The English improver improved, or, The svrvey of hvsbandry svrveyed discovering the improueableness of all lands some to be under a double and treble, others under a five or six fould, and many under a tenn fould, yea, some under a twenty fould improvement / by Walter Blith ... ; all clearely demonstrated from principles of reason, ingenuity, and late but most real experiences and held forth at an inconsiderable charge to the profits accrewing thereby, under six peeces of improvement ...

THE SECOND PART OF Englands Improvement. (Book 2)

NOw I shall proceed to the Second part of my Discourse according to my promse, and shall therein endeavour the most clear and can did discoveries of six more Peeces of Improve∣ment; all of thē the most advantagious for the Improvement of Land of all sorts, and under all capacities have yet ever been discovered, some whereof, and very ma∣ny I yet never read one word of, nor so far as I can find out, or hear, have yet ever been published, unless you please to take that for a Discovery which is by a Subintelligitur, as I conceive Mr. Speed that superlative Improver (and

some such others) to whom can they make good but one quarter of what they affirm, they neither can want Money, Clothes, nor Scholars, I know some of the succeeding par∣ticulars are the deep mysteries he will impart for composi∣tion, & how he came by many of them too, but that they are many of them of his own experience, or to that advance he speaks of, I affirm the contrary; and much fear the news he tels us too good to be true.

The man I know, and have conversed with him, and have known him some late years, and while his Books were pri∣vate and conveyed into Noble, and Gentlemens hands, par∣ticularly by himself, and his own Agents, I could bear it, and suffer wiser than my self to be fooled, because I was not wise enough as to beware of him, but now they come to be sold in the Stationer shops, and spread abroad the Country to deceive, and beguile the Nation, I cannot forbear.

He tels us his discoveries are ••methodically distributed, and so they are, just as if you should put a man to his choic, whether if a man would give another as willingly two hun∣dred pounds as one, and would give him the two hundred pounds first too, whether he would chuse the one hundred pounds. So after he hath first told us of a certainty to raise two thousond pounds per annum, with less than two hundred pounds stock, which I wonder who will refuse, and close with another of his offers, which is, with five hundred pounds stock, to raise a thousand pounds per annum? which of the two is more probable, yet less desireable than the former, but both of them to be effected with money. Yet me-thinks I could hearken to his fourth particular, which is to discover a way without charge, whereby an industrious man, of a reasonable capacity and fortune, without preju∣dice or dishonour, may contrive to himself five hundred pounds per annum. Himself exceedingly wants such a disco∣very, or else wants the reasonable capacity he speaks of; for sure the fortune he speaks of he cannot want, being a man of so vast a mind, large understanding, and great experienee, unless his experiences have eaten away the rest, which to me

seems unprobable unless they be to be found visible. These things are gallant in contemplation, but more sadly experi∣mented, which you will hardly find by sea or land, nor any other place but in Mr. Speeds chamber, I beleeve.

He tels us by his fourth Item, that with less than fifty pounds stock visible a man may advance a thousand pounds per annum; but I fear either the invisible must be ten thousand pounds, or else his thousand pound will drop short by nine hundred and eighty; and if you grant him credence, or that there were a possibility in him ever to affect it, why should any man so much abuse himself as to make use of his following Item, which is two hundred pounds stock in three yeares to raise four hundred pounds, and in three more double the four hundred pounds, &c. The which he affirms but in probability, and yet the other upon certainty; but that of probability may be, and is most evidently experi∣mented, & was by may thousands before Mr. Speed was born; but why any man should lay out two hundred pounds, when with fifty pounds he may raise a hundred and sixty times as much therewith. I wonder far greater than those he holds forth in points of Husbandry as to advance land two hundred fold, from five shillings to fifty pounds per annum, &c. and many more,* 1.1 in all which I shall say no more, but refer thee to his Book and his personall Discoveries; for I must and will lay him down the Gantlet: For there is e∣nough to advance ths Common-wealth, if not to choak it; for many times when men are brought extreme low, either by sickness or penury, and restored, as this Common-wealth is, suddenly to plenty, or a good stomach, surfe it and undoe themselves suddenlier with plenty, than by a sparer dyet, or a more moderate condition; and so I fear may this Na∣tion, if they embrace so high discoveries too hastily; yet embrace them I pray, but with sobriety: and remember him also that ran mad upon the beholding of his great Treasure; for such variety of Extraordinaries may make men wild, and run from one to another, not knowing where to close or stay, and the gazing after these Princely Incomes, if they look after it till effected, may make them

look their eyes out also; but enough hereof.

Yet let me lament the sad condition of our Times, and I fear the neglect of our Government too; for to very many members thereof, if not to all, he hath given his Bookes, whose fault with humble submission it is, that so great dis∣coveries should still be clouded, and yet not put in practice, and the Common-wealth thus bleeding, while either by a Patent, or rather, and that I am sure for the value of one or two dayes pay at most of a common Clerk in some Offi∣ces would effect it; for truly the man is very conscionable, and desires not a full condition, but chuseth a very mean one, and wil accept of too little in all conscience for his dis∣coveries.

I know to whom hee made many of them, and would have done all the rest for less than twenty shillings, if the mans patience would have received them, but most like he not being able to bear them neglected the embracing of thē.

And whether I have, and shall speak forth any of the things he mean, I will not be peremptory, but beleeve I haue, and shall most of them if opportunity last, but shall ne∣ver endeavour to hold them forth in that Luciferous, yet watery lustre, lest it blind my Reader, but truly and naked∣ly to discover them, their nature and use, with that reall and feacible advantage may be made thereof, which will sa∣tisfie a sober spirit; and if by chance I make a discovery of what is concealed, much good may it doe the Common∣wealth, for I shall reap the fruit of my design, An opportu∣nity to discover publique Advantages. And whosoever desires cordially to be informed of Mr. Speed may from Mr. Sa∣muel Hartlib, dwelling against Charing-Cross, who can give fuller and larger description both of the man and his abi∣lities, having expressed him self so far a Gentleman of such charity towards him, as he hath maintained him divers monoths together while he was inventing some of these his discoveries as I was informed from a very knowing Infor∣mation.

And now to the six Peeces of Improvement contained in the ensuing discourse, held forth under these Heads.

• 1 By sowing the Trefoyl or Claver; and St. Foyne, and the advantages hereby.
• 2 By facilitating the great charge and burthen of the Plough, with the figures of them.
• 3 The planting of Weld, Woad, and Madder; three great dying commodities.
• 4 The planting of hops, Safforn, and Liquorish, and the profits thereof.
• 5 The planting of Rape, Cole see••, Hemp, and Flax, and their Increase.
• 6 The Improvements that may be made by some Orchard and Garden fruits.

CHAP. XXVI.

Contains the best way of planting Trefoyle or great Claver Grass, which is the highest advantage our English Lands will produce.

And herein I will discover the best seed and the best means to gain it, how to sow and husbandry it for food and seed, with the most suitable land thereto, and the profit that may accrew thereby; and for brevity sake shall speak little to what other publique spirits have discovered, but enlarge a little from later experience in relation to our English Lands and Husbandry.

THere are so many sorts of Claver, as would fill a volume,* 1.2 I shall onely speak of the great Cla∣ver, or Trefoyl we fetch from Flaunders call∣ed by Clusius, Trifolliummajus tertium, which bares the great red Honysuckle, whose leaf and branches far exceeds our naturall Meadow Claver; it bears a very small seed as Mustard seed,* 1.3 not so round but longer like a Bean; the best is of a greenish yellow colour, some a little reddish, but the black I fear will not doe well. The

choice whereof is the onely peece in the whole work.

Your Dutch, Holland, or Low Country Seed, or from the lower parts of Germany, is very much of it very hazardous that comes over hither, but being well chose there, the tans∣porting of it by sea is no considerable prejudice unto it, but much that is sold in the Seed-mens shops in London was ei∣ther corrupted by the Dutch before it came thence, or else parched by over-drying, or else by the Shop-keepers, either mingling old and new, or keeping it another year and then selling it for new: I my self within this four year sowed di∣vers Acres with seed bought in London,* 1.4 which cost me about two shilllings a pound and lost it all; I am not able to say a∣ny one seed came up at all. And I have heard that the Dutch out of an evill spirit, lest we should find the same benefit they have, have kiln-dryed it. Therfore my advice is, to send over a knowing man that hath had experience of it, & knows the right coloured seed to buy, and search all the Countrey and buy the best and choicest Seed he can possibly buy for Silver, and take care of the bringing of it over too; and as for the sale of it, if you bring over more than you shall use, you need not, nor shall not want customers to take it off of hand; for I had rather give a double price for such, than run the hazard of common Merchants experience.

But if you desire me to speak my mind from the experi∣ence my self hath made,* 1.5 I do affirm that our own Seed, that is, Seed of our own Claver, after the first sowing of the Dutch Seed, called the great Claver, is the best, and most cer∣tain Seed to grow, and so successively from time to time, if you can ripen it kindly, get it dry, and preserve it. And this will bring me to my second particular.

Which is how to get good Seed, or recover it out of our [ 2] own Crop to sow again, if you could get it kindly out of the husk, which to us as yet is a mystery, and we cannot doe it artificially and feacibly as they do in Flaunders. The best means we do use is to thrash it out of the straw; and then chave it or clense it from the straw, as you do corn, and then polt it, or faulter it as some call it, that is, beat it over again in the husk, and then get out as much of the re∣fuse

by chaving of it with a narrow toothed Rake as possi∣bly you can get;* 1.6 which done, if you would bestow sun∣ning of it in a hot dry season, and then rubbing of it, will get very much of it, for this is all the means that hitherto I have ever heard of in England, but I am confident that it may be very feacibly got forth of the husk, being very throughly dryed in the Sun, upon a Corn-mill, Oatmeal, or Mault-mill, and shelled as they do Oats, by a skilfull Miller, and no seed hurt as they will Oats, and not break the kernel, having his Mill-stones exceeding levell hung, neither too sharp nor too dull,* 1.7 and very curiously set that it cut not the seed, nor yet leave too much seed behind; which if it prove, as I am confident it will, it will be a very great advuntage to the Nation. This upon the very writing hereof came into my mind, which I am very confident of the performance of the work, and resolve to make the experience therof, if God bless my Crop of Glaver this summer. So far as I have hi∣therto seen or heard, our own seed sowed in the husk, hath proved the best, thicker and certainer than that sowed of the pure seed it self, and so shall fall into the third particu∣lar.

The best way of sowing of it, & I do verily beleeve, that if the husk be but once cut and shivered a little that the Seed may but scatter, that it may be best to sow it with the husk or chaff because it supplys the filling of the hand better than any thing I can find out will doe, with these two Observa∣tions.

1 That you be sure to find out a fit proportion of husk and seed together to sow an Acre, & that I cannot prescribe, unless I knew how clean you could make it; your own ex∣perience will discover that perfectly.

2 That you be sure ever and anon to stir up the bottom of your Hopper, or Seed-lop, because the Seed will sink downward, and keep your seed and chaff alwaies in an even mixture and composition, lest you sow that part thicker in the bottom than that that lay overmost; but should you fail of purifying the seed from the chaff for private vse it may do best of all, if the hop bowl or husk be but cut and

shattered as aforesaid: but if you sow that Dutch seed, as that you must of necessity till you get into stock of seed of your own, then the best way of sowing it must be by mix∣ing of it with Ashes of wood, or coal coarsly sifted or with saw-dust, or good sand or fine mould, or any thing else that wil help to fill the hand, & wil spread wel forth of the hand, but I like not wel the taking it up betwixt the fingers & the thumb; or the two fore fingers and the thumb, because they cannot scatter the seed so broad nor so even as they can out of their ful hand. And this I must press as one of the most weightiest things in this Husbandry; to have a most especi∣all care of the even sowing of it, your care herein must be far more than in sowing Corn for these Reasons.

1 Because the Corn with much harrowing (which this will not abide) though uneven sowed will be drawn into wants and uneven places, and much regulated by the Har∣row.

2 Because your Corn is of a heavier and fuller, and weightier substance, and will spread well of it self, but this is so small and little in bulk, sowes a land that it cannot be discerned how it spreads, and whether even or un∣even.

3. Because the wind, though very small, hath powe over this, and not over the other, and how ever you must chuse a calm time as possibly you can, many times early in the morning,* 1.8 or late at even are your calmest times. You may sow it upon any Land you intend to graze upon, any bare places in a Meadow or highwaies troden and poched, and it will soard them; but the usuall way is thus advised, when you have fitted your land by Tillage and good Hus∣bandry, then sow your Barley or Oats, and Harrow them in, and after your Claver upon the same Land, and covered once with a small Harrow or Bush, but sow not the Corn thick as you usually did, but if you will lose this Crop, you may sow it of it self.

And lastly, because if your Corn should miscarry, it is but for one year; but this for many: and as you sow once you must often reap, and will never cover or soard kindly, if

evenness be not effected, to the compleating of which you must have a sober staied Seedsman, that carries his hand high; takes his steps even, and delivers his seed out of his hand at one equall and constant breadth and wideness. It is my constant cry to my own Husbandmen to take heed of Ploough-balking, and Harrow balking, but now I say in a more especiall manner, take heed of Seed-balking. The best season for it is in the beginning of Aprill, or in the end of March rather, if it be likely to be a dry season; late sowing may do in a fruitfull season, but yearly is most cer∣tain.

[ 4] The fourth particular is how to preserve it, and mow it, and make it most usefull for Seed and service, I have heard much talk of three Crops, and truly if it be not reserved forseed, I am confident in a fruitfull year it will well bear it, nay may be more; for thongh I love not fauning, neither affect I smothering the Thuth nor to eclipse any new dis∣covery, I therefore say that if the Seed be good, and the Land either good naturall, or artificially made good by Husbandry it may very well bear three Crops, two to cut, and one to graze, and the first Crop may by mid-May be ready to cut; for this I say, and most will find it, though they otherwise speak high, that this grass will be best alway to be cut green, and before the stalk begin to grow too big, and begin to dye and wither, unless it be for seed: Thefrore, as experience will teach, it will be excellent good to cut it green and young, and give it cattle or horse in the house; for if you cut it to keep, it will go so near together, as it wil doe but little service dry, yet being cut young it will be very good and sweet, and either feed or give milk abun∣dantly; and then after the first cut, let it grow for seed, and herein you must be carfull that it grow till it be full ripe, for it will not be very apt to shed. And if it grow to seed,* 1.9 I cannot conceive of what use those stalks which are so hard and dry can be of, unless it be for Firing in a dear Country, so that the seed must be the advance of that Crop onely; and so it may well enough, and you may have a good after pasture, and may grase it untill Ianuary, and then pre∣preserve

it; but if you would know when your Seed is ripe, observe these two particulars.

First observe the husk, and when the Seed first appears in it, then about one month after it may be ripe.

But Secondly, try the seed after it begins to turn the co∣lour, and the stalk begins to dye and turn brown, it begins to ripen, and being turned to a yellowish colour, in a dry time mow it, and preserve it till it be perfectly dry any man∣ner of way, and then about the middest of March thrash it and cleanse it from the straw as much as you can, and then foulter and beat the husk again being exceeding well dryed in the Sun after the first thrashing;* 1.10 and then get out what seed you can, and after try what a Mill will do at the rest, as aforesaid more at large; but I will give way to a better Discovery. I need not prescribe a time either in Iuly or Au∣gust as best to cut for seed, because some years and lands will ripen it sooner than other will; therefore have respect to thy seed and straw according to former directions; but when thou art got into good seed, thou maist graze it upon thy land, and then be sure not to let it grow too rank and high; for if the stalk grow big, cattell will balk it and stain it more, and it will not eat up so kindly at first, nor grase so even afterward,* 1.11 but exceeding much Milk it will yeeld, and feed very well, but to affirm as some have done, and do confi∣dently unto this day, that it will grow upon the barrennest ground as is on Windsor Forrest I dare not;* 1.12 I have known that there it hath failed; and I am confident must, without exceeding great cost and husbandry, yet that very Land well Manured and Tilled, Dunged, Limed, Marled, or Chalk∣ed, or otherwise made fat and warm, will bring forth good Glover: and other rich commodities, as they do in Flaun∣ders, upon so coarse Lands bestow good cost, and that will do: The nature of the Land is good, bnt the spirit of it is too low to raise it of it self. And this is all is held forth in the discourse of the Brabant Husbandry, exceeding bar∣ren Lands, but well Dunged and Tilled, and then Clave∣red; not that it is the barren Land, but the good and costly Husbandry; onely the oldness of the Land, and restiness

thereof yeelds more spirit to the Grain or Claver by far than the Tillable Land constantly plowed,* 1.13 and being of the same fatness and barrenness, and no better; yet I verily affirm that Tillable Land well husbanded, and layd down with Claver, will do very well also. The quantity of seed to sow an Acre,* 1.14 as I conceive, will be a Gallon, or 9 or 10 pound, though some are of opinion less will serve turn. And so I de∣scend to my last particular, which is,

5 To set forth the Lands most suitable for Claver, with the annuall Profit that comes thereby.

Therefore, as above, I say your old Land, be it coarse or rich, as it is, or hath been disused from Tillage long, is best for Corn; so also is it the best and certain Land to Claver; and when you have corned your Land as much as you intend, then to alter it to Claver is the properest sea∣son.

1 As to the nature of the Land, as I conceive your dry, warm Land,* 1.15 naturally good, betwixt ten and twenty shil∣lings an acre, or your poorer dry Land, betwixt one shil∣ling to ten shillings an acre, well manured or soyled, and brought into perfect Tillage; and to speak properly and plainest, any Land that will bear good Corn, wil bear good Claver.

2 Your earthy, well mixed Land, of a middle temper, will do with good Husbandry as aforesaid, as well as the former.

And lastly your naturall cold Land, well Husbandryed, laid up very dry and warm, and brought into good Tillage, every Land laid high, as the nature and coldness of the Land requires, and every furlong drained, and the furrows cleans∣ed up by the Plough at last, wil bring almost any Lands into a very good condition for Claver, and the better husbandri∣ed the better for this use also.

This I shall lay down for a generall Rule,* 1.16 that whatever Land is neither to rank or fat for any sort of Corne what∣soever, is not too good to Claver, and you shall alway find it best Husbandry, and best pofit upon your best Land, un∣less, as aforesaid, you recover the barren Lands up to a good

and rich condition, which is also the far better Husbandry than to lie pelting and moyling upon poor mean Land un∣fatned by some soyls or other, therefore I advise every man to plow up no more than he can exceeding well overcome by his purse and husbandry, and let the rest lie till he have brought up his other, and then as he hath raised one part take up another, and lay down that to grase, either with Clover or otherwise: And let him that flatters himself to raise goed Clover upon barren heathy Land otherwise than as aforesaid, pull down his Plumes after two or thee years experience, unless he devise a new way of Husbandry.

And as to the annuall Profit that may accrew thereby,* 1.17 I shall little differ from the Flaunders Husbandry, but shall affirm that one acre after the Corn is cut the very next year if it be well Husbandryed, and kind thick Claver, may be worth twenty Marks, or twelve pound, and so down∣ward as it degenerates weaker, less worth. In Brabant they speak of keeping four Cowes Winter and Summer, some cut and laid up for fodder, others cut and eaten green; but I have credibly heard of some in England, that upon about one Acre have kept four Coach horses, and more al Summer long, but if it keep but two Cowes, it is advantage enough upon such Lands as never kept one: But I conceive best for us, untill we be come into a stock of Seed, to mow the first Crop in the midst or end of May, and lay that up for hay, although it will go very near together, yet if it grow not too strong, it will be exceeding good and rich, and feed any thing, and reserve the next for Seed: And if we can bring it up to perfect seed, and it will but yeeld four bushels upon an acre, it will amount to more than I speak of by far, every bushel being wooth three or four pound a bushel; and then the after math, or eadish that year may put up three midling Runts upon an acre, and feed them up: all which layd together will make up an Improvement sufficient,* 1.18 and yet this propety it hath also; that after the three or four first years of Clovering, it will so frame the earth, that it will be very fit to Corn agaen, which will be a very great advan∣tage: First to corn your Land, which usuall yeelds a far

better profit than grasing, and sometimes a double profit, and sometimes more, near a treble profit, and then to Clover it again, which will afford a treble, fou••fold yea 10 or 12 fold Advance, if not more. And so if you consider one Acre of land with the Claver and Husbandry thereof, may stand you the first year in twenty five shilling, the three other years not above ten shillings, the Land being worth no more, which may produce you yearly, easily five, six, or eight pound per annum per Acre; nay some will affirm ten, or twelve pound or more; then most of my Improvements promised are made good, as in my Frontspiece is he'd forth under this first Piece of Improvement.

CHAP. XXVII

Speaks of the usage of St. Foyne and La-lucern.

I Proceed to the discovering of the use and ad∣vantage of St. Foyne a French Grass, of which I mnst use plain dealing, and not put my Rea∣der upon improbable experiment, as is my chiefest aym. And as in some part of my for∣mer discourse I promised to bring down to our practice some Out-landish Experiments which were hinted at and disco∣vered unto Mr. Hartlib by Letter to be a great deficiencie to us in our Improvements the non-practice thereof; so I must, and will hold forth no more than I can make proof of to the face of the world. Therefore my self having not made a full Experiment thereof, onely I have sowed of it this year, shall give the relation of the manner of the Husbandry thereof, and the fruit you may rationally expect, and the Lands upon which it is to be sowen, and so leave it and you to your own experience and Gods blessing.

I shall not trouble you with the description of it as an Herbalist, because as in this, so in no other is it my design to search out the nature of any Herb or Plant in it self, but

as it is most profitable or usefull for my main design, The Im∣provement of Land

St. Eoyn is a French Grass much sowed there,* 1.19 upon their barren, dry, hasky Lands, and sometimes in our Gardens hath a kind of it been much sowed, called the French Hony∣suckel; it is of one excellent property yeeldeth abundance of Milk, and upon that account may be very advantagious to many parts of the Nation: it groweth best as it is said, upon the barrennest lands, hilly and mountainous, which I am induced to beleeve upon this score, because it is rendred to be worth but nine or ten shillings an Acre, which some would not think worth experimenting, but if so, and it will grow upon our worst land, I am sure there is thousand thousands of Acres in England, not worth one shilling an Acre, and if that being sowen upon such land it will with one sowing advance it to that worth, and so continue for di∣vers years, it is very well worth our imitation and practice; it will raise betwixt a load and a half, and two load of an Acre: Besides it is rendred to have another excellent quali∣ty, which is not to barrennize Land, but to better or fatten it, and after seven years growing it so roots large and ma∣ny, somwhat like Licorish, that the Plowing up of them, is a very good soyl, and much fattens the Land for Corn: it is excellent for soarding Land the first year a great advan∣tage. It hath been sowed in divers parts of England, as in Cob∣ham Park in Kent, &c. where it thrived very well upon chal∣kie dry banks.

The seed is first to be had out of France, where it is sold for about three pence or a groat a pound, but here it was sold very dear at nine pence; ten pence, or twelve pence a pound this yrar. It is most like a Parsnip seed, only a little browner in colour, and somewhat rounder and fuller made like an Oyster, it is very light, and so many pounds go to a strike, and it must be sowed far more in quantity than you doe the Claver seed, because it is so great a seed; for ever the smaller the seed the further it goeth: I conceive for e∣very pound of Claver you sow, you had need sow two of this, if not more; but I leave it to your own experience,

you will easily find a fitting proportion upon the first tryall; but the thicker the closer it grows, and stocks the ground the better, and destroyes other seed or weeds.

The manner of sowing it may be with Oats or Barly & so much as grows up with the Barley may be cut with it,* 1.20 and then preserved, or else if it be very fruitfull, it may be moed in the latter end of the year, and then preserve it for mowing for six or seven years after; for by that time it will have lost the spirit of it and be overcome by our English grasses; and then be fitter to plow for Corn again.

But if men will be at charge, the best way commended to me is this, to prepare your Lands and make them fine, as when you sow barley, and then plow in these seeds as the great Gardeners do their Pease, yet not altogether at so great a distance; but yet let them make their ranges near a foot di∣stance one betwixt another, and the grass will flourish like Pease especially if they draw the plow throngh them once, or twice that summer to destroy all the weeds; but whereas he speaks of using the great Claver thus also, I am somewhat jealous he is mistaken herein, because the thicker it grows and the closer, with one continued thickness, the better either to mow or grase, The experimenting I leave to thee.

There is also the La-lucern,* 1.21 another French Grass, which is excellent Fodder, and is rather preferred before the St. Foine, and it is as advantagious to dry and barren lands, and hath been lately discovered there, and is now of great credit amongst them, but for my own particular experience, I can say little and therefore say thus much, only to provoke the Ingenious both unto the search, experimenting, and com∣municating to publick view, not one man being sufficient for the experimenting all discoveries that may be made here, and elsewhere, I am confident every Age, nay every day will bring forth something or other worth our embracements.

The Second General Peece of Im∣provement contains the discourse of facilitating the charge and burden of the Plow, and a demonstration of the Figures thereof.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Discovers the severall Abuses of the Plough.

BEfore I proceed in this discourse, I will lay down these two or three Maxims or Conclu∣sions.

First, that whatever moveth upon the Land, or that worketh in the Land, and carrieth the least earth or weight with it, must needs move or work easi∣est. A wheel the lesser ground it stands upon, the easier it turns, and the lesser the wheel the easier still; so the Plough, the more earth or weight it carries with it, the more strength must be required. The naturall furrow it must carry, but the lesser compass both in heigth and length it bears upon the Plough, the easier the Plough must go.

Secondly, the more naturally any thing moves, the more easily, and the more Artificially, the more difficult∣ly.

Thirdly, the sharper or thinner is any tool, the easier it pierceth, and the less strength is required; so contrary, the thicker or duller any tool is, the more strength must work it; and;

Fourthly, that which is the plainest and truest to the Rule, and admits of least multiplication of work, must needs be easiest.

All my endeavours shall onely be the application of all these to the Plough, and that as naturally as I can by truth of Workmanship, to discover the Plough and Plough-Irons to the most exactness, which will be all the ease that I can give it, or any man yet ever did or could: If any other shall endeavour to discover by Engine or otherwise, to supply the strength of horse and man to draw the Plough, I know an easie Plough will go more easie, and shall therin rejoyce.

And because I find so many different names given to the members of the Plough according to the Country phrazes, & few of one Country understands another Countries terms, I shall confine my self to one name to each member all a∣long my discourse, for the better understanding of the Rea∣der.

As for the Plough-sheath, Wrest, Beam, Share, and Coul∣ter, they retain these names clearly in most parts and so I shal continue them.

But for Plough-handles, some call them Stilts, and some Hales, and some Staves I shall confine my self to the name of Handles.

For the Plough-head, some call them the Plough-throck, some the Plough-chip, &c. I shall retain the term of Plough-head.

And the Shield-board, some call Breast-board, or Earth-board, or Furrow-board, I shall retaine the Shield board.

And for the Coumb, or Whing of the Share, which is that which goeth upward upon the Shield-board, I shall term the Coumb.

And for the Tush or Phin of the Share, which is that that cutteth out the bottom of the Furrow as the Fish doth di∣vide the water, I shall call it the Phin of the Share, & so I shall avoyd multiplication of tearms, and a littl shorten and clear my discourse, and so proceed.

As for the giving an addition of ease unto an ordina∣ry

way of plowing, and the taking away of some of the strength which is so great a burthen to the Husbandmans, is of very vast concernment, and will take up a very large dis∣course the effecting whereof I shall endeavour under these following heads.

1 To discover the severall abuses or hindrances to the welll-going of the plough, with some remedies thereto.

2 To give you the descriptions, with the Figures of several sorts of ploghs now in use.

3 To demonstrate wherein the chief ease of the plough consists, with the easiest growing plough and the advantage gained thereby.

4 To discover to what sorts of Land and seasons of plow∣ing each plough is most suitable, with a double plough yet unknown, and a plough that shall both plow and harrow at once.

The Abuses or hindrances to be removed are many, wherein I shall speak to particular abuses only.

And first I shall speak to particular abuses only pre∣judiciall [ 1] to the ploughs easie going in the Blacksmith,* 1.22 or he that makes the Irons for the plovgh, I not being of the opini∣on as many are, that the Irons should be made to the plough, but that the plough be made to the irons; I therefore shall be bold to say, that if Plough Irons be not made exceeding true in all points, according to the Land you have to plow, and wrought fair and smooth, a plough-wright or plow maker shall not, nor cannot work true to a false foundation and if it be not wrought true, it shall hardly go true, unless after much wearing, being wrought into work, it may plow; reasonable well at last, and by that time the plough may be worn out, but never with that ease, nor continuance as it would by truth of Workmanship: Another abuse in him is the not steeling his plough-irons well, and making them ex∣ceeding sharp and well pointed.

The second abuse is in the plough-maker, who works ac∣cording to certain coarse Rules he hath learned by trade, knows not how to hold a plough himself, nor to apply him∣self

to the nature of the Land according to the alteration of it, nor scarce is able to discern the falsity of the Smiths work∣manship; and is not able to apply himself to all sorts of Lands, or those severall sorts of Tilths the Husbandman gives, he shall never make a Plough to go with ease by his rules, unless he chop upon it by chance.

[ 3] The third abuse may be in the Plough-holder, and if he have not abilities to order his Plough, to fix and alter his I∣rons, and his Plough too, according to the severall natures of Lands he ploweth, and according to the manner of his Plowing, and keep his Irons in a true and keen posture; some∣time he is to cast down his Land, sometime to raise up, and sometime to plow up hill and down, sometime even levell Grounds, in all which if he have not some good experience, though both Smith and Plough wrights do their parts, yet because the Plough-holder cannot be made aswell as the Plough, many good Ploughs are utterly spoyled in the usage or abusage

[ 4] May be in the Lands, when the Lands as some almost at any time, or with any Ploughs are not workable; or when Land is over-wet or over-dry: now all Ploughs are not to go up∣on all Lands, nor at all times but men must be so knowing, as to have their severall Ploughs for each sort of Land and seasons, otherwise they will moyle horse, m••n, and Ploughs un∣speakably.

Now as to the discovering some remedies or cures against these abuses,* 1.23 and first as to the Smith, his Truth of Work∣manship lieth chief in these three materials of the Plough, I the Share, 2 the Coulter, 3 the Shield or Breast-plate (as some call them) Shivers: All which they being made true, and according to the naturall cast of the surrow, that so the earth stick not upon the Plough, but the Irons wear bright and clean, it is a good sign of the truth of Workmanship on his part. I shall onely prescribe these particulars for the ad∣vantage of the Share; if it be a Share made with a pan to put upon a wooden head, then I do advise the pan be made pretty deep, and somewhat deeper than our ordinary Shares are made, but not too large or wide a pan in bredth, and the

phin made broad, descending or whelmiug to the right hand; it hath these two advantages; first the deeper the pan is, the thicker and stronger may the head be put on, and the longer it will last.

2 The Tush or Phin of the Share will whelm the more being set down to the work which is the Levell or bottom of the head, or rather a little lower,* 1.24 which will give great ad∣vantage to it of clearing the earth at the throat, or first en∣trance upon the nose of the Shield-board with more ease, for if it stick there, it will be gone all along the Plough at once: A Share made most hanging from the very nose of the Breast-board, and not flat as most are; the figure whereof could I describe it like the side of a hill into a level meddow, would give a perfect demonstration of it, which I shall endeavour as near as I can; it should be pitched or set upon the Plough-head somewhat hanging also on the right hand, and the Plough-head pitched hanging also: As for the breadth of it, I leave that to each mans experience as his land requires; if upon a stony land, or twichy woody Land, it must be nar∣rower, and the more flinty the narrower; but if it be upon a gravelly it may increase in bredth, and so it may upon a clay, and more upon a mixed earth, and more upon a pure earth of sand, and most of all upon the Lay-turf, however upon all I would have it cut up very cleanly the full bredth of the Furrow thou carriest with thee, and not rend and tear it up with the breadth of the Plough, which increaseth the weight and strength; and most Ploughs are guilty of this inconvenience, especially where they goe with their narrow long pointed shares.

But now if you demaund whether it be best to have the Coumb or Wing fixed to the Share, or put into the Share with a hole through and Riveted below, or whether to have none at all, but onely a shiver or plate upon the Breast or Shield-board, placed curiously upon the Share, exceeding tite, and as closely filled and wrought to the Sharepan as may be.

I answer, first, that could you have the Coumb or Wing so fixed, welded, or wrought solidly to the Share, with its

true whelming, hollow, cross winding, compass, just answr∣ing the cast or turn of the Furrow, which cannot be descri∣bed by a Figure: this being wrought fair and smooth, and as broad as possible you can get it, wil be the best. And this is reasonable well done in many parts of Hartfordshire, in some parts of Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire, and in ma∣ny other parts, onely the Wing or Coumb is not broad e∣nongh; but the best pattern for this is upon the Bastard-Dutch Ploughs, who work them so broad, as they cover all the nose of the Breast-board, eight or nine inches broad, and twelve or thirteen inches high, and give the truest compass of any: I have seen of this fashion in Holland in Lincolnshire, and many there are of them upon the Marshes and Sea-coast of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where the Dutch plough is much used, but the true Dutch share is otherwise so costly, and made especially for boggy soft land, very troublesome and curious to be wrought, and more curious to be kept, and by our Countrey men the nicety of it will not be endured, nor indeed will it work in most part of our Country Lands, and therefore I forbear further incoragement thereto, than to this small branch thereof. The weelding compass of the Co∣umb.

But as to the fixing or weelding on the Coumb, I stand indifferent, because I think there is another way as good and easie, however let the Share without the Coumb be made as aforesaid, and then with a Shiner or Breast-plate curiously wrought a little hollowish at the nose, and so con∣tinuing along, being placed so close to the Share, that grass straw, roots, or weeds get not betwixt it and the Share to choak it in the Breast; for then it is utterly spoyled of its case: the Shiner will do best to be continued all along the Breast-board one solid plate compassed and cross winding from the middle; the over end forward looking one way towards the Land, and the over end backward towards the furrow; and so must all your shield or breast boards be hewen or sawen, and compassed with fire, and wrought fair or smooth afterward. This shiner if wrought fair, as high as the earth works upon the plough, and have his true com∣pass

with the Breast board, may also be of excellent ease to the plough; for after it hath gone, and is scoured bright, the earth will slip off, and pass away with much ease, and will carry no earth at all, which is to the great ease of the plough; and both these are better than a Coumb put through the Share-pan, and so come up along the nose of the Shield-board, and there nayled to strengthen the neck of the plough, or else put up into the plough-beam to strengthen it either; yet this I also prefer before those that have neither this, nor the aforesaid helps. And as for other fashioned Shares, whe∣ther made to the single wheeled plough, or to the double wheeled plough, whether with a pan, or without a pan, it matters not, so that at the first entrance of the earth it be rightly compassed, and cast for the cleanly running over the furrow, and the Share point made very small, sharp and well steeled, be it long or short.

2 As to the Coulter, his truth of Workmanship lyeth in this, whether it be Dutch or English Coulter,* 1.25 that it be well steeled and wrought sharp and thin on the edge; the point al∣so looking forward, if English, and the edge alway placed just forward, neither carving, or turning towards the Land, for that will alway be apt to draw the plough too wide, nor yet into the furrow, for that will be alway apt to work it to go too narrow, but just straight forward by a straight line to the pitch of the plough; but if a Dutch Coulter,* 1.26 then the wheel to be very well steeled, and about ten inches high, and to go as true as possible; for the false cutting of the wheel will make you work at a great uncertainty, which Coulter is not usefull neither upon stony, gravelly, flinty, broomy, gossy, or rooty ground, but upon pure turf, or pure mould, on which it goeth very easie.

The midst of the wheel had need be an inch thick because of wearing, and so wrought thinner and thinner towards the edge round, untill it come to be as thin as a knife if it were possible; but because this Coulter is with many of high e∣steem, and of some advantage, and yet not much known, I will give you the figure of it, as also of the best sort of English, for its compass, and a sharp thin well tempered edge, that

tends most to the ease of our English Coulter, and it shall be where I give the description of the Ploughs I intend to shad∣dow forth.

And as the Plough-holder or Ploughman may much pre∣judice the easie going of the Plough, so one rightly quali∣fied may in great measure advantage it, although the Plough be made never so exact and true; and therefore I give these two or three generall Rules to the Plough-holder, which are naturall to any sort of ploughs whatever, although there are some different rules appertenant to some particular Ploughs, as the double wheeled plough, and the Turnwrest Kentish ploughs, which would be too tedious to discourse, but these I leave to the plough-mans practice being easily found out by two or three dayes experience.

The first generall Rule shall be that the plough-man be able to judge and determine within himself the truth both of the plough-wright, and the Smiths workmanship, and in case he find an errour therein at first to mend it, which is far easier done than after the plough or irons be wrought into a greater error; yea that it is possible it may not be reco∣verable.

And secondly, having his plough and all his Accutrements compleated, then to the triall of it,* 1.27 and therein be sure to make the first tryall of your plough vpon land workable, and regular lands, not upon lands above measure hard rooty, rushy, twichy, or any way unfeacible, because upon such lands a true demonstration of the goodness and truth of the plough cannot be discovered, nor any Rule can be ob∣served.

2 Because such lands will more easily and suddenly wrench, writh, or put a new plough out of its work before it be wrough into its work. A rough new plough being somewhat like an unbroken horse, which may easily be spoy∣led in the hand of a violent mad-cap Rider, but if the horse be kindly used, and taken of his untamedness by degrees, by ease, kindness and patience, he is made a horse for ever; so after that in ordinary land, your patient discreet plough-man have well scoured your plough, brought it to a true

furrow both for breadth and depth, and set your Irons as it will goe it self with the very bearing of the hand to keep it steady, then you may afterward be bold to put it to any service, or any lands whatsoever the strength of it will abide, and it may be serviceable for many years.

Thirdly let him be sure having once got his plough into a perfect furrow, his plough avoiding all the earth as it takes it on at Breast, and carrying a fair clean furrow along with it, and turning its furrow cleaverly also from it, then let him not neglect a day, but iron his plough with slips or clouts in all the wearing places, smooth and even, and strengthen the neck of it with an iron bolt,* 1.28 from the bottom of the head through the beam, and there strongly drawn up and cottered fast, if he have none before, that the Head may not draw the least, for after a plough is drawn in the Neck or Breast, it is probably wholly spoyled; and then alway be carefull in keeping your Irons sharp, and clean wrought, your Coulter edge thin ground, and Share phin as sharp as may be, and very small point upon your share, all well steeled and tempered, your plough shall go with great ease and truth.

But lastly, the plough-man must have a little regard to his Teem or Draught, and to the well geering or ordering them, if he will take all advantages he may or ought for ease, and therefore must alway make his Horse or Ox as sui∣table as may be, not some high and some low, but of an e∣quality as even as may bee, much might bee spoken herein by way of reprehension and advice too but I must forbear, onely advise that if your horses be unequall for height, then place the highest formost, and so your higher next, and your lowest last; many reasons may be given therefore; however make your Horses and Oxen as equallas you can possibly,* 1.29 if they be unsizeable, your highest draw up your lowest, and your lowest draw down the highest therfore endeavonring all you can that all draw by a streight line is best, and preserves the full strength of your Teem or Draught for your plough, which otherwise you lose a very confidera∣ble part thereof, and let your Gears or Harness be strong and easie.

Secondly be as carefull as in sizing them for their height, so also in matching them for their spirit as near as you can. A horse of a dull sluggish spirit, and heavy, is fittest for slug∣gish service such as your heavy loads, or weighty draughts, fitter for carting than plowing; your quick lively spirited Horses will be best for your plough, and the dull horses will be best to be placed together at what service soever, and then they will not deceive their fellows, which many times is the spoyl of many a good horse; your false deceitfull Horse that will draw but at his own pleasure, and fail you and his fel∣lows at a stand or dead lift, as we say, is exceeding unservice∣able, and must be avoyded as much as is possible: Yet if he be quick sprited, and full of metall, he may do best at plough and harrowing, and being sized with his fellows is usefullest in that service of any other whatsoever.

Lastly, he must be able to judge of his Land, and the sea∣sons of plowing, and to sort his severall ploughs to each al∣teration, otherwise he shall not be able to plow all his Lands, nor indeed any at some seasons; and because of this I shall say more hereafter,* 1.30 I shall dismiss my plough-man with this exhortment, be as willing to learn as thou hast need, and abandon those poor silly shifts men make to preserve themselves ignorant and unserviceable, as they have been plough-men all their dayes and are not now to learn, and men may as well be too precise, and better ploughs cannot be made than their Country affords, and could better have been devised they would long since: With hundreds more so childish, as are not worth an Answer, but these exceedingly stifle and choak Invention, and will do my Readers Imitation of these rude Discoveries.

CHAP. XXIX.

The second Generall, whereby I shall descend to the description of the severall Ploughes in use, and shew you the defects in some, and the Ad∣vantages others have, and what Addition I can give both from my own Observations, or o∣therwise, to make up as compleat an easie Plough as my Experi∣ence will make out.

I Shall therefore confine my discourse to three or four sorts of ploughs.

First the Wheel-plough, I mean the double wheeled plough.

2. The single wheeled plough, and the foot plough.

3. The simple plain plough, without wheel or foot.

4. The Dutch Bastard, or plain Dutch plough.

Many other sorts there are, as some alter in their heads, some in their Beams, some in their Stilts, &c. and most in their Shares, and all almost according to the Country of which they are, of al which it were too endless to discourse but I onely name these, because I conceive all these usefull in some sort of Land or other, and a good husband had need be stored with two or three sorts of them at all times, espe∣cially he that hath severall sorts of Lands, of all which I shall say but little, yet a word of each; but I shall reserve the main of my discourse for those very particular branches of the plough that shall make out that I shall give ease ther∣to.

And first, as for the double wheeled plough commonly

called the Wheel-ploug, and is of most constant use in Hartfordshire, and many up-Countries; and is very usefull upon all flinty, stony, or hard gravell, or any other hard Land whatsoever after it comes to be beyond its natural temper, is an excellent good form, & a very usefull plow, and very necessary that al great Corn-masters have one of these for strength, that so he may not force his other plows which are made on purpose for lands in a Tillable cōdition, & so are made more light & portable than these will bear to be, but these will go and work well with a great strength, when other ploughs will not to any pur∣pose; and because much addition of ease cannot be given to this plough, which I shall not advise to but in the cases aforesaid, when and where other ploughs cannot work, these Lands being under an extreme. And as to such extremes, nor none else will any ordinary Rule hold, that I may not work against the stream, lest I swim alone; I will only give you a short description with the draught or figure therof, and as any addition may be given to the plough in any of its members, it shall not be restrained from an application to this as wel as to any other.

This is usualy drawn with Horses, or Oxen geered dou∣ble two a breast and indeed so they draw the strongest but tread the Land the more, but why they may not be put single in wet seasons, or in dangerous times, I know not.

This Wheel-plough is made of a strong clest Ash-beam, about six foot long,* 1.31 and is contrary to all other beams in the Compass of it the crook or compass wherof looketh upwards, and the Land-handle thereof is placed at the great or neather end of the beam, as other ploughs are for it is usually made with one handle,* 1.32 and the plow-staff is instead of the Furrow-handle, and is very long an∣swerable to the length of the handle, the length wherof I much approve, and could wish it were observed in every plough whatsoever, it tending much to the easie and cer∣tain holding of the plough.

The Sheath is made of the toughest, youngest Ash, and

perfect & dry that can be got,* 1.33 and set with a very good mortess very much forward, joynted exceeding true and close into the beam, and driven up so exceeding hard, with a bragget behind it to hold it from declining, that it stands and will to its work in the strongest land whatsoever.

The Head is pitched as strongly at the neather end of the Sheath and Stilt as can be,* 1.34 and pinned through both, and the Share is pitched upon the Head at a very deep pitch and somewhat hanging, that so the plough may goe much a shore, because the holder usually goes two furrows off the plough wider on the near side the plough: And as it is pitched deep, near a full yard pitch, so it is also very broad, being near half a yard, and that I conceive arises from the former Reason, because of the mans going so far wide of his plough. Their Shares are made exceeding narrow, and very strong, and run∣ing out to a very exceeding long small point, very well stee∣led, and sometimes they add a Tush or Phin, but they make it very narrow also, and so it must needs be, the hardness, and stoniness of the land not admitting of it: And the Coul∣ter stands a little above the Share-point, and not before it, but rather behind it.

As for the Wheels that bear it,* 1.35 being eighteen or twenty inches high, are made of about six spokes of wood or iron, fastened into a little short Hub or Nath, and a bark hoop or iron binding round about them: they run upon an iron Spindle about two foot long: which runs round in a Boul∣ster which the iron spindle beareth, and it is three or four inches thick, and lieth betwixt the wheels about fifteen or sixteen inches in length or more, and at least eighteen or twenty inches in height, standing up to bear the plough-beam, & upon the same Boulster goes up an Iron pin eight or nine inches above the Beam, and to gage it for its true depth; to the middle of which Boulster is fastened a short chain backward with a strong iron Coller almost like a round Ring which encompasseth the Beam, and is moveable, and to be put forward or backward, to make the plough goe deeper or shallower, as occasion is, and is held in its place with an Iron Hammer; the helve or shaft all of solid Iron,

[illustration]

and that is to be taken in or out of the beam at pleasure, to let it down or take it up as cause requires: and when the plough turns out of work at Lands end, it must have some cord or strong whit-leather thong to come up from the boulster, to keep the beam from slipping off being empty. And so you have a short verball description of the Wheel-plough as it is used in most parts of England.

This Wheel-plough requires a great strength; and the greater because of the great length they are made of, which carrieth such a long and heavy weight of earth upon it, that it adds exceedinly to the burthen of it, which may be easily removed in some measure, by contracting the plough into a shorter, and somewhat narrower compass, and taking off as much of the weight and load both of Wood and Iron, as the strength of the work will bear upon which it is to be em∣ployed; yet it being a very useful plough upon some lands & at some seasons. The Figure expect with the other ploughs.

There is another double Wheeled-plough, & it is called the Turn wrest plough,* 1.36 which of all ploughs that ever I saw, surpasseth for weight and clumsiness: it is the most of use in Keut, Picardy and Normandy, and is called the Ken∣tish plough with us.

The beam may be made of any wood for the bigness of it, but Ash is best: but the two handles are made of one forked peece of any wood, and the beam tenanted into the Stlit below the Fork, and so it runs down into the plough-head, and is there tenanted and pinned into the head; and as for the Sheath, that is a good strong peece of dry Ash tenan∣ted into the beam, directly down right, but looking for∣ward at the neather end, and fixed into the Head somewhat as other ploughs are, but the Sheath far bigger downwards: the plough-head is pitched at a very great depth, or else at random for depth, being carried with two Wheeles as the former, but nothing like so neat nor easie; and for bredth, it is pitched just under the Beam upon a straight line, and so it ought to be, as you shall see anon. As for any Shield or breast-board, it hath none at all on either side the plough,

as all other have, but a little peece of wood set along the Sheath forward, about five inches broad, closing upon the Share just as if you would cut a Die in the midst from corner to corner, and place the flat side to the Sheath, and the edge forward, which is their breast-board. The Share is put up∣on the plough-head with a pan half round upward, and flat downward, and is, or ought to be tushed a little on both sides, as our ordinary ploughs are, and so runs out to a sharp point.

They have one Wrest or two, some one and no more, but sometimes two, which I should conceive alwaies and at all times best; and this Wrest is to be put upon pins, one in the Sheath, standing just under the Breast board, and the other unto a longer pin or round staff fixed into the bottom of the handle, as wide as the furrow, and this Wrest is no other but as a round stick about two foot long, or rather a half rovnd one, with two holes in it to put the aforesaid pins into; and at every Lands end this Wrest must be turned on the other side; so if they have two must they both be alter∣ed also, and one placed two or three inches higher than the other, and the highest is to be placed broader by an inch and half, or two inches, and sometimes three inches than the low∣ermost to cast the furrow cleanly over.

And for the Coulter, that is also moveable in the Coul∣ter hole, it being made very wide, at every Lands end, to which purpose they have a strong ground Oak-plant, about an inch and half over, that is very tough, and with that they will, having two pins placed upon the top of the Beam, one an equall distance from another, and both equally di∣stant from the Coulter, wrest or writh the Coulter from one side to another, and there hold it till they come to the lands end, and there turn both Wrest and Coulter.

And thus you have a rude description of the Turnwrest or Kentish plough, and the Figure you should have, would it advantage my Reader half so much as it would cost the cutting; but they are so common in Kent all the Countrey over, and that so near London, that I had rather when thou hast a mind invite thee thither to see the thing it self

which will give thee better satisfaction than all the Figures can dot.

Yet thus much learn from hence, that the Land that ly∣eth so upon the side of a hill, as there is no plowing it up∣ward and downward, may very well be plowed with this plough, and best of all, and it is especially usefull hereto; or it you have any flat levell peece, where you would not have one furrow discovered, this will do it also; the formost Horse or Ox alway going in the furrow, and the nearest alway upon the Land, and alway double; and I am consi∣dent it may be cast into a neater form, and made to very good advantage; the weightiness and ugliness of it I hate, but the Turnwrest conceit I like, which my occasions have not permitted me to experiment, of which I shall say no more at present, but that the Turnwrests to cast the furrow is very good and usefull for the two sorts of ground above∣said.

I shall now come to the one wheeled Plough,* 1.37 and of that I shall give you also somewhat a large accompt, be∣cause it is an excellent good one, and you may use it upon almost any sort of Lands, which the Figure and descripti∣on of the same, which shallbe drawn into that shape and form that will admit of more lightness and nimbleness than any of the former.

You may see the use and fashion of it too at Collonell Blunts near Greenwitch in Kent, a Gentleman of great e∣steem and honour in his Country, who hath made very many of them.

The main Plough-beam is very short, about five foot long, made of very good wood, but small and light as may be, to which is another false Beam added below the Coul∣ter hole, under the other and fixed to it by a staple, drove up into the true Beam, with a capping upon the false beam end, or some other way, the form whereof is not much materiall, which false beame is that by which the plough is drawn, and gives opportunity by a Standard put into the end of it, bored full of holes; and passing through

the Master-beam, to let the plough up and down to any gage of depth or shallowness whatsoever, and indeed that beam is the guide of it.

The Sheath is pitched very forward from the beam into the mold of the Share whose Share-mold, as I may call it, is made as long as the Head should have been, & is of the same use as the plough-head is of, & is made of two smal slips, not so heavy as the Head would be, & there being no head at all, the Land-handle is put into the Share-mould with an iron pin, and so is the plough-sheath also, and there fixed fast with an iron pin, and the Share forward made like ano∣theher Share; and then just before the Breast-plate is a hole made through the Share, and there is rivetted, or else with an iron hook put into a long iron slipe, which is made an inch, or inch and half broad, and so comes up to the beam just before the nose of the Shield board, and so runs through it, and is cottered upon the top of the Beam lying upon the Shield board, and the Shield board is compassed a little hollow in the very breast, and so from before the middle, begins to whelm and wind towards the furrow, and so winds more and more to the very end, and this Breast-board is placed close upon the Share, which is made with a long point, and broad or narrow phin, as the land re∣quires; and sometimes, and any time any ordinary Pan de Share may bee used, and placed upon a Head as other ploughs are; either with a narrow point for gravell or stoniness, or with a broader Phin, and long sharp point, for mixed, sandy earthy Land, as well as that fashioned Share, and be of the same use as I conceive.

The Pitch of these Ploughs are about, or above two foot in depth, and about eight or nine inches in wide∣ness: This alway carefully observe that the uprighter you pitch your plough to goe the narrower, and the more hanging, the broader. As for the depth, I conceive it is not much materiall, because it is born up from the false beam till it come to a true working pitch; and in the false beam is planted an Iron Axeltree, about one inch or a little more in bigness, and about one foot long nine or ten inches

before the end of the false beam, and put in square into the beam, that it may stick fast; and at the other end of the Axeltree runs a wheel upon it, about eighteen or twenty Inches, or may be a little higher, or lower, as you please, which guides the plough from that false beam, that it can∣not sting or draw into the ground, & so is drawn at the end of that false beam, either with Horse or Oxen, with Cock or Clevies, as you have occasion or do desire; but because this plough cannot be fully discovered by the most familiar dis∣course, but will require the Figure also I will here give ye it, as near to the life as possibles.

That which is the Standard, fastned in the lower beam, and runs through the over, to gage the plough, is made near two foot high, and in the over end is made two holes to put the Horse-raine throngh, to come from the Horse head to the very plough handles, to guide him to and fro, and under them divers removing holes, and one or two in the beam equall to those in the Standard, and an Iron pin put through them both. This plough neatly made, and very small hath been drawn with one horse, and held by one man, and plowed one Acre a day at sowing time in a moyst season; and as Collonell Blunt hath related to me, he hath with six good horses six men, and six ploughs, plowed six Acres a day at sowing rime, in light well wrought Land.

The Figure expect with his fellows.

CHAP. XXX.

Shall discover some generall faults that may be incident to all sorts of Ploughs, and give you the description of the Dutch and Norfolk Ploughs.

I Shal now proceed in this place, though not so Methodically as I should, to disco∣ver the usuall faults of many ploughs of all sorts, and most ploughs in England are tainted with some of them.

1 When they are made too big both of Wood and Iron, that is bigger than the work requires, they are the heavier to be drawn, carry the more weight with them, and require the more strength to draw them. A husbandman must have his severall ploughs if he will carry on his work comfortably.

2 Fault may be in the roughness and ill compassendness of the Share, as aforesaid; and when a plough is made too thick in the very breast; of this fault are many ploughs in some parts, and though it help well in the sudden cast of the furrow, and wil carry a great furrow with it, yet it goes very sore; of this fault are the plough in Holland in Lin∣colnshire, which otherwise have a gallant cast of the Shield board as I ever saw, which I have before at large descri∣bed.

3 Is the shortness of the handles, by which a man cannot command his plough with that ease and truth as he might do if his handle had length and compass: A short upwright handle exceedingly dislike, a man having very little power to command the same, & when the plough is not truly held it never goes easie.

4 The straitness of the Breast-board neither made nor drawn compass and croswinding for the cast of the fur∣row,

a very great fault to the Ploughs ease.

5 The placing the Wrest even with the Breast-board, and as long as it, or near as long, nay I have in some parts seen it longer. It is as great a hindrance to the easie and true going of the plough as any I know, and yet by very few discerned or reproved; I say, & had I time I would give rea∣sons enough to clear it, that a good broad Wrest; and five, six, or seven inches shorter than the Shield-board, is best, which being at the further end set even, or a little under the breast-board, and at the neather end where it is pinned, either to land, handle, or otherwise it be set two inches nar∣rower and under the Shield-board, is both easie to the hol∣der and to the cattle, and a main advantage to the turn and strike of the furrow, and especially the plough being made no broader behind than a just furrow breadth.

6 And lastly the dulness of Irons, and either not clouting at all, or else uneven rough clouting and plating your ploughs, is a considerable hindrance both to the ease and lasting of ••ste plough.

And these, or any of them all are generalls, and will hold, let them be upon what plough they will, or upon what Lands they wil, or in what seasons soever, and are greathin∣drances of the good of plough and Plowing: And there∣fore what fashioned ploughs soever you make; take heed of these Rocks, and for what seasons soever you make them, a∣voyd them all, and then if thou wilt follow thine own Country fashion doe, and God bless thee with it. I say not that these are all the faults, for there are many more, parti∣cularly treated of also aforegoing, but these are such as may be prevented in any common sort of ploughs whatever, & most of them In al sorts, & wil put such an advantage to the ploughs ease, as with observing the foregoing directions also will be woth thy imitation.

In Norfolk and Suffolk are very good ploughs in many parts of the Country, & upon the sandy parts two horses & one man will plow at ordinary seasons, and almost any land of that sandy nature, two Acres of a day, & many times one man with two horses hath plowed three Acres in one

day: They seldom go with above two horses, and may with one horse, and one man; and if they plow any strong land, that they are forced to put in three or four, they set them double, and have but one man to plough and drive: Their ploughs are very small and light, and little compassed, all which are great advantages, but the greatest is the Land, which is a pure sand for the most part, and very easie work∣ing land; yet though this be the easiest, yet we have in ma∣ny hundred places of this Nation very sandy light land, & very earthy mouldy land, a light mixed chissely land, and abundance of Errable Land in very good Tilth, where men usually go to plow with four horses or four oxen & a horse, and seldom less, but many times more (which might as wel if not better be done with two) unless at seed time, now and then two oxen and a horse, or three horses and two men, which is a wonderfull charge to the poor Husband∣man, the extremity of which charge were it but removed, would be sufficient of it self to make him thrive and pros∣per. I shall conclude this discourse with a relation I had frō a Norfolk Gentlman of very good worth and credit in that Country. Upon the Marsh-lands bordering upon the Sea-coast, a Gentleman set an hundred Acres to a man to plow, he covenanted with him to find him horse, and ploughs, & irons and meat for the horses, and he was to find onely all mans labour, and he allowed him eight horses for the work, and for the mans labour that he was onely to find to plow this land: the man covenanted to plow this Marsh-land, w^ch is a mixed earth, & we have many thousand Acres as easie plowing in England, almost in al Countris for 5^d. an Acre, & performed it; he plowed his 8 acres a day, he found but 3 men to the work, he went to plow with two Teems, two horses and one man to one plough, and two horses and one man together in the morning, & one man to shift them at noon, and meat and gear them, and then he brought in two Teem in the afternoon, two horses in a Teem with the same men, and so plowed, as aforesaid, his eight acres: I saw the ground thus plowed, & the poor man got his three shil∣ling and four pence for his men and himself, that is ten∣pence

a day a man,* 1.38 which is good wages in Norfolk. It is a wonder that we should be so slothfull, when some are so in∣genious.

As for the Dutch plough I have also considered, which exceedingly differs from our severall fashioned Ploughs, therefore I shall not give you the large description thereof, because as it is the pure Dutch plough, it is only applyable to Fen ond Marsh-land, where there is neither stone, nor root nor hard place, and the chiefest advantage it hath to east and expedition is in the breadth and sharpness of the share which is made about a foot and a half broad, some more; and sharp in the point; and as thin in the phin as a knife, and wrought most curious: a good share being worth above twenty shillings, which casts up a very grear broad Furrow, very clean, and easie as is possible, out of which I have contracted as much there-from, in the descrip∣tion of my Share as I can possibly allow to our uncertain changeable Land, to advance the ease which many times alters the temper and strength twice or thrice in one land.

And then for the Coulter,* 1.39 that is also especially applya∣ble to the aforesaid Land, but may be used upon any fair, pure, lay, turf, being old pasture. And thus I have given you the description & leave it to thy imitation; a good one will cost a mark or fifteen shillings; onely say you can hardly have a Smith in the country to work well upon it, and far worse upon the share; but as to the bastard Dutch, which is somewhat nearer appliable to our Lands, I have taken from it as much as it will afford me both in the cast of the Shield-board, which is very good, as also in all the other parts of it, and do apply it to the plough hereafter descri∣bed; and shall ingeniously acknowledge I have some branch from every of these roots, and from the Norfolk plough, and one wheeled plough also, from all which I find, that the shorter and lesser any plough is made,* 1.40 having its true pitch, with its true cast on the Shield-board, and short Wrest, and sharp irons, the far easier. Of all which having so seriously considered, made and tryed them almost every

one upon severall sorts of Land, and experimented them to the full with my own hands to my great expence, shall de∣scend unto my third General head for easing the plough.

CHAP. XXXI.

Thereby to demonstrate wherein the chief ease of the Plough consists, with the easiest going Plough, and the advantages gained thereby.

I Shall not with the least disparagement to a∣ny of them (giving them their due praise and honor) draw forth a description of the most easie-going Plough I can, & contract it to the least charge is possible; having all these helps and lights; and to add nothing thereto were a shame to an ingenious man.

I will therefore take a short beam, deeper one way than another,* 1.41 of a tough and dry young Ash, betwixt five foot, and six foot long, rising in the Coulter-hole, and strong there, but thence declining both wayes for strength, and so growing smaller, wrought round and smooth, my Sheath most exactly fitted into the beam, and pitched pretty for∣ward, and driven up so close with a little lace or bragget put behind the Sheath into the beam and Sheath, just but∣ting at both ends when the Sheath is driven up, which shall stand as a Buttress to support it, and may be as serviceable as an Iron dog as many use; my nearer Handle put upon a Tennant through the same, and drawn close with two or three wooden pins, and then both sheath and handle ten∣nanted exceeding close into the head, being about two foot long, not standing upright nor level, but beam-handle and sheath hanging from a perpendicular point one fifth or

sixth part to the Land on the nearer hand; my Furrow-handle with two good round staves planted on my Land-handle, as wide in the ends as a man can hold them, being very long and wel compassed and fairly wrought; my share formerly described pitched true upon my head, and drawn up with an iron bolt through head and pan into my beam, and cottered up, my share standing rather more hanging than the head doth, so close and true, as that water cannot pierce betwixt them either with a Coumb weelded on, rightly compassed, laid into my sheild-board, placed as high as the earth works up, and as smooth as may be, to the end my breast not being too thick at the nose, nor widening too suddenly, and as soon as the earth comes to the middle my Shield-board to widen, whelm, or compass, as if it would lie upon the furrow, and so to widen and whelm more and more unto the very end; or else a shiner planted upon my share, most close wrought, compassed and nayled to the sheild-board in the form before prescribed.

My Wrest a large hand breadth,* 1.42 planted under my sheild-board bottom, and narrower than it, and rather yet nar∣rower to the sheild-board end, so that it retain the just and full breadth of my furrow and no broader, it both goes easier, and helps the cast of the furrow: I desire it be well plated too, but shorter by five or six inches than my sheild-board, and by two inches than my Plough-head; my whole Plough boarded up so close as no earth may get into it, and plated very well and smooth in every wearing place what∣soevor: As for the pitch both in breadth and depth, that must be resolved both from the height you make your Plough, if high in the chest, your pitch must be the deeper about eleven or twelve inches, or about ten or eleven and a half; if to go single you must pitch it broader, if to go dou∣ble narrower: Every common Plough-wright can help you here, & also understand what is here dirrcted; my irons kept both hard and sharp in points and Phin, and this plough be∣ing once well scoured and clean, if it go not with as much ease as nature doth admit, or Art hath hitherto discovered, I will acknowledgemy mistake; but what strength may

draw it I shall not determine, I have told you what hath & doth draw the other ploughs before described, and could you shew me all the Lands, and all the temperatures at all seasons of those Lands, I could easily demonstrate that, but to me it is s••fficient if that I have both rationally and expe∣rimently discovered to thee the best plough & easiest that I know or have read of in the world, as I have cordially don, and given thee the product of my experience, and from each removed the inconvenience, and drawn out the quintessence as I am able. If this plough be preserved from any earth cleaving at all to it, bee as little in compass as any, have the advantages of sharp irons, and perfect true Workmanship, as that it need no Wheel which is a weight, and requires strength, and is of no use but to guide the Pitch, and this Pitch be made so true of it self as it will goe without it, and the Wrest cut shorter which gives much ease, and makes the plough go more certain, and the furrow turn better, and all these are as an addition to it; I con∣ceive and know less strength will draw it; to which if you please you may add the Dutch Coulter, it going some∣what easier, and is best for the pure turf without stones, but the other being kept as sharp is more certain, and not subject to be cast out of the ground, and will do exceeding well in wrought tillable land, if you keepe it a little before the share, that it may cut first, and one thought wider also but never within the share: 'Tis true in irreguler extreme land either for stones, roots, or hardness, I am at a loss, and for that end advise to the double-wheeled plough, which though it will be no otherwise advantaged to ease than as it is well and compleatly made, yet it is for strength & to supply extremities and cases of necessity without rule.

But thus much I will say, that take or make me such a plough, aforesaid described, upon any of the aforsaid lands, where the easiest and best ploughs are used (which I could wish had bin before now discovered which would have sa∣ved me this labour (and make tryall of it, and as the land is lighter and easier so make the plough lighter and lesser, and if it go not easier by a considerable part, my judgement

fails me;* 1.43 I am sure these particulars considered, and solidly put in practice throughout this Nation, may very well save one third part of the charge and toyle of Horse and man; nay in some parts I am confident neare one halfe, and if to the best plough it will give but the least addition, it is satis∣faction enough to me; but I very well know, it wil save one horse in four, and I believe one in three, as most Countries use, and one man in two. All that I have said is but to the pitch, and making the body of the plough. I say againe, if any contend for wheel or foot, he need but give his plough a little deeper pitch, and he may adde either thereunto, as wel as to any other, and please himself. The description of it shal follow in the end of the 33 Chapter.

And if you object, what shal guide the plough for depth, and keep it from stinging in clay ground, and how may you let it up and down as the nature of your land requires.

To which I answer, that having both in your plough, and plough-irons brought your plough to a true and perfect pitch, it wil require but litle help herein, yet hereby you may much answer your desire in two particulars.

1 In your hindmost gears you may at your chain that is put upon your plough-cock, or clevies, which ought to be made short linked on purpose to take up or let down as you see occasion.

2 Your hindmost, or Fil-horse at the back-band, which may be to take up or let down, you may ease your self at plearsue; and so I descend to the last General head.

CHAP. XXXII.

Containes the Applicatory part of Ploughs use, wherein I shall endeavour to hold forth to what sort of Land, and to what sea∣sons or Tilths of Land each Plough is or may be most serviceable.

IN the description whereof I shall in generall say, that when lands come to that extremi∣ty of hardness as the plough is forced be∣yond its gage or pitch of Truth, and that nothing but force will overcome it, then we must be content to lay by our hopes of ease and all our ploughs whatsoever that were made upon that account; for it is concluded that all good Husbands will take their seasons, which seasons are chiefly for all their Summers crops, in Winter when the Land is moyst & workable,* 1.44 from November untill March, and for all Winter crops the foundation of that work is to be laid in Win∣ter, as in the end of December and Ianuary to fallow as wee call it,* 1.45 al our strong coarse lay Turf, when wee may work it wel and clear it up to the bottom, which being once wel ploughed in a right season, it will work reasonable well in the hardest season the next plowing, and so very well the next, and so throughout, when it is compleatly plowed at the first; which first opportunity if it be overpassed by too much business or sloth or otherwise makes all the rest of our Tilths uncomfortable; every common Husbandman knows these things.

And for this Tilth, or season of plowing, and these sorts of Lands especially being very rough, hilly or banky, your Wheeled-ploughs will not work, but will be cast out by e∣very

hill: for this use I shall advise you to the plain plough made a little stronger than ordinary, with a true pitch both for breadth and depth, and because both wheel and foot too will cast it out at every hill, and some men cannot hold a plough without either; and possibly thy land may be un∣certain Land, that is, some clay, and some sand, and some mould,* 1.46 each of which will alter the going of the plough, therefore in this case let an iron foot be made, with a sharp edge like a Coulter forward to the bottom of the shank, & the foot made flattish, and very thin at both edges, and a little stronger in the middle, rising like a Place fish, and no thicker, and that will cut your hils before your Coulter, and keep it out of the ground too from stinging or draw∣ing into the clayes; but yet a good Plough-holder with a good Plough, will cast this away also in the roughest lands, and meerly with this hinder chain, & backband of his hind∣most horse take it up at pleasure, and even play with it too in the strongest workable work, when another shall moyl himself like a Beast, as we say.

But to hasten, when by a drought you are out of work, then I say as afore, that with strength your wheeled-plough will doe exceeding well, and none like it, your double wheeled one I mean, and your single wheeled ploughs too being exceeding strongly made, will tear up any reasonable ground, but in regard the wheel goes but upon an Axeltree, and that is fixed but in one end, in the false beam end also, it cannot be so strong as the other by far, therefore I advise every good Husband to one of these, the body of whose plough may be made to the same advantages heretofore pre∣scribed.

As for the casting down a land,* 1.47 or plowing any flat land, almost any plough wil doe well, and so your broad-breast∣ed ploughs will turn over a great furrow, though your Shield-board have little compass; but as to the setting up a Land, or ridging it, as most call it. I would have a narrow brested plough,* 1.48 with an exceeding whelming compassed Shield-board, increasing both in the breast by small degrees, and in the compass of the Shield-board with a very broad

and short Wrest, which adds one or two degrees of cast or compass to the Shield board; for in this work you will most apparently see the ease and advantage thereof

The Coulter having first done his office by going before,* 1.49 and dividing out the furrow.

The Share his, in cutting it up clear, and raising it from the solid Land.

The breast of the Shield-board takes it and gives it a cast and turn, that it is ready to fall.

The Wrest keeps its furrows breadth (for the horses easie going) and not suffer the furrow to drop short of its true place, but least it should stand an edge.

The Heel, or hinder end of the Shield-board comes, being longer than the Wrest, and standing as it were overlooking to see what it will leave, and like a Ladies tryal, gives the Furrow a sweep, or a good check, and bids it lye there in its proper place and not stand upon the edge.

And thus each member having done his office, one taking it from another regularly must needs admit of the greatest ease. A Saddle-tree is made of many peeces, and some com∣pass one way and some another but all to the true compass and easiness of the horse-back, so a plough it might be made of fewer parts and lesser compass, but that sewer will not give the true compass or cast of it, and deliver his furrow upon the best advantage.

As for your ordinary seasons of plowing your Land be∣ing in good Tillage,* 1.50 any well ordered, and truly compassed plough will do, you may help your self sufficiently in the making of your irons, if you would have the edge of your lying furrow lye up higher, which will yeeld most mould, then set your Share-phin the shallower, and set your plough the broader, and hold it the more ashore, the Plough-man going upon the Land, and it will lay it with a sharp edge, which is a gallant posture for almost any Land, especially for the lay Turf beyond compare.

But if you would have you land lie most even and flat,* 1.51 then set the Phin of your Share deeper, or holding, as some call it, & set your plough the narrower, & the holder alway

alway going in the furrow, and the Shield-board end will so humble it, as you may lay it upon a levell; this is best for land of which you will make a fallow, or cut and burn the Turf, or for land you intend to lay flat to grase. If the fur∣row should be all at once turned at the very breast, then it would go just as if you would put a Mold to root with her breech forward; which plough I have seen, but how the fur∣row would lie I know not, nor well what strength to draw it; but then there need neither be use of the hinder part of the Shield-board, nor Wrest neither; or if you would have it cast all in the Shield-board as some do that make no Wrest at all, then it will either not clear up the furrow well, set the furrow upon an edge, or else the hinder end of the sheild board, must whelm beyond all president or rule; or if you would have it made so thin in the breast as to cut through like a knife, and turn nothing till it come to the midst of the Shield-board and end of the Wrest and Shield-board, then there it gives too sudden a check too, and causeth the earth to choak and mouther upon the Breast board, that it will not slip away with ease; so that as I said before a medium in all, each member doing its particular office, preserves the health and comfort of the body.

These things (and many more which might be ncessary, I will forbear to speak to) are accounted niceties among ma∣ny, the knowledge whereof hath cost me much, and therefore am able to affirm that the very mystery of Ploughmanship lyeth upon the knowledge and practice of them, and so I proceed to the double plough, and the description thereof.

CHAP. XXXIII.

Holds forth a description of a double Plough carrying two Fuorows at once, and both pro∣portionable to a Furrow one ordinary plough shall carry: With a plow that shall both plough and Harraw both at the same time; and how to make a plough last a dozen years.

THe double plough shall be as plain as may be, it shall consist of one long Beam of an ordinary length, and another short one, little above half the length of the other. The first plough may be made up compleat in all the members thereof according to the last preceding description of the plain plough except the handles which may be very short, only so long as may receive the Beam with the Land-handle, and place the Shield-board on the furrow side, which may be done without any but a round staff from the Beam to the Shield-board; which handles excepted, it is one compleat plough in all particulars. The hinder end of the Beam is to be left a little stronger, because of fastening the other beam firmly thereunto; and then I proceed to the making of the hindermost Plough, which must be made in all the members and branches like the other, except the beam cutt off about three inches before the Coulter-hole, and the handles of this at length and strength as an ordinary strong plough is made, just according to the pattern of the plain plough.

Which being done, and the handles upon the last plough, you must set to the placing of it in his place which I disco∣ver thus, the first plough standing in its working posture, the other plough with is the handles to it to be affixed on the

nearer side, or left-hand, one furrow breadth wider than the other, just in the very same posture both for depth and breadth as the other doth, and so held off: from the first ploughs beam by alining, or filling of wood just that sub∣stance as may continue it firm and fast to a just furrow, and there drawn close and firm to that Master-beam with two small iron boults,* 1.52 and a broad float or two of wood, all which may be so keyed and cramped up, that it may be as one solid beam, and so move as the first moves, either for height or depth, which it must needs do, and this I conceive may be best used with a plough-foot to guide the depth of it, unless you place a wheel to that foremost beam, but not in a false beam, because I have not experience of applying this doubleness to those deep pitched ploughs, but in the end of that beam you may have as good a mortess as your beam will bear, which is the mortess for the foot, and there∣in you may place a square good strong piece of tough Ash, or rather of iron, into which you may have your iron Axel∣tree with its square end sitted into three or four severall holes of it, by which means you may set your plough at a working gage, and there continue it, and alter it as you see cause; which plough thus marshalled, you may well plow upon ordinary errable land that is in good tillage a double proportion, and also upon fair clean lay Turf, and this you may manage with two men and four good horses, but not either upon stony land, or rough land, the description and dis∣course wherof I give not in as of any great advantage above the other plain plough, but for variety sake, and to pro∣vok others to the amendment and perfecting of this disco∣very; yet I for present see not, but it may be of excellent use & expedition upon many lands in England; and to say much more is needless, in regard of what hath been before spoken and experience of a good ploughman will order it at plea∣sure.

And so I shall onely discover one other plough that will both plow and harrow of it self at one and the same time,* 1.53 and it is used in severall places in Norfolk, yet casting about with my self the advantages and disadvantages also,

and finding not how it will so well suit with our common wayes of Husbandry as to be a general advantage, I shall say the less, only tell you the manner of it, It is a common light Plough as all theirs are, and as little and light a Harrow, which may contain three little Buls, & about five Tines in a bull, which is made light also, and fixed to the plough at the one end of the beam, so that as the plough turns this turns also, and as the plough turns one furrow, the harrow harrows it over, reaching two more furrows, and so by the over-reaching it strikes two or three times in one place, which is sufficient for the covering any corn whatsoever shal be sowen upon Norfolk lands; but finding these two pre∣judices against it, viz, either this land must be sowed as the land is plowed, & so it will take up a mans time sowing an Acre, when otherwise a man will sow nine or ten Acres in one day, or else it must be sowed before plowing, and then it must be plowed in, and harrowed upon the top of it, which falls not under my experience, having known much land ••all far the heavier and more subject to bind and bu∣ry, than if onely lightly covered with the plough, and laid more open; and now thou ••ast the story, that such a thing is; and may be done, may thy own experience be the deter∣miner of the matter, but after the writing hereof having communicated thus much to a Gentleman of art and worth, do find that another addition may be made thereto, which is how to drop the corn, corn by corn proportionably to that quantity I desire to sow upon an Acre,* 1.54 which if by his assistance I can experimentally make out, I fear not to give you plough, and harrow, and seedsman all at once, and all to work with two horses and one man upon some lands, and with three horses upon all of this nature, & al to be done almost within the same compass of time that you are upon the plowing of it, it shall not require one hour in the day more; w^ch if I shal accomplish, you shall save near three parts of your seed also, and a considerable peece of labour too and not fail to have a better crop through the blessing of him that waters all, than ordinary wise. All which I hope to have brought into substantiall experience upon my own

lands by the next edition, and then expect the faithfull com∣munication thereof. One word more which would have come in more seasonable about the description of the plain plough, and that is how to make a plough that may last ma∣ny years ten or twelve, or fifteen years, yea I heard a work∣man affirm he would make one should last twenty years: As for the manner of the plow it is sufficiently spoken to alrea∣dy, all lyeth in two things: one thing is the wood it is to be made of, and the other is the workmanship of it.

The wood, especiall of the Sheath and plough-head, which is the materiall fundamentall peece in the Plough,* 1.55 must be made of heart of Oak, which to me at first seemed strange, but upon a full debate of the matter I find that if it be young tough Oak, & wrought so exact true in the joynts as may be, & kept so close boarded up as that water cannot get into any of them, and laid alway dry, and so kept, but while in working, and every part of it well clouted & plated with iron, and drawn close in the throat from a hole in the Share, through the Head & part of the Breast-board with a through iron pin which is to be wrought somewhat bigger under the head, that so it may somewhat strain the share to a more perfect closure, and stronger sticking to the head and wel cottered up through the beam, being bored with a long shanked Auger through al: And al the rest of the wood to be young white tough Ash, and wrought compleat and true in every joynt, & laid up when out of use, both out of wind & weather, & out of question a good plough may well serve a mans uncertain life: and so having as I hope, in some good measure supplied that deficiency in Husbandry Mr. Hartlips Legacy chargeth us withall in the fifth page of his Book, and so proceed to the next peece of Improvement.

The Third Peece of Improvement treats of Welde, Woade, and Mad∣der, three rich commodities for the Dyars.

CHAP. XXXIIII

Onely holds forth Welde, or Would, as some call it, or more properly Dyars-weed.

IT being a rich Dyars commodity,* 1.56 beareth a long, narrow, greenish, yellow leaf, and bring∣eth forth a yellow flower, which runs to a small seed far smaller than a Mustard seed, ve∣ry thick set with seed; Pliny calles it Luted, but Virgyll calls it Lutum, and in our English Welde or Dyars-Weed. It flourisheth in Iune and Iuly; it in many places growth of it self, in, and about villages and towns, and is of a very great use, and considering the easie charge of the raising of it, and the badness of the land upon which it will grow is of incomparable advantage.

For first it will grow of very indifferent land, not worth above ten groats or half a Crown per Acre; yea as some af∣firm, the veryest hilly, barren, chalky, light land, not worth twelve pence per Acre will carry it, and bear it to very good purpose, but unto so barren lands I shall not give incourage∣ment, unless where there is little or none better; but as any indifferent land, so it be of a very dry, warm nature, it will do very well.

And secondly,* 1.57 it will cost but a little the managing, it re∣quires no tillage at all, no harrowing, it being to bee

sowed when and where you sow your Barley or o••ts upon that Husbandry without any other addition, unless you draw a bush over it, or a role, either of which is sufficient to cover it after you have sowed it, the difficultest peece in the managing hereof is the very sowing of it, that is, that it may be sowed even; for the seed being so very small, will require both skill and an even hand to scatter it; some sow it by ta∣king it with one finger and the thumb, others with the two fore-fingers and the thumb, but neither of these do I affect the best way, because they cannot spread it so well as they may with their whole hand, I therefore prescribe a mixture with Ashes, Lime, fine earth or some such thing as will best suit with the weight of the seed; for could you find out that, that agreed both in weight and bigness, then out of all que∣stion none to that to sow it withall.

A gallon of this seed will sow an Acre,* 1.58 which had need to every quart of seed have two gallous of some of the afore∣said, and it must be often stirred together lest that the seed sink to the bottom, and sow that part thicker than the o∣ther, and then cast it out at arms end at as good and even compass as you can possibly.

This seed thus sowed may grow up among the Corn, and yet be no prejudice, because it groweth not fast the first Summer; but after the Corn is cut it must be preser∣ved.

And the next Summer you shall receive through Gods blessing a comfortable crop; you must be exceedingly curious of the ripening of it, if yon let it grow too long, your seed will fall out, if not long enough, your seed will not be per∣fect, nor your stalk neither; and therefore observe both the turning of the seed,* 1.59 and the ripenining of the stalk; for I can∣not tel you which of either will admit of a dispensation, and as soon as ever you perceive it near up to perfect ripeness, you must down with it, that is, pull it as you do Flax up by the roots, and bind it in little hand••uls, and set it up to dry in little stilches or stitches, untill both seed and stalk be both dry, and then carried away carefully as that the seed be not lost, and laid up dry, and so keep as you see cause for a good

market; for it is to be sold for the Dyars use, who sometimes will give a very good price,* 1.60 but at all times sufficient profit, and go far to buy it, from forty shillings an Acre, to ten or twelve pound an Acre, some say more. And you may barn it up, and keep it and the seed together untill March and then you may get out this seed by lashing or whipping of it forth upon a board or door, which reserve for seed; the seed is of good value, sometimes worth twenty shillings a bushell, and sometime ten shillings a bashell, and sometimes more or less as markets rise and fall.

It coloureth the bright yellow and the Lemon colour; The stalk and root are both useful, and must go together to the Dyar.

And if this Weed prosper well, as questionless it will af∣ter you be got into good seed,* 1.61 this will make good my pro∣mise, if it prove worth but forty shillings per Acre, the land being not worth above five shillings or six shillings & eight pence as either of these will do exceeding well, the charges of sowing, and all things till you come to pulling it, is not above one shilling per Acre; the pulling, whipping and barning may come to four shillings more; the seed may be worth half a crown, so that all charges and rent of the land may amount unto less, but I will say fifteen shillings, then the Improvement will be fourfold if worth four pound ten shillings an Acre, fixsold, if worth six pound per acre, eight fold, and much more as some affirm to sixteenfold Improve∣ment.

This Land though it lie far from Towns, Cities, yea in your remotest Countries may be brought to this height of Improvement, and it begins much to spread and thrives ve∣ry well in Kent in many parts of it; the best place for to get the seed is in Kent clean down to Canterbury and Wy, where you may see both the land, the growth and discover the mystery therof. It is sold by weight so much a hundred, and so much a tun weight. It is my desire to make publique whatever comes under my experience, yet this hath been used this many years by many private Gentlemen in divers parts but not discovered for publique practice, but no marvell, for

that great business of planting Hops, that is one of the fa∣mous peeces of our Nation, hath not any thing been wrote near this fourscore years that I can read of, and indeed then was wrote a large discourse thereof but I remember not his name, or else I should have here raised up his memorial, having done exceeding well thereon, but that all this time of so large experience, none should get upon his shoulders, and a little add to his beginnings, is the unthankfulness and shame of your great Hop-masters. I fear mens spirits are strangely private that have made excellent experiments, and yet will not communicate; surely me-thinks plenty and publique fulness should not be so much feared as rejoyced in. And so I hope in this I have in some measure supplyed my promise.

CHAP. XXXV.

Treats of Woad, the Land best for it, the usage of it, and advantages thereby

WOad it is also a great commodi••y, it layes the foundation for the solidity of very many co∣lours more: A Woaded colour is free from stayning, & excellent for holding its color; almost any sad holding colur must be Waod∣ed. It hath been one of the greatest Inrichments to the ma∣sters thereof, untill the midst of our late Wars, of any fruit the land did bear. It is called Glastum or Garden-woad, by the Italians called Gu••do, in Spanish and in French Pastell, in Dutch Wert, and in English Woad or Wade. It hath flat long leaves like Behen rubrum, the stalk is small and tender, the leaves are of a blewish green colour. The seed is likest to an Ash-key or seed, but not so long, like little blackish tongues. The root is white and simple. It is a very choyce seed to grow and thrive well; it beareth a yellow flower,

and requires very rich land, and very sound and warm, so that very warm earth, either a little gravellish or sandish will doe exceeding well, but the purer warmer solid earth is best: Land exceeding rich, and though it should be mixed with a little clay will do well,* 1.62 but it must be very warm. There is not much land fit for this design in many Coun∣tries, especially your hardest Wood-land parts you have in many of your great, deep, rich pastures, many hils and hill sides good Woad-ground, when the bottom ground will doeno service but your chifest is your home-corse, or lesser ground lying near and bordering about the towns.

Your best and naturallest parts of England for Woad, are some part of Worcestershire,* 1.63 and Warwickshire Southward, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, some part of Rutland, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, and some other places here and there, all these parts have some admi∣rable Woad-land in them.

But when it is a quick commodity, as now it is dull, they will find as much more land as now they will, and then more indifferent, dry, sound, warm land will serve, but very dry and sound it must be, and worth about twenty shillings an Acre to grase at least, or else it will not bee worth the Woading.

And to plow to sow Woad it may be worth as much more as to grase,* 1.64 yea somewhat more if it be extraordinary rich soyl, and trading good, but now as the seasons are, and trading stands, they will now make great orts of land, and not bid any money for that which in good trading times they would have gone fifty miles to have took at great rates.

And wheras some write that it undoeth the land, I answer as I judge in my own breast, that in regard it is so often cut and groweth so thick, and is so often weeding, that it must needs do so, as I beleeve al Corn doth draw forth some of the spirit therof, but no more than other Grain would if it could be so oft cut up to grow again.

But it is the confidence of many Woad-men that will maintain against any man that it betters the land and mends

it, but to that I cannot accord neither, but thus much I doe say, it prepares the Land exceedingly for corn,* 1.65 and doth a bate of the strength and superrichness, or rankness thereof, which corn would not wel endure, for I maintain still that the richest Land is not best to corn, for though the one may ouer-burthen and be so rank,* 1.66 yet the other may bear as much to the strike, and for goodness your mid∣dle Land beareth the bell away for corn in my opini∣on.

Very much may be spoke to this particular, but I must shorten and will as much as may be, and acquaint you with the use thereof. And herein I must do these three or four things.

1. Shew you how the Land must be prepared and sowed.

2. Shew you how it must be ordered, when the leaf must be cut, and how ordered after cutting.

3. And lastly, how it must be tempered and seasoned to make the best Woad for use and profit; but before I proceed I must inform my Reader that this commodity can not be played withall, as you may doe with Liquorish, and Saffron, &c. to make experiments of a little parcell, but a man must of necessity set forth, and forward so much stock and Land, and seed, as may keep one Mill or two at work to make it into perfect Woad; It is the doing of a great quantity, and carrying on a great stock that makes this work, and will carry it on to profit and cre∣dit: Some have as much underhand, and will work six or eight Mills. The charge of it is exceeding great in the mannagement of it, and as well it payeth for all charges as any commodity I know of, that is of old experi∣ence.

The ground must be old Land as aforesaid,* 1.67 and a ten∣der Turf and must be exceeding choicely plowed, if ve∣ry hilly they must be cast, and well cast, that that you cast forth lie not high to raise the furrow, they usually plow outward or cast all their Lands at the first Plow∣ing, and having broke the ground with a Harrow, then

they sow it, and sow about four bushels or strikes of an acre,* 1.68 which done, then cover it, and harrow it very well and fine, and pick of al the Clots, Turvees and stones, and lay in the hollow places of the ridge on heapes as is the usuall custom, but now I should rather (if there be no other reason than I conceive (chuse to take a little Cart with one horse, and as the boyes or children pick them up, cast them into the Cart, and carry, them into some flank or hollow place and lay them down to rot, or else mend some barren place, because they lose a good considera∣ble part of Land and so of Oad too, which otherwise might be as good as the rest, and is now worth nothing; the Land that is lost is very considerable in regard it is so goood of it self, and the stock so good and rich that is sowed upon it, that all even ground had need be regained that possibly may be. And so I descend to the second particu∣lar.

2. Which is to shew how it is to be husbandried, and when the leaf must be cut, and how used, and how oft, &c.

After the Land is sowed and it begins to come up, as soon as any weed appears it must be weedded, yea may be twice weeded or more if it require before it be ready to cut, but if it be speciall good, and come thick and cover the ground well,* 1.69 it will ask the less weeding; to them that are exercised in this service, and have their work and work folks at command, they will have it weeded for eight pence an acre, and sometime less: as soon as the leaf is come to its full growth, which will be sometime sooner, sometime later, as the year is dryer or moister, more fruitfull or less, which when you perceive at the full ripeness set to cutting of it.

As soon as ever it is cut, you Mills being prepared, and great broad fleakes so many as may receive one Crop prepared, and planted upon galleries or stories made with poles, Fir, alder, or other wood whatsoever; your Mill is usually known, a large Wheel both in height, and bredth, and weigh doth the best, it is a double wheel, and the

Tooth or ribs that cut the Woad, are placed from one side of the Wheel to the other very thick, wrought sharp and keen at the Edge, and as soon as the Woad is cut and comes out of the field, it is to be put into the Mill, and ground one kilnfull after another as fast as may be; the joyce of the leaf must be preserved in it and not lost by any means,* 1.70 and when it is ground it is to be made in balls round, about the bigness of a ball without any composition at all, and then presently laid one by one upon the fleakes to dry, and as soon as dryed, which will be sooner or later as the season is, they are to be taken down, and laid together, and more put in their places; but because all Circumstances will be too tedious to dis∣course, & the work is a common work and very many wel versed therein, I will rather advise my Reader to get a workman from the Woad-works which can carry it on artificially, then venture the experimenting of so great a work upon words and rules, and therefore I shall be ve∣ry brief,* 1.71 and let you know that good Woad may yield in a very good year five or possibly six crops, yea ordina∣rily four and yet sometimes but three, but the Winter crop is of good worth, excellent for sheep, conceived good against the rot, or will recover a rotten sheep, and also it will maintain them well, and though at first they will not much affect it yet with a little patience in holding them thereto, they will take to it most perfectly and that with love,* 1.72 and it will continue them in good heart, & strength, till sowing time again. The time of sowing is in the mid∣dle and end of March.

And thus when you have cut all your crops one after another till the Autum or declining season will not ripen it again, and your mill is at leasure, then you must proceed to the third particular.

Which is to the ordering and seasoning of it, and working it up to use, which must be done the manner following, you must set your mils to work again, to grind it all over again, and then season it up, and so you may make it stronger and weaker as you see occasion.

There is so much difference betwixt Woad and Woad, that the Buyers though so experimentall will hardly buy you any parcell untill they have experimented it in Co∣louring; And therefore for me to prescribe a Rule upon such uncertainties I hold it not safe: The Woad-man will make you up three or four sorts of Woad, according as he intends to friend a Customer.

A word or two more, as to the seasoning of Woad, and but very few, because the very first years tryall wil put you into sufficiēt experience. As the Woad yeelds many Crops, so each Crop is worse than other, the first Crop is best, and the second next, and the third much worse, and the fourth far worse than that, & the fifth worst of all; if you get a fift but that is not usuall, four Crops is sufficient, & sometime you must be content with three, & as the first Crop is usu∣ally (in a good kind year) ripe by the midd'st of Iune, so wil the second be usually ripe within one month after that, and so every month or thereabouts each Crop will be rea∣dy, & if the latter end of the year prove kind, then you may expect a Crop the more.

Now to know when the Woad is ripe,* 1.73 and to take it in the very season, is a fundamental peece, which is when the leaf is come to a full growth, and retaines it perfect color and lively greenness, then with all your might set so many hands to cutting of it, as that it begin not to fade or wax pale or wan before you have cut your crop, for then it be∣gins to be over-ripe, and the sap and marrow of it drinks in again and will not yeeld store of juyce, which is the spi∣rit of it and best of Woad.

The Woad-man seasons the two first Crops together, & some season the third by it self, and the fourth by it self, and some put the three first Crops together, which makes the worser Woad, but the very virgin Woad is the first & se∣cond, and the better they desire to make it, the more intire they compound it, not confounding it with divers sorts.

The manner of seasoning is thus,* 1.74 after every crop is cut, & grinded, balled and dryed, as dry as can possibly, and laid

up in the ball every crop by it self, then you must take the first & second Crops and grind them all over again toge∣ther, or apart if you please, but they must be then wrought to dust as it were in the mill, & ground very well the first & second Crop, or so much as you will make of your best sort of Woad, and so laid upon a floor in a heat or couch, and then you must mix it with water, and turn it over,* 1.75 and so mix it again, and turn it over, and give it so much water as that it be all soaked throughly, however you may over∣soke & drown it, and that is very prejudiciall to it, it must be turned in the couch every day once for three or four weeks together, and then every other day once for about a fortnight, and then twice a week till it be come to a right temper, at the first many men must be imployed carrying water as hard as they can till it be all of it wet & well soak∣ed, and that you may know the better how to temper it a∣right, you shal find it heat exceedingly in the couch, which you must look to keep in a moderate condition; which o∣verheating you may prevent with turning, that it overheat not by any means,* 1.76 it may grow so hot as you can possibly abide your hand in it, but not to exceed that heat; & how to know its seasons kindly, & so wil in time come to perfect rich Woad you must observe that it will alter and change divers times, first it wil mould, hoar & frost, and smell ex∣ceeding strong; then it will in a little time abate therof and grow toward a black colour, and then it will hoar or mould again, and change a little whitish, and after this se∣cond change it will come to a perfect black, which the brighter & clearer colour the better; This must be the win∣ters work, and it will be good for cold weather, and when it is thus wrought & comes to its colour, then you may lay it up, or heap it up, to lye for a sale, putting divers poles into each heap to the bottom to open it, & keep it cool, & you must be sure it take not heat again; and thus all your ••orts of Woad must be seasoned one after another, & espe∣cially all such as you can dry that summer, but to tell you how to know or chose the best Woad is scarce in the pow∣er of the Woad-man, who can but guess at it from that ex∣perience

he hath in the mixing of it, but it must be tryed by the dyer, who usually wil before they buy any quantity.

And therefore I shall advise thee rather to get an in∣genious workman at the seasoning of it; who with that judgement he hath, and the experiences, he is now in ca∣pacity to make, he may season it to all occasions and interests whatsoever, and so I come to the advantages ther∣of which are very great.

And first it is nationall, in that it sets many poor on work,* 1.77 is the staple and chief of the Dyers Trade, layeth a foundation for all holding colours, and much advan∣ceth land in the Rent, it doubles or more, and in the usage of it upon this husbandry trebleth or quadrupleth it, and many times more: and then secondly it is perso∣nally advantagious, the best Estates that hath been got in all our rich upland Countries have been got by it; at some seasons, and when they have aright Crop and good markets, it will amount unto as much more: it hath been sold from twenty pound the best Woad to thirty pound, and back again from thirty pound and twenty six pound down to six pound a Tun.

CHAP. XXXVI.

Which discovers the nature, use, and advan∣tage of Madder,

ANd so I shall descend to my third Dyers com∣modity in relation to Dying or Colouring, and that is to the story of Madder that co∣lours the rich and best solid Red, the which if I can so mannage as to bring it unto the same progress as Oad is brought unto in England, I mean

that whereas (though very rarely it is now planted in some gardens, and in some small plots of ground, and doth amount unto a very great advantage to the Plan∣ter, by the sets they sell forth, and by the roots they draw to vent to the Apothecary; and medicinably to others, and yet so make a most excelling value of their Lands, indeed beyond credence, some have made as I have been most credibly informed after the rate of three hundred pounds an Acre in three years, for so long it grows be∣fore it come unto pe••fection,* 1.78 and others that have sold it whole-sale a parcell together at the worst advantage after one hundred and sixty pounds per Acre, and some have out of small plots in gardens made more than I have or will here affirm, and however, though I shall be so modest as to confess that much of your garden stuff may yeeld with the cost and labour that is continually apply∣ed thereto, as much or more than here is spoken of as I am confident. I could name divers things which some preserve as rich Treasure in their brains and will not dis∣cover them, yet this I shall affirm, that this being a fun∣damentall fruit, and such a one as that the plenty there∣of will not much abate the market, Our dying trade be∣ing supplyied herewith from beyond the Seas, that the Erection of such a Plantation as may bring it forth wrought up and fitted to the dyars use, and so be a sup∣ply to our selves within our selves, I am confident is a design of incomparable good, to the Common-Wealth especially, it imploying so many hands as will be to bring it to perfection: It is like to prove a staple com∣modity, and will turn land to as great an advance as any seed or root that it is capeable to receive, and need no more fear want of markets for the venting of it, than wee need for wooll that staple commodity of the Nation. And because the discovery thereof is a matter of so great Importance, I shall spend a little more time in the disco∣very of the whole frame hereof.

And I shall proceed to the description of it.

There is bute on kind of Madder which is manured and

set for use,* 1.79 but there is many things like thereto, as Goose-grass, soft Cliver, Ladies Bedshaw, Woodroof and Croswort, all which are like to Madder leaves, and are thought to be a wild kinds thereof; It hath long stalks or trayling branches dispersed upon the ground; rough and full of joynts, and every joint set with green rough leaves in manner of a Star. The flowers grow at top of the branches, of a faint yellow colour, after which comes the seed, round and green. The root creepeth far abroad within the upper crust of the Earth, intangling one root into another, and when it is green and fresh, the root is of a reddish colour, it is small and tender, but ga∣thers and runs in the ground just like an Ivy along a House or Tree. It is a commodity of much value Pa∣tentees strove hard for it, and Patents were gained about it in the late Kings daies, and yet now in these times of free∣dom who pursues it?

For the making out a good Plantation hereof, I must do these three or four things.

1. Shew you what it comes of, and how to plant it and preserve it.

2. How to get it and use it, to bring it to saleable Mad∣der.

3. The benefit and advantage nationall and perso∣nall.

Although it bear a seed, yet that seed comes not to perfection here, it is therefore to be planted of the sets that are to be gotten from the Madder it self, and they are be bought in many gardens in London, who keep up that Plantation for the advantage of selling their sets and roots Physically to the Apothecaries onely, all the skill is to distinguish of the goodness thereof: And for the dis∣covery thereof,* 1.80 first know the season of getting or rather drawing them, which is in March and Aprill, yea as soon as they are sprung forth of the ground two or three inches long, then you must be carefull you get sets roo∣ted; Every set having some suckors or spinies of root going out from them, they must be slipped from the main

root, and these sets as soon as ever took up, put into some basket with a little mould, and posted to the place where they are to be set, the sooner the better; and then your ground being very rich it cannot be too rich for this commodity,* 1.81 however it must be a warm and very deep soil, and digged two or three spade graft depth, and two shovellings also, and raked and laid even and levell, and then by streight lines trode out into long beds about four foot broad from one end of your work into the other, and set about one foot asunder every way, and if it be a dry spring they must be kept with watering untill they reco∣ver their fading wan condition; you may begin to dig your ground in the beginning, so all along Winter till the very day of setting, and then you must keep it with weeding and hoing till it have got the mastership of the weeds and then it being a weed of it self wil destroy all o∣ther.

One rod of ground is worth seaven pence a rod dig∣ing,* 1.82 or if very dry strong ground, eight pence, but six pence the best ground will require, and you may sow some early sallet Herbs, or Reddish, or Onions, or such things as will be ripe betimes, among it; the first year good weeding is the best preservative unto it, and in your setting of them by a line,* 1.83 one goes before and lay∣eth every set in his place, and another comes and with a broad dibble made for purpose, thrust down deep and open a hole, and put in the set, and for the nourishing of it, in case any dye you must plant new in the room of what decayes, for the time of the growing of it untill it come to perfection is three yeares, the first yeare you may take off some few sets here and there, but that is somewhat dangerous, but that year it must be kept with hoing a while also, and then the second year you may take up sets as fast as you will,* 1.84 and almost as many as you wil; leaving but as you do in the croping of an Oak one bough for the drawing up the sap out of the root be∣ing so thick and strong in the ground that nothing will decay it almost; if thou hast but a reasonable quantity,

then thou must get it for the use of the drugsters and A∣pothecaries, and the sets to plant again, and then in the ta∣king up of every root there will be one runner which hath little buds upon it, the which may be divided and cut in∣to a fingers length, each so planted with one bud out of the ground set upright, which makes very excellent good sets, one runner will make many sets, but these sets can∣not be got up untill the Madder be taken away: And ha∣ving thus preserved it untill it come to a good crop, if thou intendest it, and hast a quantity sufficient to set up a Madder Mill; having curiously dryed it as you do your hopps to a just & perfect gage of drought; Thou must pro∣vide all materials to that purpose; the Mill I cannot well describe, and it is exceeding curious to be made aright, & I do not hear of any one can do it, yet possibly there may be some Engineer or some Dutch man here that can do it; it being a common Mill in Holland and the Low-Coun∣tries, which is the only place for Madder that I hear of in the World. A rude discovery I could give, but I wil forbear least any one taking pattern by it should abuse himself more and me in some measure, yet here is the mystery of it; so to pare of the husk that it may be if possible (as the wheat is ground beflaked or flayed that it may go all one way, which sort they call the mull Madder and is little worth, not above nine or ten shillings a hundred, and then you must take out the second sort called the num∣ber O, which is the middle rind, and is not worth so much as the third sort called the Crop madder, by one sixth part, and this crop Madder is the very heart and pitch of it inclining to the yellow, and this lesser in quantity but better in quality by far. Sometimes the best Madder is worth eight or nine pound a hundred, and the number O is worth but six pound six shillings 8 pence or eight pound two shillings fix pence, and sometimes, it is not worth above four pound or five pound a hun∣dred, yea sometime it may come to three pound the hun∣dred possibly, because I would not abuse the Reader, I advise my Madder-Planter to send over for a work∣man

thence, who can both describe the Engine, and the man∣ner of mixing & sorting of it, which is the greatest mystery, and well worth your labour and pains it wil be.

At Barn-Elms was once Madder sowen & brought to good perfection and a Mill erected by one Mr. Shipman the late Kings Gardner,* 1.85 who had a Patent for it from the late King; but being as I am informed, a poor man, was not able to car∣ry it on for want of stock, & as I conceive these times com∣ing on broke his new Plantation but on Mr, Hassey bought his Madder, which proved excellent good, and sold it again to the Dyars who exceeding high commend it.

Which is sufficient proof to me that we may raise & make as good as any is in the world, & why not as well as Hol∣land? our Lands both Marsh, Fen, abundanceof Up-land and Meadow is as rich, dry, and deep of soyl and good for it as theirs is, and we have use enough for many thousand weight of it, some Dyars using above a 100 pound a week a man.

The profit I shall not determine, because it will be long before a thorough tryall can be made of it, but now as it is planted in Gardens unspeakable advantages are made there∣by, and should it hold that proportion when it comes to be made up and compleated to the Dyars it would prove the richest commodity that I know sowed in England.

I hear Sir Nicholas Crisp is erecting a Plantation of it,* 1.86 his ingenuity is to be commended highly in many things, & for his publique spiritedness countenanced in a work that is so likely to tend to the publique good. I know none can drive on publique ends without private aims; neither know I wel why he should to his own ruin; but he that drives on his private so as the publique shall be most advanced, from men deserves great honor; and thou that repinest, set such another work on foot, and then thou wilt grow more cha∣ritable. But I shall say no more, but humbly pray all encou∣ragement may be given hereunto; for could it be brought to that perfection as Woad is here; it might be as great an ad∣dition to the nation as any thing I can discover. I have done.

The Fourth Peece of Improvement hath respect unto the Plantations of Hops, Saffron, and Liquorish, both in relation to the mystery thereof, and profits thereby.

CHAP. XXXVII.

Onely treats of Hops Plantations, and how Land is improved thereby.

AS for Hops it is grown to a Nationall commo∣dity. But it was not many years since the fa∣mous City of Lond. petitioned the Parliament of England against two Anusancies, or offen∣sive commodities were likely to come into great use and esteem, and that was Newcastle-coal, in regard of their stench, &c. and Hops in regard they would spoyl the tast of drink, and endanger the people, and for some other reasons I do not well remember, but petition they did to suppress them, and had the Parliament been no wiser than they, we had been in a measure pined, and in a greater mea∣sure starved, which is just answerable to the Principles of those men that now cry down all devices or ingenious discoveries, as projects, & so this day therby stifle, & choak Improvement; yet we see what nationall advantages they have since yeelded and no less will many of the other.

This Hop plantation would require a large discourse, but I shall contract my self to the briefest discovery therof I can possible, & therefore shall under three or four Heads,

1 Shew you the land is best for them, and best Sets to plant withall.

2 The manner of planting them and husbandring them untill they be fit for sale.

3 The profit and advantage that will accrew thereby.

I shall describe it thus, it comes up with severall sprouts like Sparrowgrass, runs up & climbs on an thing it meets withall, bears long stalk., hairy, and rugged leaves, broad like the Vine, the flowers hang down by cushers, set as it were with scales yellowish, called in high Dutch Lupulus in Low Dutch Hopssem, and in English Hop. It is offensive upon this score, hot in the first degree, stuffs the head with the smell, therefore use it not too much, yet the leaves open & clense.

1 The best land is your richest land, and in time you must gain therein, lest another reap the benefit of your la∣bour.

It must be a deep mould, that which lyeth near the Rock, the Poles cannot be set deep enough to stand firm;* 1.87 it would be a mixed earth that is compounded of sand and a little clay, but much solid earth; a strongish land laid dry and warm will bare the most weightiest Hops.

A barren, morish wet soyl, is not natural to the Hops de∣light, but if this be laid very dry and made very rich with dung and soyl, it may do reasonable well.

It will be best to stand warm if may be, preserved from North & East wind, rather by hils than trees,* 1.88 as near your house as may be, & that Land you determine for your Hop-garden, lay as levell & as square as ye can possible, and if it be rough and stiff, it will do well to be sowed with Hemp, Beans or Turnips before; but in what state soever it be, till it in the beginning of Winter with plough or spade, & this not onely the year before, but every year so long as you use it, & the more pains and cost you bestow, the more profit, and the nearer you resemble the Flemming in his hopping.

And for your Sets, those are your Roots taken from your old hils & roots, go to a garden ordarly kept,* 1.89 where the Hops are of a good kind, all yearly cut, and where the hils are raised very high, for there the roots will be grea∣test, & buy choice Sets; they may cost six pence a hundred, and sometimes have them for taking up, leaving things or∣derly and their hill well dressed.

You must chuse the biggest roots you can find, such as are three or four inches about, and the Set nine or ten inches,

long, and have three joynts in a root.

Take heed of Wild-hops they are onely discerned by the fruit and stalks.

The unkindly Hop that likes not his ground,* 1.90 soyl or kee∣per, comes up green, and small in stalk, thick and rough in leaves like nettles, much bitten with a black fly, but it de∣stroyes not the Hop, but hurteth it somewhat, and so you have the first particular.

2 The manner of planting as soon as your roots are got, either set them speedily or lay them in some puddle, or bury them in earth: but leave them not in water above four and twenty hours.

Then begin to direct your hils with a line;* 1.91 tyed with knots or threads thereto, the due distance had need to be 8 foot betwixt, because then you make the fewer and big∣get hils the sun comes about them, the poles reach not one another, and so it may be plowed yearly, otherwise it must be digged some say seven foot, and others say six foot, as our late accustomed manner is, and I am confident there is most advantage by thin planting, but that I leave to each experience.

Your hole under the knot of your line had need be a foot square and deep, then if you can have the wind South or West it is best,* 1.92, if not, go on having made many holes, matter not the wind: be sure to take the moneth of April for the work, and take two or three of your roots; as a great old Gardiner affirms, which by this will yeeld green Scien∣ces or whit buds, and will have small beards growing out, and joyn your sets together even in the tops and set them altogether bolt upright, and there hold them in their place till you have filled the hole with good mould, & set low, but just as the tops may be level with the ground, and then after they must be covered two inches thick with fine mould; be carefull you set not that end downward which before grew upward, which you know by the bud growing upward, and let no part of the dead stalk remaine upon the uppermost joynt thereof,* 1.93 then press down the earth hard to the roots; some will set them every one at a corner of the hole under the line which I rather encline to, because they have room

and stand round; but if you plant late, & have green Springs upon them, then be careful of not covering the Spring; but to set more plants lest some should fail, and in a bigger hole, and round about the same set 8; some say ten or more, which is thought tedious, but I will make a tryal thereof, it being the latest experimented in our dayes; now at this time you need make no hills at all there as aforesaid. Poul∣tery must be preserved from scratting, the Goose especially.

Now for poling,* 1.94 if your distance be 3 yards, or 8 foot, then 4 poles are repuired, else three wil serve, but I encline to 6 or 7 foot distance, and 4 poles, and as many this year as any. Alder poles are very good, taper and rough, and sutable to the Hops desire, but you must take such as the Country will afford.

The time of cutting your poles is in December or Novem∣ber, and then dress them and pile them up dry; if you leave some twigs it will not do amiss.

For length, 15 foot is a good length,* 1.95 except your ground be very rich, or your hills exceeding heightned, or if they grow too thick, your poles need to be the longer. The Hop never stocketh kindly untill it reach higher than the pole, and returneth a yard or two; for whilst it is climbing,* 1.96 the branches that grow out of the principal stalk grow little or nothing. Your poles be strong, 9 inches about the bottom they stand faster: 150 poles make a load, which may be worth a little more than ordinary wood▪ a few wil supply the standing stock;* 1.97 in setting your poles lay all to each hill you intend to set, which speeds the work.

When your Hops appear,* 1.98 as you discern where your prin∣cipal root stands, then set to poling, having a orow of Iron to make entrance for the pole; but if you stay longer, then you will be more subject either by ramming or making holes to bruise the root, or else they will not so easily catch the pole without flying.

Your foot of the pole must be set a foot and half deep, and within 2 or three inches of the principal root; but if your land be rocky, then you must help your self by making your hill higher to strengthen your poles, for w^ch you must stay the longer too lest you bury your Sciences. Your poles of

each hill lean them rather outward one from another, and then with a rammer ram them outward and not inward

If a pole should break you take away the broken pole & ty the top of those hops to the top of a new pole, then wind∣ing it with the sun a turn or two, set it in the hole; but if you can take a stake and ty it too without wresting the wi∣ers of it may do well to peece; but if broken at the neather end shove the pole in again;* 1.99 and if your poles break in the pulling up, or will not be drawn by reason of drought or hardness, you may make a pair of pinsors of 4 foot long, with an iron runing hook upon them, & with a block laid under upon the top of the hil, & so coleweigh up your pole; the mouth whereof made hollow. And for laying up your poles,* 1.100 the usual way is to ty two & two together in the top, being set in 6 opposite hils, & so raise a little earth betwixt the hils as if they were but three hils, and lay some hop∣bands upon the 3 hils under your hop-poles, and so draw your tops nearer together, or further off as you see cause.

When your hops are grown two foot high,* 1.101 bind up with a rush or grass your binds to the poles, as doth not of it self, winding them as oft about the poles as you can, & wind them according to the course of the sun, but not when the dew is upon them: your rushes lying in the sun wil toughē.

And now you must begin to make your hils,* 1.102 and for that purpose get a strong ho, of a good broad bit, & cut or ho up all the grass in the borders between your hils, & therwith make your hils with a little of your mould with them, but not with strong weeds, & the more your hils are raised, the better, the larger, & stronger grows your root, & bigger will be your fruit: and from this time you must be painful in your garden, and ever and anon till the time of gathering, in raising your hils, and clearing your ground from weeds.

In the first year suppress not one science, & suffer them all to climb up the poles, & should you bury the springs of any one of your roots it would dy, so that the more poles are required to nourish the spring.* 1.103 But after the first year you must not suffer above two or three stalks to grow up to one pole, but pul down and bury all the rest. Yet you may let them grow four or five foot long, and then chuse out the

best for use. As soon as your pole is set, you may make a circle how broad your hil shal be, & then hollow it that it may re∣ceive the moysture, & not long after proceed to the building of your hils.

And where you began, or where your Hops are highest there begin again, and pare again, & lay them to your Hops, but lay the out-circle highest to receive moysture; be alway paring up, and laying it to the heap, and with some mould untill the heap coms to be near a yard high, but the first year make it not too high, & as you pass through your garden have a forked wand in your hand to help the hops that hang not right.

Now these hils must the next year be pulled down & dres∣sed again every year.* 1.104 Some when their hop bind is 11 or 12 foot break off the tops, which is better than they that have their poles so long as the hop runs: but if that your hop by the midst of Iuly attain not to the top of your pole, then break off the top of the same hop, for then the rest of the time wil nourish the branches which otherwise wil lose al, it being no advātage in running up, to the stock or increase of the hop.

Now we come to the gathering of thē about Margarets day hops blow,* 1.105 and at Lammas they bell; but when your hops begin to change colour is a little before Michaelmas, but long before som wil turn & change & grow ripe, which howsoever the best way wil be to pul them, & not suffer thē to shed; they are called Midsummer hops; let them not grow til the other be ripe, & as soon as the seed of the rest begins to change then get pullers amain, & as many as you can taking a fair season; & note, you were better to gather thē too early thā too late.

Therfore for neatness sake,* 1.106 pul down four hils standing to∣gether in the midst of your garden, cut the roots pare the same plot level, throw water on it, tread it, sweep it, and make it far, wherein the hops must lie to be picked.

Then begin & cut the stalks close by the tops of the hils, & cut thē asunder that grow one into another with a long sharp hook, & with a fork take them down; you may make the fork & hook, one apt instrument with which you may shove off al from the pole, & carry it to the place. But I have seen of late they carry pole & all to the place and pick them off the pole: strait fine poles is best for this way, but cut no more stalks thā you can carry away in the space of one hour aforehand; for

either sun or rain will offend when they are off the pole you must all stand round the floor, and speedily strip them in bas∣kets; for it is not hurtfull though some smaller leaves fall among them.

And clear your floor twice a day,* 1.107 & sweep it, & if the wea∣ther be unlike to be fair, they may be carried into the house in blankets, but use no linnen, it will stain to purpose. And if you pull them upon poles, then lay them upon forked stakes, & dispatch thē, be careful of wet, lest they shed their seed, w^ch is the marrow of them. When you have leisure take up your poles and pile them, & carry out your straw, & so depart your garden till March unless it be to bring in dung. And for the advancement of your Hop-garden, get dung into your gardē, & lay on some in winter for to comfort & warm the roots, your hills pulled down, & let your roots lye bare all winter season: your old dung is best, rather none than not rotten.

And in April help every hil with a handful or two of good earth when the hop is wound about the pole,* 1.108 but in March you will find unless it hath been tilled, all weeds; but if you have pulled down your hils, and layd your ground as it were level, it will serve to maintain your hils for ever; but if you have not pulled down your hils you should with your ho as it were undermine them round til you come near the princi∣pall, and take the upper or younger roots in your hand, and discerning where the new roots grow out of the old sets, of w^ch be careful but spare not the other; but in the first year un∣cover no more thā the tops of the old Sets, but cut no roots be∣fore the end of March or beginning of April. The first year of dressing your roots you must cut away al such as grew the year before within one inch of the same; & every year after cut thē as close to the old roots; those that grow downward are not to be cut, they be those that grow outward, w^ch wil incumber your Gardē, the difference between old & new easily appears; you wil find your old sets not increased in length, but a little in bigness, and in few years all your sets will be grown into one; & by the colour also, the main root being red, the other white, but if this be not early done, then they wil not be per∣ceived; & if your Sets be small, and placed in good ground, & the hill well maintained, the new roots will be greater than the old; if they grow to wild hops, the stalk will wax red, pul

it down & plant new in their places,* 1.109 As for the annuall charge of the Hop-garden after it is planted, the dressing the hills, the alleys, the hoing them, the poling, and tying to the poles, and ordeing the hops is usually done for 40. s. an Acre, & pulling, & drying, and bagging by the day.

And so I shall proceed to the drying of them,* 1.110 which may be done upon any ordinary kiln, with any wood that is dry, but not too old; or else good sweet Rie straw will do wel, but char∣coal best of all.

They must be laid about 9 or 10 inches thick, and dried a good while on that fide, & then turned upside down, & dried as much on the other side. About 12 hours wil dry a kiln full, w^ch must be followed night and day, & then laid up in a close room upon a heap together for a month if your markets will give way to frume and forgive again.* 1.111 When the stalk begins to be brittle, & the leaf also begins to rub, then the hop is dryed suf∣ficiently, but tread them not while they are hot, it wil tread thē to dust; & thē either against Sturbridge Fair, or what other mar∣kets thou providest for, thou mayst bag them up as close & hard as is possible, either to 200 or 200 & a quarter in a bag, as thou pleasest, but the usuall bag is 200 & a quarter. And so I come to my third particular, to shew you the profits & advantages that are to be gained therby. One acre of good hops may possibly be worth at a good market 40, 50, or 60 pound: An acre may bear 11 or 12 hundred weight,* 1.112 possibly some have done more, many ten, but grant but eight hundred, they are sometimes worth not above 1. l. 4. s. the hundred, and some other times they have been worth 12, or 14. l. a hundred, and usually once in three years they bring money enough. It is an excellent commodity if cu∣riously & well husbandried. I know in cōmon waies of opping a Gentleman hath made of two Acres and a rod 180. l. in one year; the same ground hath after it hath been improved let for 50 l. per an. to a Hop-master; nay I beleeve I could easily presidēt you with 100. l. that hath bin made of one Acre, & may be more. It is usually a very good commodity & many times extraordi∣nary; and our nation may ascribe it unto it self, to raise the best Hops of any other Nation. The constant charge of a Hopgar∣den is usually known, men order and dress thē at a rate by the Acre all the year. And this very way I fear not to make out my Improvements promised.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

Treats of the mystery of Saffron, and way of Planting of it.

THere is another very rich cōmodity wherin our na∣tion hath the glory, & yet is a ver•• mystery to ma∣ny parts of it, they know not whether such a thing grows in England, & yet none such so good grows in the world beside that I have ever read of, & that is Saffron.* 1.113 Now Saffron is a very soveraign and wholsom thing & if it take right it is a very great advantage for price; it hath its ebbings & its flowings, as almost all things have, yet I would fain give encouragement to this Improvement also. I shall briefly give you the story of it; Good land that is of the value of 20. s. an Acre being well husbandryed, tilled & fitted, or wor∣ser land being well manured, & brought to perfect tillage wil serve the turn; but the better, the better for the work. The season is about Midsummer which it is to be set, that being the season they usually take up, or draw their sets or roots and old store, when they may be had, & no time else. The land being brought into perfect Tillage the best way is to make a tool like a ho in operation, but as broad as six of thē, it may be 15 or 18 Inches broad, & with that they draw their land into ranges, open as it were a furrow, about 2 or 3 inches deep, & there place their sets or roots of Saffron about 2 or 3 inches asunder (which roots are to be bought by the strike,* 1.114 sometimes dearer, & sometimes cheaper, and are very like an Onion, a little Onion about an inch and a half over) and as soon as they have made one furrow all along their land from one end to another, then they, after that is set, begin another, and draw that which they raise next to cover this, and so as they make their trench, so they cover the other; they keep one even depth as near as may be, which ranges or furrows are not above three or four inches distance, that so a hoe of two or three incnches may go betwixt them to draw up the weed,* 1.115 which being set and covered, it may come up that summer, but it dies again, yet it lives al winter, & grows green like Chives or small Leeks, and in the begining of sum∣mer it dieth wholly the blade of it as to appearance, that so one may come & take a hoe & draw all over it, and cleanse it very

purely and then will come up the flower without the leaf, and in September the flower of it appears like Crocus that is blew, and in the middle of it comes up two or three chives which grow upright together,* 1.116 & the rest of the flower spreads broad, which chives, that is the very Saffron & no maore, which you may take betwixt your fingers and hold it, and cast away all the rest of the flower and reserve that onely, and so they pick it, and they must pick it every morning early, or else it returns back into the body of it, to the earth againe, untill next morning and so from one to another, for a months space will it bear Saffron, you must get as many pickers as may over∣come it before it strike in again at the very nick in the morning.

It will grow to bear 2 crops and then it must be taken up, & planted new again, and then it will yeeld good store of sets to spare, which cannot be had no other way, it must be taken up at Midsummer and then set as aforesaid. And when you have got your Saffron, then you must set a drying of it,* 1.117 and thus you must do, make a kiln of clay, not half so big as a Bee hive, and very like it will be made with a few little sticks and clay, and serve excellent well, for this service, a little small fire of charcole will serve to dry it, and it must be carefully tended also.

Three pounds of wet Saffron wil make one of dry Saffron.

An Acre of Land may bear 14. or 15 l. of Saffron, if very good, but if but 7 or 8 l. it will do the work; And one Acre of it wil be mannaged with no great charge, I do not beleive it can come to 4 l. an Acre, it hath been sold from 20 s. a pound to 5 l. a pound. It is an excellent advantage and brings in at worst a saving bargain, but it may possibly be worth 30 or 40 l. an Acre; but if it come but to 7 or 8 l. it loseth not, so I have given thee a brief story wherein I would have been more large but having lost my observations upon it which I took when I was upon the very Lands, and received full satisfaction in every particular and member, or branch thereof, but as yet it hath not fell under my own experience; therfore I give the heads as I re∣member, as they were delivered unto me upon the place, though I have forgot many of them,* 1.118 to incourage to the work.

The Saffron Country is on one side and ••ook of Essex, and some part of Suffolk, and at Saffron Walden, and betwixt that and Cambridge is very much of it in their common fields, and

truly these Lands are but of a middle worth. I have seen as rich land again in many parts of England, but it is as I believe loamy ground and of a little saddish nature, it will require to be laid dry and sound, and the land it self must be very sound wholsom Land.

CHAP. XXXIX.

Treats of the Plantation of Liquorish at large.

I Proceed to another Nationall business, in the Plantation whereof we exceed all Nations, and that is Liquorish, our English Liquorish as wee call it, not yet wrote of by any that I could ever see, is far beyond the Spanish small dry Liquo∣rish or any other.

As for the use of it most of you know, but as to the profit & advātage, & the mystery of Planting of it but few understand, & fewer practise; but that I may be as open and full in the discove∣ry of it as I can in this short discourse I have to make, I shal un∣der these two or three heads formalize what I intend to speak.

1. Shall be to discover the best land to bear it.

2. The best way I can find practised to plant it.

3. The profits and advantages of it.

The best Land to raise your Liquorish upon is your richest you can get or make,* 1.119 your warmest you can find out, the sound∣est and dryest that is possibly to be had, of a very deep soyl, you must dig and prepare your Land before you set, and it must be digged three spades depth, and two or three shovellings at the least, laid as hollow & light as may be: you may have it digged out of naturall Land if it be very rich indeed, that it will feed an Ox in a summer,* 1.120 it is the best) for eight pence a rod at Lon∣don, yea for seven pence and sometimes for six pence a rod, for∣ty rods make a rood which is a quarter of an Acre, which comes to about 4 or 5 l. an acre & this is the main charge of all for three year, there is no more unless it be a little hoing, which will off hand very fast, I believe it will not cost above 20 s. an acre more all three yeares both in setting and all the

dressings of it, besides the sets and Land: The sets being doubly trebly worth your money; sets have been sold for 2 s. the hun∣dred & more, sometimes are not worth above 1 s. a hundred, but if your Land be not fresh old Land,* 1.121 or extraordinary rich, & as rich as your best gardens are, it must be made so with soyles & warm Manures, horse-dung is excellent to be intrenched into the Earth, it both warms and lightens it, and makes it very fit for this service. About London is very seruiceable Lands for it, & so is on any dry soyl whatever where it is rich enough & deep. Holland in Lincolnshire must needs be very good,* 1.122 many of the Marshes that are sandy and warm most excellent, that which bears this well, wil also bear your Madder-weed that rich com∣modity: I hear that Liquorish grows naturally at VVorsop in Not∣tinghamshire and about Pomphret in Yorkshire, so also I heare your sparrow-grass grows naturally at Moulton within a few miles of Spauldwin in Lincolnshire, and so I proceed to my third particular.

Which is the best experimented way of planting of it.

Having digged and prepared your Land, and a little raked and evened the same, you may proceed to the Planting of it, & therein you must indeavour the procuring of the best sets you can, and from the best and largest sort of Liquorish. The best sets are your Crown sets or heads got from the very top of the root a little shived down; be carefull of this, of very sound Land▪ for how soon soever you come to the water your Liquorish will check and run not one inch further,* 1.123 and having procured your sets your ground being cast into beds of 4 foot broad, all along your plantation, from one end to another by a long line, you may lay down a set at every foot along the line, which line may have knots or thirds at every foot, if you be so exact, and then a man come with a tool made a little flattish if you will, or roundish, of the breadth or bigness of a good pickfork stail, a∣bout half a yard long with a crutch at the over end, and sharp at the neather, and that thrust into the ground, it being made of wood or iron, but if flat an iron one will do best, and open the hole well, and put in the set and close a little mould to it, and so you may overrun an acre very quickly in the setting of it, and if it should prove a very dry time,* 1.124 you must water your sets wo or three daies at first, untill you see they have recoved their

withered and wanness, and then the first year you may Plant your garden with Onions, Reddishe, or any sallet herb or any thing that roots not downward, and I am confident it will be better too, because it will prevent some weeding, and for the se∣cond it must be hoed and kept from weeds too, and a little the third; but one thing be very curious off, in the taking up and sudden setting thy sets, as soon as took up set again, but if you fetch from far, then as soon as taken up, put a little mould and post them away by horse back,* 1.125 and get them into the ground as soon as possibly, the delay of setting, spoiles many thousand sets. The seasons of planting is in the month of Feb. and March You may the secoud year take some sets from your own stock, but be very curious thereof, but the third year you may take what you please and in the taking of the Liquorish up, the best season for which is in November and December, then there runs from every master root, a runner which runs along the o∣ver part of the ground, which hath a little sprouts and roots or sciences,* 1.126 which will yeeld excellent sets, if they be cut 3 or four of them in every set, which may be about 4 or five inches long, which is also to be planted, and is as good as the crown set, al∣so if it be any thing a moist time, you may take slips from the leaf or branches and set them; and they some of them will grow, but they may be set betwixt the other to thicken, lest they should fail.

There is abundance of Spanish sets come over of late. One M. Walker sells of them at Winchester house in Southwark London, but how good they be I am able to say little, but hear various reports of them, and therefore I will forbear, they are bought cheaper than English sets can be, but if they bring forth a small Spanish Liquorish I shall not much affect them.

The third particular is the profit & advantage may be made thereby which is very considerable, but it is also subject to the ebbings and flowings of the market. It must be taken up in win∣ter, and must be sold as soon as taken up,* 1.127 lest it lose the weight which it must needs do, you may make of one Acre of indiffe∣rent Liquorish 50. or 60 l. and of excellent good, 80. 90. or 100l. it is not of so great use as some other commodities are,* 1.128 and so will not vent off in so great parcells as others will, neither will it indure the keeping for a good market because it will dry exceedingly.

The Fifth Piece containes the Art of Planting of Rape, Cole∣seed Hemp and Flax, with the severall advantages that may bee made of each.

CHAP. XL.

Only contains the Discovery of Rape and Cole-seeds husbandry.

THe planting of Cole-seed, or Rape-seed is another excellent good meanes for the improving land; the Coleseed is of late dayes best estemed. And it is most especially usefull upon you Marsh-land, Fen land, or upon your new recor vered Sea-land, or any lands, very rank and fat, whether ar∣able or pasture.

The best seed is the biggest, fairest seed that you can get, it be∣ing dry, and of a pure clear color, of the color* 1.129 of the color of the best Oni∣on-seed.

It is to be had in many parts of this Nation, but Holland is the Center of it, from thence comes your good seed usual∣ly.

The season of sowing,* 1.130 is at, or about Midsummer, you must have your land plowed very well, and laid even and fine, whether upon the lay, turf, or areable, and both may do well, but your arable must be very rich, and fat, and having made yovr land fine, then you may sow it, and about a gallon of seed will sow an Acre,* 1.131 the which seed must bee mingled, as afore was directed about the Claver, with some∣thing, that you may sow it even, and not upon heaps; the e∣ven sowing of it is very difficult, it grows up exceedingly to great leaves, but the benefit is made out of the seed especial∣ly.

The time to cut it, is when one half of the seed begins to look browne, you must reap it as you doe wheat,* 1.132 and lay it upon little yelmes, or two or three handfuls together till it be dry, and that very dry too, about a fortnight will dry it, it must not be turned nor touched, if it were possible,

for fear of shedding the seed, that being the chief profit of it; about a fortnight the seed will be dry,* 1.133 it must bee gathered in sheets, or rather a great ship sail-cloath, as big as four or six sheets, and carried into the Barn, erected on purpose, or to that place designed on purpose to thresh it that day; you must have sixteen or eighteen men at a floor four men will thresh abundance in a day. I have heard that four men have threshed thirty Coume in a day.

The seed is usually worth sixteen shillings a Coume that is four shillings a busnell, sometimes more, and sometimes less.

It will, if exceeding good, bear ten Coume upon an acre, or five quarter;* 1.134 if it be but indifferent, and will not bear a∣bove seaven or eight Coume of an Acre. It will raise a good advance upon your lands.

It is a commodity you will not want sale of, the greater the parcell is, the better price you will have. It is used to make the Rape-oyl, as we call it. The Turnep seed will grow among it, and it will make good oyl also, you may sell a thousand pound together to one Chapman, it is best to bee planted by the water, or near it.

It cannot be too rank, it Eadish or Stubble will excee∣dingly nourish Sheep in Winter.

It hath another excellent property, it will fit the land so for corning, for Wheat it may produce a crop as good, or better than it self, and for Barley after that.

The charge of the whole Crop, I conceive may come to be betwixt twenty and thirty shillings an Acre,* 1.135 and a good Crop may be worth four, five, six, seven, or eight pound an Acre, the least is a very good improvement, because it will doe excellent well, if well ordered, and a kind season upon land the very first year after recovery, when it will do no∣thing else, if it can be but plowed, when other things as corn or grain may be hazarded; and so have you this Dis∣course, though in much brevity; your experience will teach you what euer here is wanting, and my weighty business wil not suffer me to supply.

Shewes how good a publike Commodity Hempe is, with the mannar of planting.

CHAP. XL.

AS for Hemp, that is a very good Commodity, and would be farre the better▪ but that it is not mad so Nationall, yet as necessary I am confident, as a∣ny thing amongst us is yet; but not being inten∣ded, nor incouraged, as a staple or grand busi∣nesse as it might, and Flax also, and that more especially then this, but both joyned together, and a publique stocke erected, either in the general, or else in every particular Township;* 1.136 I know not but why the product thereof might not onely bring in a constant considerable profit for the stock, and the poore in every Parish maintained, both comfortably in a calling and livelyhood, especially all women kind, and children, but they fitted and brought up to a Trade and way, that may render them publikly usefull to the Nation. I should undertake to make it out, that this very way of it self would do it, if it would advance the work, Why should we runne to France and to Flanders, and the Low-Countries, and I know not whither, for thred and cloath of so many sorts, and fine linnen, and cordage? or rather, why should we not, if we be at want of Work-men to make out to that worth and goodnesse, fetch here and there a workman from thence, and so preserve, or rather raise the Trade wholly within our selves, had we but Law put in execution to constrain people to labour, and some way to perswade men to use their Lands to the best advantage to themselves and publike, what should we want? We have the Commodity grows ex∣ceeding well among us; we see we have and can make excel∣lent good cloath, better for use then theirs.

Object. You will presently say, we want Work-men, especially such as do it well.

Answ. To that I shall answer, people wee have enough you will confesse it, and some that can worke well too where is the fault then? I being not a Tradesman can scarce tell you, but onely will desire an answer to this que∣stion: and then it may be I shall resolve you: what hath made cloathing common among us? and made Worke-men at it too, but the very Trade of it, the experimenting of it to purpose, the carring it on with power and purse, that by this meanes, where ever it is planted, there needs no work∣folks, they are ready to come from all parts where work may be had, then that is supplyed. It is true, at the first setting up, people are raw, untaught, and not very willing to learne, and may be (as ever it was,) in all new inventi∣ons, or setting up new works, you may suffer some losse and spoyle; yet if this be backed with publike countenance, and authority; I feare not any suffering at all, but if you should, you are but in the condition of all honest, publike ingenu∣ous spirits.

And secondly, I shall answer, that nothing ever did, or will come to perfection without great experiences, con∣stant practises, and great scrutiny into the bowels of it, and that will draw forth the mystery, and that is the pro∣fit and glory of all Trade and Merchandise, and then why we should not make fine cloath, and almost any cloth of our Flax, and raise our Flax to a great betterment too, I know not; I could name many things in England now, are made as good with us, as few yeares since wee could not, but were made altogether a beyond seas, and we supplyed from thence; but grant wee raise not so pure a Flax, then buy your Flax from the East or Best Countries endeavour the Trade of making your finer cloath thence, and your courser from our own, untill our Flax come up to theirs in goodnesse, which I am confident will refine exceedingly, both in the growth and workmanship of it; however use all meanes as to preserve the Trade of cloathing Linning, so far as our owne native Hempe and Flax will: I have heard of most pure cloath some Gentlewomen have made of their own flax, and Hemp.

I shall now proceed to a briefe discription of the way of raising it.* 1.137 As for the seed of it, that is familiarly bought and sold in all places in the season, but the best seed is your brightest, which you may try by rubbing of it in your hand, if it crumble with rubbing, it is bad, but if it still re∣tain its substance and colour, it is good.

The best land for it, is your warme land, your sandy,* 1.138 or a little gravelly, so it be very rich and of a deepe soyl, will doe well, as for your cold claies, as some affirme to bee good for Hempe, they exceedingly abuse the Reader, it is as tender a seed as any I know, and to make good my affir∣mation as to the land, consider the land where the best Hempe of England grows, which is upon the Fens and Mar∣shes, and especially in Holland, in Lincolnshire, where the land is very rich, and very sandy and light; but their morish land, though rich, is not good, and yet the very best land they can picke there, is but good enough for it, yea that very land they are forced to dung and soyl exceedingly too, after two or three crops, or else it will not doe; Nettle∣plots, and Thistle-plots, and land over growne wi••h the rankest weeds, if well purged there-from, will doe excee∣ding well for Hempe.

The quantity that is to be sowed upon our statute Acre is three strike or bushels,* 1.139 and harrowed in with small har∣rowes, the which after the land is made exceeding fine as the finest garden, then in the beginning and middle of April is the time they sow it; some sow it not till the end of April, but if it be any thing a kindly year, the earlier the better, and so preserved exceeding choicely at first, for feare of birds destroying of it as you see in many Countries; but yet there where they sow so much they never value it, bee carefull that cattel neither bite it, nor lie upon it; for though some say it matters not for being kept from Cattel, so they may save the fencing of it,* 1.140 yet I say if it be either bit∣ten, or else but a beast lyeth upon it, after it is come up, it will destroy it.

The season of getting of it is first about Lammas,* 1.141 when a good part of it will be ripe, it may be about one half, that

is a lighter Summer Hempe that beares no seede, and the stalke growes white and ripe, and most easily discernable, which is about that season to be pulled forth and dryed, and laid up for use, or watered and wrought up as all hous-wives know, which you must pul as neatly as you can from among the rest, lest you break it, for what you breake, you utterly destroy, and then you must let the other grow for seed untill it be ripe, which wil be about Michaelmas, or a little before, may be a fortnight before (when seed and stalke are both full ripe, and you come to pull,* 1.142 you bind up in bundles as much as a yard band will hold, which is the legal measure; but for your simple or Summer Hempe, that is bound in lesser bundles, as much as may be grasped with both your hands; and when your Winter Hempe is pulled, you must stocke it up, or barne it, any way to keep it dry, and then in the season of the yeare, or when you please, thrash it, and get out the seed, and still preserve your Hempe till you set to the working of it, which instead of breaking and tawing of it as they doe in most parts, there they altogether pill it, and no more, and so sell it in the rough; but I leave all at liberty for that, whether to pill or dresse up by brake and Tewtaw.

As for the seed an Acre will beare,* 1.143 is two or three quar∣ter, and it is there sold but usually about a mark a quarter, sometime ten shillings, and sometime less, this yeare it was sold for twenty shillings a quarter, if good great Hempe, then store of seed, else not, but in many and most parts of the Nation it is sold for about four shilling a bushel.

Your fimbled Hempe is not worth above halfe so much as your other, sometimes it is subject to weeds, to carlock and muckel-weed, which must be weeded, but the best way to destroy them, is to let you Hempe-land lie one yeare fallow, I onely speake of Holland, the cheapest place for it and the first fountain of it, but generally throughout the Nation, it is of far more worth and value.

The richer your land is,* 1.144 the thinner, the poorer, the thicker, you must sow. One Acre of good Hempe may bee worth five, six, seven or eight pound an Acre, & sold as soone

as pulled, and gathered; but if it be wrought up, it may come to eight, nine, ten, or twelve pound, or more, it is a com∣mon thing in use, every one knowes the manner of working of it to cloath.

It maintaines many people in a good imployment, and ought to have more publick incouragement given to it, not so much beca••se of its advance of land, as the poor poople of the Land.

CHAP. XLI.

Onely speakes to the husbandring Flax so as to make it come up to as much of the improve∣ment as we can.

FLax, it is a very good Commodity, and I shall endeavour to incourage all ingenuous men, that delight in the common good, thereto, as much as may be; especially all such as have suitable lands therefore, upon this ac∣count, because it is, as I may call it, a root, or roundation of advantage, upon the prosperity whereof, depends the maintenance of thousands of people in good, honest, and laborious callings: and were but this very peece of husbandry advanced, the sowing and raising of it, according to the capacity the lands of this Nation will afford; I dare affirme to hold it forth against the stoutest opponent, that it would maintaine neare all the wanting people of this Nation. A volume is too little to containe this vast Discourse; yet take an abstract of it, which for the more methodicall demonstration, shall be held forth under these heads.

1. The severall Lands capable of improvement hereby.

2. The many people capable of imploymen hereby.

3. The best experiences of plantiug and raising to the best advantage.

4. The profit accrewing there from both general and par∣ticular.

1. As for the land,* 1.145 capable of raising good flax; is any good sound Land, be it in what Country sover it will, if the land be good, either earthy or mixed of sand or gravel; and old land, it is the best, that hath lyen long unplowed, it had need come up to the value of a mark, or near twenty shillings an Acre,* 1.146 that is your kindest slax-land, but I know where they give three pound an Acre to sow flax upon, within a mile of London, and yet in most Counties of England, I know as good and kind land for that husbandry, as any o∣ther, and at London, they have work-men dearer too, and yet can raise (though they give so dear) a very considera∣ble profit out beside.

Again, any of your good Arrable, that is in good Heart and rich, that is perfect sound drie land, is perfect good flax land. Some parts of Essex, from Bow and Stratford, down along the way, by the Marsh side, a great part of up-land thereabouts, is good flax Land, so is there very much in Kent, all along on the other side the river by the marshes side, is good naturall land thereto; in very many parts, about Maidstone in Kent, where the best thred is made of England, is excellent good flax-land: so is there also in most Coun∣ties, as Warwick-shire, Worcestershire, Northampton, &c.

2. And that I may give the more incouragement here to spin,* 1.147 I say, as heretofore, it is a commodity that will set a∣bundance of persons upon an honest and profitable calling, from the first preparing the land, untill the fruit of your la∣bours come in; one acre of good flaxe may maintain di∣vers persons to the compleating of it to perfect cloth: Con∣sider how many Trades are supplyed hereby.

1. The Land must have the same husbandrie of plowing; harrowing and sowing, as lands have for corne, there's the husbandmans businesse, sometimes, yea many times weed∣ing too, then pulling, stitching and drying, then rippelling, and laying up and preserving the seed, then watering it ei∣ther on the ground, or in the water, then drying it up, and housing it, and kilne-drying it, then breaking and towtaw∣ing

it, then hetchelling and dressing it up; then spinning of it to yarne or thred, then weaving of it, and bleaching, then it returnes againe to the good house-wives use or Seamster, and then to the wearing and usage, and all these particular imployments be upon this poore businesse, halfe a dozen good callings and imployments this makes out, and therefore many persons it will imploy, and we both want cloth, and our poor work.

3. Now as to the carrying on this design,* 1.148 and making the best of this improvement, I shall here give in the best ap∣proved way of planting of it, as is yet discoved; as for the Land, let it be good and well plowed, both strait and even, without balkes, and in due season, about the beginning of March, or the latter end of February.

And as for the seed, the true East Country seed, is far the best,* 1.149 although it cost very dear, one bushel of it to sowe; is worth ten bushels of our owne Couetry seede; but the second crop of our own, of this Country seed, is very good, and the third indifferent, but then no more, but again to your best seed.

The quantity of it is about two bushels upon an Acre at least, some sow a pecke more; but I conceive two may bee enough, but of our seed it will require halfe a strike more then of the East Country seed, you may buy it in the Seed∣mens shops at Billingsgate, our Flax men in former dayes did not sow above half so much, or little more, but now their experience hath brought them to this pitch.

At my first knowledge of the East-country flax seede,* 1.150 for the perfect discoverie of the goodnesse of it, I sowed one land, the ridge or middle of the Land with our own Coun∣trie seed, and both the furrowes with this Dutch or East-country seed, our seed was incompassed with this, as with a wall abought it, it so much over-grew it in height.

The season of sowing of it, if a warme season, in the latter end of March,* 1.151 but in the warmer parts, as Essex, and Kent, I conceive mid March may doe well, but in colder parts, as down towards Warwick-shire, and Worcester-shire, the beginning of April may be early enough, and if it

should come a very wet seasō you must take care of weeding of it also, and in the ripening of it, you must be careful, that it grow not till it be over-ripe, lest the stalk should blacken or mildew, yet to his full ripeness you must let it grow, the which you may perceive both by the harle, and by the seed; some will ripen earlier, and some later, as you sow it earlier or later, but against it be ripe, be sure to have your pluckers to fall in hand with plucking of it, and then tie up every handfull, and then set them up upright, one against another, like a Tent, till they be perfectly drie, and then get it all into the ba••ne, or where you please to preserve it for use, it is indifferent whether you ripple it, or take off the boles of it, as soone as you bring it home, or when you in∣tend to use it.

As for your watering of it, whether in the water or up∣on the Land,* 1.152 that I shall not determine peremptorily, but thus much I say, that both may doe well, and he that gets store, will find use of both: because of the one, you make use as soone as your flax is pulled, and then you need not stand so curiously upon the drying of it, but after you have got your seed, you may water it, and the watering of it, opens, and breakes the harle the best; but then you must bee carefull of laying up your seede, that it heate not, nor mould, and that which you water then, may be a winters worke for your people untill the Spring come on, and then get it forth upon your grasse Land, and spread it thin, and turne it to preserve it from mildewing, and keepe it so untill you finde the harle bee ready and willing to part from the core, and then drye it up and get it in for use.

As for the drying of it, a kilne made on purpose is best, so that you be carefull of scorching of it, this will make greate riddance of the same, and to them that have greate store, sunne-drying will never doe the feate, though it may doe well for a small quantity, or the flax of a private Family.

As to the working of it, you must provide your Brakes and Tewrawes both, the one, and that is the

brake which bruises and toughens, the harl, and the Tewtaw that cut and divides out the coare, if you use the Tewtaw first, it may cut your well dryed flax to peeces, yet both do best, yet the brake first.

These things are common and known to many in most Countries but not to all, and least to those that have lands most capable thereof.

It will cost the Workmanship of it,* 1.153 betwixt three and four pound an Acre to bring it up to sale, it lyeth much up∣on the workmans hand, and therefore far more to be advan∣ced, by how much the more it raiseth imployment, for ma∣ny people to live thereby.

Where wages is great, it comes off the hardest; yet where it is carried on to purpose, people flock hard that want work, and because of constancie, will worke at easie tearms, else how could they possibly do good of it at London, or near about it, where they work at double rates, but there have I seen the best flax I ever saw.

4. Lastly, the benefit that may be made hereby, an Acre of good flax, may be worth upon the ground, if it be the first East-Country seed, seven or eight, yea, possibly ten or twelve pound, yea far more, the charge whereof beside the seed, untill it be ripe, may not be above ten shillings an acre, which if you work up to be fit to sell in the Market, it may come up to fifteen, or sixteen, or near twenty pound in the market, but to bring it so high, as thirty pound, as in Flanders, I dare not say.

But an acre of our Country seed, will hardly come up to above three pound or four pound an Acre; unlesse very good indeed, to which if it amount unto, and no more upon the Land, it will make a good advancement of the Land, which may be, Land, and Seed, and all charges, may come to about fifteene or sixteene shillings an Acre, the seed being not worth above two shillings a strike.

I shall say thus much more, that I verily believe wee are not come up to that perfection, wee may attain unto in this mystery, because I have heard of some Gentlewomen that

have out of their owne Flax and Hempe drawne out a thred exceeding pure, as pure and fine againe as our ordinary Traders therein doe, and have made as much more cloath of a pound of both, and that both strong, and more ser∣viceable, then the strongest and best Outlandish Hollands;* 1.154 and I am confident, if this mystery doe but receive incou∣ragement from Authority, and it made more tending to publike good, the maintenance of the poore in worke, and sequestring the Trade so farre to our owne proper Natives, as may be a sufficient Magazine of work for them. I am sure we have land suitable enough to bear it, and to afford suffi∣cient profit, and will be a considerable advance unto the lands throughout the Nation.

And so I hope I have supplyed in some measure, more of our deficiencies that really are, and are said to be in our English Husbandry.

The sixth, and last Piece of improve∣ment is for the discovering what great advance may be made upon our Lands by a Plantation of some Orchard-fruites, and some Garden-commodities.

CHAP. XLIII.

Treates how our Lands may be advanced by planting them with Orchard-fruites.

ANd for making good the Improvement pro∣mised, I shall shew these two or three things. 1. That abundance of Land is planted in many parts of this Nation, and thus improved. 2. That there is land, and very much, in all other parts that may be improved. 3: The fruits especially, by which they come to such an im∣provement.

1. That there is such land alreadey improved,* 1.155 none dare deny; to that height as is affirmed, many will question: I therefore doe in briefe affirme for my president, that, VVor∣cestershire, part of Glocestershire, and part of Herefordshire will speake out this truth, some men having their Planta∣tions, both of Apples, Pears, and Cheries, and so ordered that they hinder no more the growth of grasse then the compasse of a tree that grows upon it, nay, some question whether with their shadinesse in Summer, and warmnesse in Winter, they better not the land farre more, and their very growing

upon it doth not inrich it, they having usually the ear∣liest grasse, and many times the greatest swath and bur∣then, and will keep more cattell too. And certainly where they are formerly planted, and grow not too thicke, I can∣not see reason to the contrary; as for the land, I know very much, if not most of it, was worth, not above tenne shillings, some lesse, or thirteen shillings foure pence an Acre at the first, now the grasse of most of them thus re∣gularly planted, and draw as they grow in bignesse (that so they may never grow to touch one another by a good space, when they come to the best age, for when they come to decay, plant new ones in their roome, and downe with them to the very grouud (I say the grasse of such Orchards or Pastures is worth thirty shillings, some forty shillings, some fifty shillings, and some more, and the fruit that groweth upon the Trees planted therein, may yeeld some three pound, some five pound, yea, some will come up to se∣ven or eight pound an Acre.

But come you up to Kent, Essex, Surry, Middlesex, and part of Suffolke, where naturally the land was worse then in those parts by farre; I dare affirme there are many Orchards planted there upon land, that was not naturally and really worth above six shillings,* 1.156 or eight shillings an Acre, when they began the work, and that some thousands of Acres too, and with some good soyle, and good husbandry, dividing, quicksetting, and laying dry and sound their land, and gar∣dening some, and planting others with kernels of all sorts of fruits, and all sorts of woods, and sets, and trees, have brought many plots, some containing five or six acres, some to ten, or twelve, and some to twenty or thirty acres, in one plot, to that improvement that they have made twenty pound an acre, yea, if I should say forty or fifty pound, I should finde sufficient testimony to the truth hereof, and all this while but in preparation for a plan∣tation too, their young trees being not come yet to beare, nor to shade the land, and then they lay it downe to grasse; but say the land was worth twenty shillings an acre, and some is, and very much worth more, which is so much

better it will prosper, and so much lesse cost need bee be∣stowed, and yet by all, will be made good the improvement promised. These Orchards many of them are worth to grasse forty, fifty, or three pound per acre, and so set; their fruite will seldome yeeld them so little as double or treble the worth of their grasse, many times five or six fold, yea, possibly ten fold, and what is this towards the making good my improvement promised.

If this land was not worth above six or ten shillings an acre, as very much was not,* 1.157 then it is fourfold doubled in the grazing, and if it treble in the fruit, then there is sixteenfold, and if it come up to sixfold in the fruit, then there is two and thirty fold. I will go no higher, but I might, and many doe and will, the cost bestowed, for the two, three, or four first yeares may be was three or foure pound an Acre, may be five pound, but then the Garden fruits which they raised upon them, the sets, the grafts, the trees, and fruite they raise upon it, may bee possibly worth as much more as it is worth, when it comes to be laid down to grasse, but then it costs no more then mowing their grasse, and gathering their fruit, and yet during the flourishing condition of this Orchard, it shall hold forth the improvement aforesaid.

Object. But some will say this may be true in some few Acres, and by some few excelling husbands, but in very few persons, and upon f••wer lands.

Answ. If any, why strive not others? after the same pitch,* 1.158 why runne not others to the same mark? if one Acre, why not two? if there be one so good a husband, why imi∣tate wee not him? wee know one man may have as good meanes to the same end, as another. If one Tradesman get an excellent commodity, or attain to an excellent mystery in his Trade, do not all men study it, thirst after it, and endea∣vour it, and may gain it?

Object. You will say our land is not so good, there is little such, and most lands in England are not for that use, and in some Countries little or none at all.

Answ. To which I answer; neither was theirs as good, or knowne to bee so good (and that is all one) untill they

made the experiment.* 1.159 It is but very few ages, since these Countries have been so famous; every age hath exceedingly improved, and this very last age as it were almost doubled what former ages came to; and truly when you have made the same experience, you will finde your Land as good, and by good husbandry with a strong resolution to the same end, will bring forth the accomplishment of the same fruit;* 1.160 and so I shall proceed to an answer of the second part of the objection, which is, there is little such land, or little fit land for this use in many Counties in England, which brings mee to my second particular,* 1.161 which is to shew that there is land as well in all Countries,* 1.162 and Counties, as those lands of Kent Essex, Surry, &c. and very much in many, where is no improvement at all made thereon; and that I thus de∣monstrate, by inquiring into the nature and qualifications of these lands, and these lands are many of them exceeding dry, sound, warme lands, some perfect sand, some gravelly, some of a very shallow mould, not above halfe a spades pitch before you come to hunger and barrennesse, some ex∣ceeding stony, some of them are upon a very rich soyle, as by the Marshes sides, some of them are upon a cold, spewing wet, clayey land, but made rich, and warme by soyle and husbandry, and some upon a perfect clay, cold and barren; and yet upon them all, you have exceeding great advances, as aforesaid.

And that there is some such natured lands in all Coun∣tries, and in some all these natured lands directly, no man will deny, and also meanes and soyles to inrich them, though not so much;* 1.163 but yet I am sure many times more then is improved to so good an advantage and more may be made,* 1.164 and gained to inrich them, if wee grow industrious. And now that I have proved there is such natured lands, what remaines to cleare the full demonstration, but that as great advancement may bee made in those Countries, as in these.* 1.165

Why this remaines, that they are not under so warme a Cli∣mate, as those Lands are, which is true, and this is all that can be said, to which I answer.

1. Ans. That the climate is much to the drawing forth these fruits,* 1.166 and especially to the drawing them forth so ear∣ly, but yet not sufficient excuse to hinder the work, for then why should Glocester-shire, Worcester-shire, and Hereford-stire be so famous; I am confident they are as natural and as fruit∣full this way, as these Countries are, only I beleive they are not so quick for sale, nor so early ripe, may be by a fort∣night of dayes, which is nothing.

And the climate is as cold in these Countries, as in almost any, except two or three of the Northern Countries, in which Countries are very much good fruits, and many good Or∣chards too, and why not more I know not, I doe confess Cherries grow upward, more rich, early, and more profi∣tably, then in other parts, yet Worcester-shire comes near them, but what if they come not up so high? they may come up high enough, and wee see they will grow well, and to good profit in other parts, as well as here. But say there was not a cherry growing in any of those parts: I should not much matter, they being only for delight and pleasure, yet if good Peares for Perry and Aples for Syder would prosper well,* 1.167 which I am confident they would, if indu∣striously experimented, which would be for the great supply of the poor, & the whole Countrie for every Town & House almost hath an Orchard bigger or lesser, that doe, and will bear both Apples and Peares of all sorts whatsoever, and all Countries have Lands naturall therefore, as well as these, where there is so great improvements made, and therefore I know neither nature nor reason against the same, nor no∣thing else but ignorance, sloth and prejudice, and so farre as I know, or I beleive any man else knows, there is Land e∣nough in every Country suitable hereunto, however to make a very substantiall and gallant improvement, if not altogether so great as these. And as for the sale of them, or Perry, or Syder, we need not much trouble our selves, nor hinder our improvements thereby, untill our selves, our Neighbours and the poor about us are supplyed, and then, when wee have it to spare, to sell it; it may bee transpor∣ted much by water, and many places by Cart to places of

vent, whereas some of it, & that most excellently made, (these dayes will teach us (may be sold for Wine, & in thousands of places now it is; & serves as well as that, for men to fox their neses, befool themselves, and wast their patrimony: And so I hope I have sufficiently proved the capacity of advancement of many thousand acres of Lands, upon this account; yea the great advance might be, if you planted but all your barren & empty hedges with good fruit Trees, and so I descend to my last particular which is.

Thirdly, the speciall fruits I intended and they were these five: 1 the Vine, 2 the Plumb, 3 the Cherry, 4 the Pear, and 5 the Apple.

First, As to the Vine & Plumb, I intended not them direct∣ly upon this account, as to the great advātage their plantati∣ons would raise Lands unto, because they would be confined to lesser quantities of Land, but chiefly to shew the advanta∣ges might be raised through their own plantations.

And for Vines in relation to thēselves,* 1.168 I did intend a large discourse, wherby to have presumed to have raised a publike experimenting of them to this effect, as thence to have raised good and usefull Wines which that it may feasibly be done (in this season of Wines dearth (I have these two grounds.

1 Because the South-west parts of England are within one degree South of the Northern parts of France, as Bramont; yea the very Latitude of Paris it self is not two degrees South of us: but,

Secondly, and chiefly, because it hath been made already in many parts, as in divers places in Kent and Surry, & many o∣ther parts, as old Chronicles report, & that frequently, & may unquestionably be raised, in case we fail not in the advance∣ment of the Plantation, but hit that right; But for a weighty reason hereafter discovered, I shall say no more.

But for the three last, the Cherry, Pear & Apple, I had abso∣lutly resolved to handle thē at large in the whole mystery of thē, both in Setting, Planting, preserving, pressing, barrelling & Merchandizing of them; to clear up the great advance Lands may be raised to by their Plantations; but that in this very in∣terim, whlist I was about the very work, Mr. Samuel Hartlib,

that publike spirit, sent me in this assurance, (with his desire that I would not publish it to the world) that an Oxford Gentleman, called Ra. Austen, an Artist both learned and experienced, had finished a Work fit for the Press, of approved experiments in Planting late Fruit, from better Rules than have hitherto yet been published, of which taking notice, I was most willing not onely to publish, but (to imbrace the tender, upon a double score.

First, my own, and secondly, the publike advantage.

1. My own advantage is great (being tyred out with journy∣ings & travels, to evidence my experiences the more candid∣ly to the world (to be ceased from the writing thereof, by one better able to hold it forth, having made it his Master∣piece, both of study and recreation: A brief discourse wherof would have made a considerable Book.

And Secondly, upon the publike advantage too, who her∣by are like to communicate in a more full and copious dis∣covery of the Art and Mystery therof, from him that hath in∣gaged singlely in this business rather than from my self, that could but confusedly, and not have been so large and full as he may bee: Besides, this pregoing piece of mine (though possibly of little worth) might have stifled a better & larger in the birth upon a discouragement, lest the free sale therof migh in some measure; have been retarded hereby. I there∣fore durst not neglect to receive the motion with most reall and candid imbracings.

CHAP. XLIV.

Shall containe a brief discourse of some choyce and more generall Garden Fruits, intended to have been spoken to more largely.

AND they were six, 1 the Cabbage, 2 the Carrot, 3 the Onion, 4 the Parsnep. 5 the Artichoak, and 6 the Turnep.

In the discourse whereof I should have spo∣ken distinctly as I could, and have laboured to have laid naked the Mystery of each of them with the best

and latest husbandring of them according to use and exer∣cise of our now present art of Planting; but expecting it more large in all the members and branches, thereof from so lear∣ned and experienced a hand, who undertakes the task, the art of Planting singlely of it self, I shall hope to have dis∣charged my promise, better by my silence, then in holding them forth under so brief, and confused discoveries, as I have done many other in my foregoing Discourse, and should for want of time been forced to have done these.

And so I shall conclude all, and my whole Discourse with a few words to my main scope and aime, which is to affirme and prove, that by these Plantations, Lands may come to a very great advance; yea, unto as great as the greatest that is affirmed in my Frontispiece; but yet never to that height, as some have fondly imagined, and doe affirm in word, and have done in Print, they can raise land to, many whereof are from severall sorts of Gar∣den-commodities, as from some of these, and from the great million Pompion, which I least matter to own of all the rest, I being once so weak as to come to an agreement with Mr. Speed, who writes such high things, as reason cannot fathom, to discover his particulars to me, which he gave me in writing, some whereof were some of these Garden-commodities, and another the planting of Conies upon hard land, all which (except the Pompion) were as well knowne before to my selfe, as to him, but not, that from them to raise so great advantages, I never knew, nor shall: and some other things, he told me of, as laying up coals at Newark in a dear time, which I fear the Merchant hath found out that, and to keep them till they grow scarce, and ingross them, and hold them up to an exceeding price, but of the manner how this must be done, and some few other things, promising him not to reveal them to o∣thers.

I will say no more; for in regard I never phactised them, I have forgot them, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall leave my Reader to search for them from himself as well as 〈…〉〈…〉 certainly now must

needs have made more full experiences of them, it being near two year since I had first acquaintance with him: but the aforesaid being my own as well as his, and all mens as well as ours, I shall make bold to discover them to my in∣tendment (for as to his I shall never attain) and that is to incourage their Plantations, because Lands may be highly advanced by them, and when thou hast the Art of planting dismysteried to thee at large, as will be very shortly, fall upon them.

And because Land of great quantities cannot be advan∣ced to that height,* 1.169 as lesser parcels, which are within the power and purse of the Gardner, which with his constant paines, watching, toilings, hazards and adventures, he runs, he may make one hundred pound possibly out of some one Acre of Land, if his commodity prosper well, as some have done; but in the case of non prosperity, some are half undone again, as if it thrive not exceedingly in the growth, prosper not as well in the ripening, escape frost, and thieves, and meet not with a good market, what it will come to then I determine not, neither doth Mr. Speed consider of these things, and how then it would do, when thousand of Acres should come to be planted therewith I know not, I shal leave it to him to resolve, and onely take out Turneps, mainly intending my design, which will be sowed at small cost and charge, and grow upon indifferent Land, and bring forth great increase, and are of more generall use: and in case much Land be sown therewith, and they come to so great plenty, that the Markets will not carry them away, at such a proportionable rate, as the Gardner can afford them, then may they be disposed of, to the feeding of sheep and Cattel▪ which they will doe, and to good advantage too,* 1.170 and in a dear year, to make bread thereof, half meal, half boyled Tur∣nep, mixed and wrought together into dough, and kneaded and made into bread, will make a good and delightfull food, as hath been by many experimented already; yea, as Sir Richard Weston affirmed to my selfe, he did feed his swine with them, though all men hold the contrary, that Swine will not eat a Turnep, (so I say too) no more than a Scot will

Swines-flesh, yet the boyling them at first, and giving them to his Hogs in good wash, and afterward all boyled, that at the end they came to eat them raw, & would run after the Carts,* 1.171 and pull them forth as they gathered them.

So that upon these accounts, and because I know it will bring Land to a good advance, as unto 8. pound, 10. pound, or possibly 12. pound per acre, I propose this espe∣cially; but for the fuller discovery hereof in the mysterie, I leave that to be more fully discussed in the Art of planting, and should that fail of seasonable comming forth, or of a full discovery, it is but about eight or ten quarts of seed sowed upon an acre of dry sound land, indifferent rich land, well plowed, digged and harrowed, as for corn, and then after sowed thin, and even with some composition with it; & then slightly covered with a bush,* 1.172 some sowed early, where the land will do, & some late, when other crops are off; & selling them, or spending them at a Market-pri••, they will bring forth the advantage promised, and so I have indeavoured to supply this deficiency in husbandry, also in some poor mea∣sure the want of improving our garden-fruits, our Lands be∣ing as capable of improvement this way, and as high, as is by their Brabant husbandry, and so am come to my desired end at last, all which I commend to thy patience, and thy self, and it to the word of our Lord Christ his blessing.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  His book is but to draw thee to his chamber to tel thy fortune there.
• * 1.2

  Seed descri∣bed.
• * 1.3

  Right seed is the best peece in the whole work.
• * 1.4

  Claver sowed but none came up.
• * 1.5

  The best is of our own grow∣ing.
• * 1.6

  I have heard of one that got above 2 bush∣els out of an Acre.
• * 1.7

  A new way of getting out the Clover forth of the husk.
• * 1.8

  Best time to sow Claver.
• * 1.9

  To know when tis full ripe.
• * 1.10

  When and how to get one the seed.
• * 1.11

  Yeelds much Milk, and feeds fat Beef
• * 1.12

  A great mistake about Claver.
• * 1.13

  Old land better for Claver than tillable.
• * 1.14

  How much seed sowe••han Acre.
• * 1.15

  The lands most proper for the Clover
• * 1.16

  A generall rule in Clavering.
• * 1.17

  The Annuall profit of Clo∣ver Grass.
• * 1.18

  Clover ••i's for corning, and corning for clovering.
• * 1.19

  The descripti∣on of St. Foyn.
• * 1.20

  The manner of sowing it.
• * 1.21

  La lucern.
• * 1.22

  Plough irons made very true.
• * 1.23

  The remedies of the ploughs abuses.
• * 1.24

  A description of the plain share.
• * 1.25

  The Coulter how best made
• * 1.26

  The Dutch Coulter.
• * 1.27

  The best way for the tryall of a new plough.
• * 1.28

  Plough well clouted, and irons sharp & smooth kept.
• * 1.29

  Size your Horses or Ox∣en equal.
• * 1.30

  A good cha∣racter of a good Plough-man.
• * 1.31

  Plough-beam.
• * 1.32

  Wheel plows described.
• * 1.33

  Plough-sheath
• * 1.34

  Plough head.
• * 1.35

  Plough-wheels
• * 1.36

  The Turn-wrest plough.
• * 1.37

  The single wheel plough.
• * 1.38

  A president of land plowed for 5 s. an A∣cre plough and horses found.
• * 1.39

  The dutch coulter is appliable to any pure clean land.
• * 1.40

  The onely ad∣vantages for making the ea∣siest going plough.
• * 1.41

  The descripti∣on of the plain plough.
• * 1.42

  The benefit of a broad and short Wrest.
• * 1.43

  What ease and advantage this plough and the directions will afford.
• * 1.44

  The season of plowing for summer corn
• * 1.45

  The season for plowing for winter corn.
• * 1.46

  A foot descri∣bed as will go in hilla••ground▪
• * 1.47

  A plow to cast down land.
• * 1.48

  A plow to set up land.
• * 1.49

  The particular use of many of the members of the wel regulated plough.
• * 1.50

  How to plow as it may yeild most mould.
• * 1.51

  How to plow as your lay your land most level.
• * 1.52

  How to set the double plough together.
• * 1.53

  The plough wi••h a harrow affixed.
• * 1.54

  Plough har∣row, seedsman, and all in one plough••o work all at one time.
• * 1.55

  The lasting plough that may endure many yeares,
• * 1.56

  Welde descri∣bed.
• * 1.57

  The manner of sowing it at no cost.
• * 1.58

  How much soweth au acre
• * 1.59

  When ripe.
• * 1.60

  How to use it
• * 1.61

  What Im∣provement welde yeilde••h
• * 1.62

  The best Land for Woad.
• * 1.63

  Pest known parts for Woad.
• * 1.64

  What price men will give for good Woad-land.
• * 1.65

  Woad pre∣pares excee∣ding well for Corn,
• * 1.66

  The best Corn.
• * 1.67

  How plough∣ed.
• * 1.68

  How much soweth an Acre.
• * 1.69

  What is costs an Acre wee∣ding.
• * 1.70

  The joyce of the Woad must by care∣fully preser∣ved.
• * 1.71

  Five or six Crops in one year of Woad.
• * 1.72

  Season for sow∣ing VVoad.
• * 1.73

  When Woad is ripe.
• * 1.74

  The best Woad for use.
• * 1.75

  The way of seasonidg Woad.
• * 1.76

  How hot the Woad arise un••o in the couch.
• * 1.77

  The advantage of VVo••d.
• * 1.78

  what it yeelds an Acre.
• * 1.79

  The descripti∣on of Madder.
• * 1.80

  The seasons of drawing the sets.
• * 1.81

  What ground is best, and how to prepare it.
• * 1.82

  A rod of ground what worth setting.
• * 1.83

  At what dist∣ance and how to set them.
• * 1.84

  When to get sets of our own planting.
• * 1.85

  Madder plant∣ing formerly gran••ee by Pa∣tent.
• * 1.86

  At Dedford by Greenwich is his Plantation.
• * 1.87

  Best Hop-land.
• * 1.88

  How a hop-garden should stand.
• * 1.89

  Best hop-sets, and where to have them.
• * 1.90

  Signs of an un∣proveable hop
• * 1.91

  How to make the hop-hills.
• * 1.92

  The very time to plant in
• * 1.93

  The best man∣ner of setting the sets.
• * 1.94

  How to pole them, & which poles are best.
• * 1.95

  Poles length.
• * 1.96

  The best sort of poling.
• * 1.97

  And spediest way.
• * 1.98

  And best sea∣son.
• * 1.99

  How to draw broken hop∣poles.
• * 1.100

  How to lay the poles.
• * 1.101

  How to turne the hops to the pole.
• * 1.102

  One of the main things in the hop-yard is raising the hils.
• * 1.103

  At first sup∣press not one science.
• * 1.104

  How to heigh∣ten your hils. When to break off the top of the hop bind.
• * 1.105

  When hops blow and bell, and are ripe.
• * 1.106

  How to pull your hops.
• * 1.107

  Neatness about them is very good.
• * 1.108

  How to dress & pruin the roots in Winter.
• * 1.109

  The charge of se••ting & dres∣sing hops.
• * 1.110

  How to dry hops.
• * 1.111

  The sign when they are dry enough.
• * 1.112

  The profits may be made of hops.
• * 1.113

  Best time for Saffron.
• * 1.114

  How to set Saf∣fron.
• * 1.115

  Saffron as green as a leek all Winte.
• * 1.116

  How to pick Saffron.
• * 1.117

  How to dry Saffron.
• * 1.118

  The Saffron Country.
• * 1.119

  The best land for Liquorish.
• * 1.120

  The charge of workmanship.
• * 1.121

  Price of sets
• * 1.122

  The place where best lands lye for this use.
• * 1.123

  How to set your Plants.
• * 1.124

  If dry, water ••your sets
• * 1.125

  Time of plan∣ting.
• * 1.126

  The Runuer yeelds good sets.
• * 1.127

  When taken up, and when sold.
• * 1.128

  The advanta∣ges thereof.
• * 1.129

  Best seed.
• * 1.130

  Time of sowing
• * 1.131

  How much seed sowed upon an Acre.
• * 1.132

  When to cut it.
• * 1.133

  How to use it.
• * 1.134

  How much an Acre may bear
• * 1.135

  The charge of an Acre.
• * 1.136

  A design to set all poore to work•• and wel maintain them.
• * 1.137

  How to know the best hemp∣seed.
• * 1.138

  Best hemp∣land.
• * 1.139

  The quantity the time of sowing of it▪
• * 1.140

  It must be fen∣ced.
• * 1.141

  Times of get∣ting it.
• * 1.142

  How much the statute requires in a bundle.
• * 1.143

  What seed is worth.
• * 1.144

  The best land for Hempe.
• * 1.145

  Fit••est flaex Land.
• * 1.146

  3. l. given for slax Land.
• * 1.147

  The several persons that slax imployes.
• * 1.148

  How to raise the best flaxe.
• * 1.149

  Best flax seed.
• * 1.150

  An experiment of both sorts of seed.
• * 1.151

  The season for sowing flax.
• * 1.152

  The manner of watering of it.
• * 1.153

  The charge of the flax from the beginning till it come to the Market.
• * 1.154

  The flax and Hempe-trade not come to perfection.
• * 1.155

  What parts prove the im∣provements.
• * 1.156

  What Nurce∣ries of young Trees may improve.
• * 1.157

  How land is improved to twentyfold by Orcharding.
• * 1.158

  One land may improve as wel as another.
• * 1.159

  Very much land may im∣prove as well as that which is improved.
• * 1.160

  Object.
• * 1.161

  Answer. 2.
• * 1.162

  The natured lands upon which the chie∣festfruits doe grow.
• * 1.163

  Answ. 3.
• * 1.164

  Lands of the same nature may raise the same improve∣ment.
• * 1.165

  Object.
• * 1.166

  The climate but a very smal hindrance.
• * 1.167

  Sloth and ig∣norance the greatest hin∣drance of im∣provement.
• * 1.168

  That Wines may be made in England feasibly.
• * 1.169

  Charges and hazards in gar∣dening cuts the comb of its greatest hopes.
• * 1.170

  How Turnep•• will help out the improve∣ment though Markets fail. How Turnep makes bread in a dear year.
• * 1.171

  How Hogs may be kept and fed with Turneps.
• * 1.172

  What Turnep seed sowes an Acre, and how to order it throughout.