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.

Here followeth the best times how to order, choose, and to Set or Plant Hops.

[illustration] diagram of planting schemes

IN this Figure ye shall understand the placing and making of Hop hills, by every Cypher over his head. The first place is shewed but one Pole set in the middest, and the Hop beneath: The second sheweth how some do chop down a Spade in the middest of the Hills, and therein layes his Hop roots. The third place sheweth, how other some do set out one Pole in the middest, and the Hop roots at holes put in round about. The fourth place sheweth how some chops in a Spade crosse in the top, and there layes in his roots. The fifth place sheweth, how some do set four Poles therein and put the Hop round about the Hill. The sixth place sheweth that some use to make crosse holes in the sides, and there lays ••n the Hop roots, Thus many practises have been proved good: provided alwayes that your hills be of good fat earth, specially in the midst down unto the bottom. This I thought sufficient to shew by this figure, the diversity in setting, where∣of the laying of the Hop is counted the surest way.

THe best and common setting time of Hops, is from the middest of November, to the middest of February, then

must ye dig and cleanse the ground of weeds, and mix it well with good mold and fat earth. Then divide your Hills a yard one from another orderly, in making them a yard asun∣der, and two foot and a half broad in the bottome, and when ye plant them, lay in every Hill three or four Roots: Some do in setting of them lay them crosse-wise in the midst of the Hill, and so cover them again: Some set the Roots in four parts of the Hill, others likewise do make holes round about the Hills, and put of the Roots therein, and so cover them again light with earth: of one short root in a year ye may have many Plants, to set and lay as ye shall see it good, and it shall be sufficient for every Plant to have two knots within the ground, and one without, then some do chop a Spade crosse into the Hill, and lay Hop in crosse, and so cover it.