the Aequinox in Autumne: but in hot countries they be later in their seednes, for fear that the corn would be winter-proud and grow ouermuch before the cold weather come. But all writers accord herein, that it is not [unspec K] good sowing before the winter Solstice, when the daies be at the shortest: the reason is verie pregnant and apparant, for winter seed if it be sown before mid-winter, will spurt and spring at the seuen-nights end; sow after that time, you shall haue it lie in the ground forty daies before it make any shew of comming vp. Many make hast and put their seed into the ground betimes, hauing this prouerbe vsually in their mouth, Well may ouertimely and hasty sowing oftentimes faile, but late sowing shall euer misse and deceiue the master. Contrariwise, others there are of this minde, That it were better stay vntil the spring to do it wel and surely, rather than to sow in a bad Au∣tumne, and hasard the losing of all. If there be no remedie therefore but to take the spring sea∣son, a man must make choise of the time betweene the midst of Februarie [at what time as the [unspec L] West wind Favonius doth rise and begin to blow] and the Aequinox in March. Some haue no regard at all to the constitution and figure of the heauens in this case, thinking the rising and falling of stars, the course and motions of coelestial bodies to be friuolous matters and nothing pertinent to this purpose, but content themselues only with obseruing the cardinall seasons of the yeare, and some other times, in a generality. In the spring (say they) sow Lineseed, Otes, and Poppies, and so hold on vnto the festiuall holydaies of Minerva, called Quinquatrus; like as at this day throughout all Lombardie and beyond the Po, they go by no other rule. As for Beans and the fine wheat Siligo, put them into the ground in the moneth of Nouember. Let the win∣ter red wheat Far take his fortune and be interred, from the end of September, vntill the midst or fifteenth day of October. Others goe beyond that day, and continue their seednesse vnto to the Calends or first day of Nouember. Now as these men haue no regard at all to the specu∣lation [unspec M] of Nature, and the course of the starres; so the other before named are giuen too much thereto, and wrapt they are so high among the stars and planets, that their owne eyes be dazeled therewith: and besides, their subtilties and quidities do blind others, considering that thepra∣ctise

of these matters must passe through the hands of rustical peasants, who are so far off from [unspec A] conceiuing Astronomy, & the constellations aboue, that they know not one letter of the book, nor neuer learned their A. B. C. Howbeit, we canot chuse but confesse, that the true reason and knowledge of Agriculture, depends principally vpon the obseruation of the order in heauenly bodies: for Virgill saith very wel, That before all other things, a husbandman should be skilfull in the winds and haue the foreknowledge and prediction of them: also to haue an insight into the nature and influence of the starres, and in one word, to obserue both the one and the other, as well as the Sailers and mariners at sea. Certes, a hard peece of worke it is, and infinite; and smal hope I haue that euer I shal be able to driue into their heads that are so ignorant & grosse of conceit, this high learning and heauenly diuinitie, as touching the Planets, the fixed starres, together with the reason of their orderly motions and coelestiall powers: howbeit considering [unspec B] the great profit that may arise and grow therupon to mankind, I will cast a profer and giue the attempt to make ploughmen Astrologers, or Astronomers at leastwise, if it may be. But first my purpose is, to lay open before their eies certain difficultys (which troubled also some of the auncient writers, and those not vnskilfull in this part of Philosophie) as touching the course and order of the Starres: which beeing not onely discouered, but also assoiled and cleared, their minds with better contentment may goe from the contemplation of heauen to the rest of Na∣tures workes, and see those things by the effects, which they could not possibly foresee by their causes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  He meaneth Zea or Spelt.