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 ...

Abuses in Hilling.

SOme observe no time, and some no measure in making their hills, but (having hard say that hills are necessary) they make them they care not when nor how.

Some make hills once for all, and never after plucke down the same, but better it were to make no hill, then so to doe, for after the first yeare it doth derogate, and not adde any comfort to the roote, except the same be every yeare new made and dressed, &c.

Some use to breake off the tops of the Hops when they are growne a xi. or xii. foote high, because thereby they burnish and stocke exceedingly, wherein though I cannot commend their doings, yet doe they much better then such as will have their Poles as long as their Hops.

But if your Pole be very long, and that the Hop have not attained to the top thereof before the middest of Iuly, you shall doe well then to breake or cut off the top of the same Hop, for so shall the residue of the growing time serve to the

maintenance and encrease of the branches, which otherwise would expire without doing any good in that matter, because that whole time would then be imployed to the lengthening of the stalke, which little prevaileth (I say) to the stocking or encrease of the Hoppe,

And here is to be noted that many covetous men thinking (in hast) to enlarge their lucre, doe find (at leisure) their com∣modity diminished, whilest they make their hills too thicke, their Poles too long, and suffer too many stalkes to grow up¦on one Pole, wherein (I say) while they runne away flattering themselves with the imagination of double gaines, they are o∣vertaken with trebble dammage (that is to say) with the losse of their time, their labour, and their cost.