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 ...

Of the preservation of Poles.

ANd although we are not yet come to the laying up of Poles, I am bold herein, as I began too late, so to make an end too quickly, because J would touch the whole matter of Poles together, laying them by themselves, (I meane) com∣prehending under one title, the businesse appertaining unto them.

For the preservation and better continuance of Poles, some make houses of purpose, and lay them up therein.

Some set them upright to a Tree, and over them make a penthouse of boughes or boords.

Some lay a great heape of Hopstalkes upon the ground, and upon them a great heape of Poles, and upon the Poles a∣gaine lay another heape of stalkes, &c.

These men doe hereby expresse no great experience, al∣though by their diligence they signifie a good desire.

You shall need to doe no more but thus. At the ends or sides of your Garden, take three Poles standing upon three hills placed directly one by another, and three like Poles upon three other hills of the next row right over against them, constraine them to meet together by two and two in the tops, and so hold them till one with a forked wand may put three Withes (like unto three Broome bands, which may be made of the stalkes of Hops) upon each couple of the said sixe Poles, so shall the same sixe Poles being so bound by two and two together, stand like the roofe or rafters of an house.

To keepe the Poles that shall lye nethermost from rotting, by the moystnesse of the ground: within the compasse of your said sixe hills, (underneath the Poles that you have fa∣stened

together in the tops,) raise three little bankes crosse or thwart from hill to hill, as though you would make your sixe hills to be but three.

Vpon those bankes lay a few Hopstalkes, and upon them your Poles, observing that one stand at one end of the roome, and another at the other end, ordering the matter so, as the tops of the Poles lye not all one way, but may be equally and orderly devided: otherwise one end of the roome would be full before the other, whereas now they shall lye even and sharpe above, like an Haystacke, or the ridge of an house, and sufficiently defend themselves from the weather.

If you thinke that you have not Poles enough to fill the roome, pull downe the Withs or bands lower, and your roome will be lesse, and this doe before you lay in your Poles.