The country-mans recreation, or The art of [brace] planting, graffing, and gardening, [brace] in three books. The first declaring divers waies of planting, and graffing, and the best times of the year, with divers commodities and secrets herein, how to set or plant with the root, and without the root; to sow or set pepins or curnels, with the ordering thereof, also to cleanse your grafts and cions, to help barren and sick trees, to kill worms and vermin, and to preserve and keep fruit; how to plant and proin your vines, and to gather and presse your grape; to cleanse and mosse your trees, to make your cider and perry, with many other secret practises which shall appear in the table following. The second treateth of the hop-garden, with necessary instructions for the making and maintenance thereof, ... with some directions for tabaco. Whereunto is added, The expert gardener, containing divers necessary and rare secrets belonging to that art, ... hereunto is likewise added the Art of angling.

A Table of all the principall things contained in this Book.

Of the seven Chapters following.

CHAP. I. Treateth of the setting of Curnels, of Apple Treees, Plum Trees, Pear Trees, and Service Trees.

• HOw to choose your Pepins at the first pressing.
• Means to use the Earth to sow your Pepins on.
• Seeing unto the Poultry for marring your beds, and how to weed or cleanse your beds or quarters.
• Wilde Cions how to pluck them up.

CHAP. II. Treateth how to set your wilde Trees which come of Pepins, when they be first pluckt up.

• WIlde Trees that come of Pepins how to dung them.
• Principall Roots how to cut them in setting again.
• Young Trees, how to set them in rank.

• Spaces from one rank to another, and how to mak•• them.
• Plants being dry, how to water them.
• Removing your trees, how to plant them again.
• Removing, how to know the fittest time for it.
• Negligence and forgetfulnesse, and the hurt of it.
• Not so good to graffe the Service-tree, as to set him.
• Some trees without Graffing have good fruit, and o∣thers being graffed, have but evill fruit.
• For to augment and multiply your trees.
• The manner to change the fruit of the Pepin-tree.
• How to make good Cyder.
• To make an Orchard in few years.

CHAP. III. Is of setting of Trees which come of Nuts.

• HOw to set trees that doe come of Nuts, and the time to plant or set them.
• To set them in the Spring.
• Dunging and deep digging thereof.
• Stones and Nuts like the Trees they come of.
• Planting the said Nuts.
• Why fruit shall not have so good favour.
• To set the Pine Tree.
• To set Cherry Trees.
• Trees of bastard or wilde Nuts.
• To set Filberds and Hasell wands.
• To set Damsons and Plum Trees.
• To graffe Cions of Plums or the like.
• To set all sorts of Cherry Trees.
• How to order Plum Trees and Cherry Trees.
• How to graffe Plum Trees and Cherry Trees.
• How to proyn or cut Trees.
• How to cleanse and dresse the roots of Trees.
• To keep the stock being greater than the graffes.

• The remedy when a bough is broken.
• How to enlarge the hole about the roots.
• To set small staves to stay your Cions.
• What Tree to proine.
• Why the sower Cherry dureth not so long as the great Helme Cherry.
• To graffe one great Cherry with another.
• Of deep setting or shallow.

CHAP. IV. Sheweth how to set other Trees of great Cions prickt in the earth without Roots, with the proyning of lesser Cions.

• BRanches being prickt giving roots to Trees.
• How to set them.
• How to bind them that be weak.
• How to digge the Earth to set them in.
• Cions without Roots.
• Planting of the Fig Tree.
• Setting of Quinces.
• Setting of Mulberry Trees.
• Cutting time for Cions.
• Setting Bush Trees, as Gooseberries and small Reisons.
• A Note thereof.

CHAP. V. Treateth of foure manner of Graffings.

• DIvers wayes of Graffing.
• Graffing of all sorts of Trees.

• Graffing of Apple trees, Pear trees, Quince trees, and Medlar trees.
• Graffing of great Cherries.
• Graffing Medlars on other Medlars.
• Divers kindes of Graffes on one tree.
• Graffing of the Fig tree.
• Graffing the great Apricocks.
• Graffing the Service tree.
• Setting the Service tree.
• Trees hard to graffe in the Shield.
• How to see to Trees charged with fruit.
• Cho••sing of trees to choose your Cions in.
• Cions on the East part are best.
• Choosing of your tree for Graffes.
• To keep Graffes a long time.
• To keep Graffes ere they bud.
• How you ought to begin to graffe.
• When is good Graffing the wilde Stocks.
• To mark if the tree be forward or not.
• When'ye Graffe, what to be furnished withal
• Of Graffes not prospering the first year.
• For to Graffe well and sure.
• How to trim your Graffes.
• How to cut Graffe for Cherries and Plums.
• A Note of your incision.
• To be heedfull in graffing least you raiseth
• How to cut your stock.
• If your wilde stock be great or slender.
• Trees as great as a mans Arm.
• Great trees as big as ones Leg.
• The Graffes being pinched in the Stocks.
• How you ought to cleave your stocks.
• To graffe the branches of great trees.
• How to cut great old branches.
• How to bind your Graffs against winds.
• To set many Graffes in one cleft.

• To saw your stock before you leave him.
• If the stock cleave too much, or the bark open.
• How Graffes never lightly take.
• How to set Graffes right in the stock.
• Setting in of the graffes.
• A note of the same.
• How to draw forth the wedge.
• How to cover your clifts on the head.
• How ye ought to see well to the close binding up of your Graffes.
• How ye ought to temper your clay.
• How to bush your graffe-heads.
• The second stay to graffe high Branches.
• The third manner of Graffing, is betwixt the bark and the Tree.
• Dressing t••e head, to place your Graffes betwixt the bark and the Tree.
• Covering the head of your stock.
• The manner of graffing in the Shield.
• To graffe in summer, so long as the trees be leaved
• Big Cions are best to graffe.
• Manner to take off the Shield.
• If your Scutchion or Shield be good or bad, how to know it.
• Graffing on young Trees.
• Setting or placing your Shield.
• A Note on the same.
• Raising up the bark to set the Shield on.
• Binding on your Shield.
• A tree will bear the graffing of two or three Shields
• Unbinding time for your Shield.
• Cutting the Branches grafted on Trees.

CHAP. VI. Is of transplanting or altering the Trees.

• BEst to transplant or set them timely.
• To plant or set towards the South.
• Cutting the Branches before ye set.
• Apple-trees commonly must be disbranched be∣fore ye set them again.
• All wilde stocks must be disbranched.
• What Trees do love the Sun, & what the cold aire.
• Many sorts and manner of Trees.
• Planting or setting Trees at large.
• Right ordering your Trees.
• The best manner to enlarge the holes when you plant your Trees.
• Dung and good Earth for your Trees.
• If Worms be in the earth at your roots of Trees.
• Digging the Earth well about the roots.
• Nature of the places.
• Goodnesse of the Earth.
• With what ye ought to bind the trees.

CHAP. VII. Is of Medicining and keeping the Trees, when they are Planted & Set.

• FIrst our counsel is, when your Trees are but Plants (in dry weather) they must be watered.
• With what Dung ye ought to dung your Trees.
• When ye ought in Summer to uncover your Trees.
• When to cut or proin your Trees.
• Cutting off great Branches, and when.
• Leaving great Branches cut.

• Great Branches, and of the Trees that bear them.
• Barrennesse of Trees, of cutting ill branches, and uncovering the roots.
• Which Trees ye must break, or pluck up the roots.
• What doth make a good Nut.
• Cattle eating and destroying trees, how to graft them again.
• Wilde stocks ought not hastily to be removed.
• When to cut naughty Cions from the head.
• Sometime how to cut the principall members.
• How to guide and govern the said Trees.
• A kinde of Sicknesse in Trees.
• Worms in the barks of Trees.
• Snails, Ants, and Worms that marre trees.
• How to take those strange creeping Worms.
• Keeping Antes from the Trees.
• A Note of ill ayres and weathers.
• Defenc•• from the Caterpiller.

Here followeth the Table of Graffing, strange and subtile wayes in using of Fruits and Trees.

• GRaffing one Vine upon another.
• To help a Tree long without fruit.
• To have Peaches two months afore others.
• To have Damsons unto Alhallontide.
• To have Medlers, Cherries, and Peaches, in eating to taste like spice.
• How to make a Muscadell taste.
• To have Apples and Pears to come without blossoming.
• To have Apples and Chesnuts rath, and long on the Trees to remain.
• To have good Cherries unto Alhallontide.
• To have rath Medlers two moneths before others.

• To have Pears timely.
• To have Misplers and Medlers without stones.
• How to have other pears betimes.
• Mulberries how to ripen them very soon and dure long.
• Keeping of pears a year.
• To have fruit tast half an Apple and half a pear.
• Graffing time.
• Graffing the Quine Apple.
• A way to destroy Pismires or Ants about the Tree.
• Another way of the same.
• Nuts, Plums and Almonds how to have them grea∣ter and fairer than others.
• How to make an Oke or other Tree as green in Winter as in Summer.
• Planting with roots and without roots.
• Keeping fruit from the frost.
• Choice dayes to plant and graffe.
• Green Roses all the year.
• Raisins or Grapes good an whole year.
• Laxative fruit from the tree, how to make it.
• A note for all planters and graffers.

Here followeth a Table of certain Dutch practises.

• TO Graffe one Vine upon another.
• Chosen dayes to Graffe in, and to choose Cions.
• How to gather your Cions.
• Of Worms in the Trees or fruit.
• The setting of stones and the ordering thereof.
• How to gather Gum of any tree.
• To set a whole Apple.
• The setting of Almonds.
• The watering of Pepins.
• To plant or set Vines.
• To plant or set the Cherry tree.

• To keep Cherries good a year.
• Remedy against Pismires or Ants.
• The setting of Chesnuts.
• To make all stone-fruit tast as ye shall devise good.
• The graffing of the Medlar or Misple.
• The bearing of fruit of the Fig-tree.
• The planting of the Mulberry and Fig-tree.
• The tree that beareth bitter fruit.
• To help barren Trees.
• Another way for the same.
• To keep fruit after they be gathered.
• The Mulberry-tree liking his earth.
• Of Mosse on your Trees.
• To keep Nuts long.
• To cut or proyn the Peach-tree.
• To colour Peach-stones.
• If Peaches be troubled with Worms.
• Peaches without stones.
• Another way for the same.
• How to help trees that do not prosper.
• Graffing Apples to last on the tree till Alhallontide.
• Making Cherries and Peaches smell like spice.
• Graffing an Apple-tree half sweet, half sower,
• Graffing the Rose on the Holly-tree.
• Keeping of Plums.
• Altering of Pears.
• Making of Cyder and Perry.
• How to help frozen Apples.
• How to make Apples fall from the Tree.
• Watering trees in Summer, if they wax dry about the root.
• How to cherish Apples.
• How to make an Apple grow in a Glasse.
• How to Graffe many sorts of Apples on one Tree.
• How to colour Apples of what colour ye list.
• How to graffe and have Apples without Core.
• Setting of Vine-plants.

• How to proyn or cut a Vine in Winter.
• Grape and Vine how to order them.
• How to have Grapes without stones.
• Making a Vine to bring a Grape to t••ste like Claret.
• Gathering of your Grapes.
• How to know if your Grapes be ripe enough.
• How to prove or taste Wine.
• Setting, planting and ordering of Hops.
• How to choose your Hops.
• How to sow the seeds.
• Setting your Poles.
• How to proine your Hop.
• How to gather your Hops.
• What Poles are best for your purpose.
• How to order and dresse your hills.
• The best ground for your Hops.]
• A note of all the rest abovesaid.
• Packing and keeping your Hops.

The Authors Conclusion of this Table.

TO God be praise on high in all our wordly Planting, And let us thank the Romanes also, for the Art of Graffing and Gardening.

A Table for the Hop-Garden.

• A Perfect Platform of a Hop-Garden.
• Of unapt Ground, and apt for Hops
• Of the scituation.
• Of the quantity.
• A proportion of the charge and benefit of a Hop-Garden.
• Of the preparation of a Hop-Garden.
• The time to set and ••ut Hop-roots.
• Rules for the choice and preparation of roots.
• Of the good Hop.
• Of the unkindly Hop.
• Of the wild Hop.
• Of setting of Hop-roots.
• The distance of the hills.
• A Description of the Line.
• Abuses and disorders in setting.
• Provision again•••• annoyance and spoil of your Garden.
• Of Poles.
• Of the erection of Poles.
• Of ramming of Poles.
• Of reparation of Poles.
• Of pulling up Poles.
• The way to make the Instrument wherewith to pull up the Hop-poles.
• The manner of pulling up the Hop-poles.
• Of the preservation of poles.
• Of tying of Hops to the poles.

• Of hilling and hils.
• Abuses in hilling.
• Of the gathering of Hops.
• What there is to be done in Winter herein.
• When and where to lay Dung.
• The order of cutting Hoppe Roots.
• Of divers mens follies.
• Of disorders and maintainers thereof.
• Of an Oste.
• Of the severall rooms for an Oste.
• Of the Furnace or Keele.
• Of the bed or upper floore of the Oste, whereon the Hoppes must be dryed.
• The orderly drying of Hops.
• Other manner of Dryings not so good.
• The very worst way of drying Hops.
• Of not Drying.
• Of the packing of Hops.
• The reformation of a garden of wild Hops
• The Reformation of a disordered Garden.
• Needless curiosities used by the unskilfull.