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 description of the Line.

[illustration] depiction of a plant-training line

YOur line being laid levell, you must digge, underneath e∣very thred or pin placed upon the same, a hole like a Pit∣fall,

one foot square, and one foot deep.

When you have made twenty or thirty holes, take up so many roots; from where you bestowed them, as ought to be therein, and go to work on this wise, alwaies watching a time (if you may) that the winde be in some part of the South or West, but be not so scrupulous herein, that you overslip the moneth of April, least Salomons saying, be spoken of you. He that regardeth the Wind shall not sow, and he that hath respect to the Clouds shall not reap. For he that neglecteth the Moneth of April, shall have a bad season to cut or plant Hops.

[illustration] depiction of a plant-training line with four stages of growth

Take two or three of your roots (which by this time will yeeld forth green Cions or white buds, and will also have small roots or beards growing out of them, the which must be, all saving the smaller sort of white buds, pared away by the old root) joyn them close together, so as (in any wise) they may be even in the tops: set them also together bolt up∣right, directly under the foresaid thred or pin, holding them hard together with one hand, while you fill the hole with the other with fine mould prepared and made ready before hand, regarding that the tops of the roots be levell with the face or uppermost part of the ground.

Take good heed also that you set not that end downward, that grew before upward, which you shall know by the buds that appear in the knots of each root, and let no part of the dead remain upon the uppermost part of the joynt thereof.

And when you have thus done, presse down the earth with your foot hard to the roots, not treading upon them, but

driving the loose earth close to the corner where the roots are set.

And here is to be noted, that the readiest and evenest way is alwayes to set your roots at one certain corner of the hole, which corner should alwaies be right underneath the said pinne or thred, as is aforeshewed.

At this time you must make no hill at all, but onely co∣ver the tops of your roots about two inches thick, with the finest mould you can get.

When you are driven to set your roots late, if there be a∣ny green springs upon them, you may take the advantage thereof, leaving the same spring uncovered, otherwise you both destroy the spring, and endanger the root.