The country-mans recreation, or the art of planting, graffing, and gardening in three bookes. The first declaring divers wayes of planting, and graffing ... also how to cleanse your grafts and cions, how to helpe barren and sicke trees, how to kill wormes and vermin and to preserve and keepe fruit, how to plant and proyne your vines, and to gather and presse your grape ... how to make your cider and perry ... The second treateth of the hop-garden, with necessary instructions for the making and the maintenance thereof ... Whereunto is added, the expert gardener, containing divers necessary and rare secrets belonging to that art ...

A Description of the Line.

[illustration] diagram of a level line or rope

YOur line being laid levell, you must digge underneath e∣very thred or pinne placed upon the same, a hole like a Pit∣fall,

one foote square, and one foote deepe.

When you have made twenty or thirty holes, take up so many rootes; from where you bestowed them, as ought to be set therein, and goe to work on this wise, alwayes watching a time (if you may) that the wind be in some part pf the South or West, but be not so scrupulous herein, that you over∣slip the moneth of Aprill, least Salomons saying, be spoken of you: He that regardeth the Wind shall not sow, and he that hath respect to the Clouds shall not reape. For he that neg∣lecteth the Moneth of Aprill, shall have a bad season to cut or plant Hops.

[illustration] diagram of a line or rope used as to measure planting

Take two or three of your rootes (which by this time will yeeld forth greene sciences or white buds, and will also have small rootes or beards growing out of them, the which must be, all saving the smaller sort of white buds, pared away by the old roote) joyne them close together, so as (in any wise) they may be even in the tops: set them also together bolt up∣right, directly under the foresaid thred or pinne, holding them hard together with one hand, while you fill the hole with the other with fine mould prepared and made ready before hand, regarding that the tops of the rootes be levell with the face or uppermost part of the ground.

Take good heed also that you set not that end downeward, that grew before upward, which you shall know by the buds that appeare in the knots of each roote, and let no part of the dead remaine upon the uppermost part of the joynt thereof.

And when you have thus done, presse downe the earth with your foote hard to the rootes, not treading upon them, but

driving the loose earth close to the corner where the rootes are set.

And here is to be noted, that the readiest and evenest way, is alwayes to set your rootes at one certaine corner of the hole, which corner should alwayes be right underneath the said pinne or thred, as is afore shewed.

At this time you must make no hill at all, but onely cover the tops of your rootes about two inches thicke, with the fi∣nest mould you can get.

When you are driven to set your rootes late, if there be any greene springs upon them, you may take the advantage there∣of, leaving the same spring uncovered, otherwise you both destroy the spring, and endanger the roote.