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.

To know if your Grape be ripe enough.

FOr to know if your Grape be ripe enough, or not which ye shall not truly know in the taste, but in sight and taste together, as in taste if they be sweet, and full

in eating, and in sight, if the stone will soon fall out being chafed or bruised, which is the best knowledge, and also whe∣ther they be white or blue, it is all one matter: The good Grape is he which commeth out all watry, or those which be all clammy as Bird-lime: by these signes ye shall know when to cut, being through ripe or not, and whereas you do presse your Wine, ye must make your place sweet and clean, and your Vessels within to be clean also, and see that they have strong heads, and those persons, which do presse the Grape, must look their hands, feet and body be clean washed, when as they go to press•• the Grape, and that no woman be there having her terms. Neither ought ye to eat any Chebols, Scalions, Onions, Garlike, Anniseeds, or such like: For all strong savours, your Wine will draw the infection thereof, & as soon as your Grape is cut and gathered, you may presse your Wine very speedily, which will make your Wine to be more pleasant and stronger, for the Grapes, which tarry long unprest, make the Wine to be small and ill; ye must see that your Vessels be new, and sw••et within, and to be washed with sweet water, and then well dryed again, and to perfume them with Mastick, and such sweet vapour, and if your Vessel chance not to be sweet, then shall ye pitch him on the sides, which pitch will take away all evill, and such stinking savour therein.