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.

Of the gathering of Hops.

NOte that commonly, at St. Margarets day, Hops blow, and at Lammas they bell, but what time your Hops be∣gin to change colour, (that is to say) somewhat before Mi∣chaelmasse (for then you shall perceive the seed to change co∣lour and wax brown) you must gather them, and for the speedier dispatch thereof, procure as much help as you can, taking the advantage of fair weather, and note that you were better to gather them too rathe than too late.

To do the same in the readiest and best order, you must pull down your hills standing together in the middest of your Garden, cut the roots of all those hills, as you shall be taught in the Title of Cutting, &c. Then pare the Plat small, levell it, throw water on it, tread it, and sweep it, so shall it be a fair Floore, whereon the Hops must lye to be picked.

Then beginning near unto the same, cut the stalks asunder, close by the tops of the hills, and if the Hops of one Pole be grown fast unto another, cut them also asunder with a sharp Hook, and with a forked staffe take them from the Poles.

You may make the Fork and Hook (which cutteth asun∣der the Hops that grow together) one apt instrument to serve both these turns.

Then may you with your forked ••nd, thrust up, or shove off all such stalks as remain upon each Hop-pole, and carry them to the Floore prepared for that purpose.

For the better doing hereof, it is very necessary that your poles be straight without serags or knobs.

In any wise cut no more stalks then you shall carry away within one hour or two at the most, for if in the mean time the Sun shine hot, and it happen to rain, the Hops (remain∣ing cut in that sort) will be much impaired thereby.

Let all such as help you stand round about the Floore, and suffer them not to pingle in picking one by one, but let them speedily strip them into Baskets prepared ready therefore.

It is not hurtfull greatly, though the smaller Leaves be mingled with the Hops, for in them is retained great vertue, insomuch as in Flanders they were sold Anno Domini 1566 for xxvi. shillings viii. pence the Hundred, no one Hop being mingled with them.

Remember alwayes to clear your Floor twice or thrice e∣very day, and sweep it clean at every such time, before you go to work again.

If the weather be unlike to be fair, you may carry these Hops into your house in Blankets or Baskets, &c. and there accomplish this work. Use no Linnen hereabouts, for the Hops will stain it so, as it can never be washed out.

If your poles be seraggy, so as you cannot strip the stalks from them in this order, you must pull them up with main force before the Hops be gathered, and this is painfull to your self, hurtfull to your Hops, and a delay to your work.

Then must you lay these poles upon a couple of forked stalks driven into the ground, being two or three yards di∣stant one from another, as Spits upon Ranges, and so dispatch this businesse, if the weather be fair, if it be like to be foul, you must be fain to carry the Hops together with the pole

into your Barn or house, that they may not take wet, and so be made uselesse.

In any wise let not the Hops be wet when you cut them from the hills, neither make any delay of gathering after the same time of cuttings, for in standing abroad they will shed their seed, wherein consisteth the chief vertue of the Hop, and hereof I cannot warn you too often, nor too earnestly.

Now by order I should declare unto you the manner of drying your Hops, but because I must therewithall describe the places meet for that purpose, with many circumstances appertaining thereunto, I will be bold, first to finish the work within your Hop-Garden, and then to lead you out of the same, into the place where you must dry your Hops, &c.

When your Hops are gathered, assoon as you have leisure, take up your Poles and pile them (that remain good) as I have shewed you in the Title of Poles.

Then carry out your broken Poles, and your Hop-straw to the fire.

Now may you depart out of your Garden, till the March following, except in the mean time you will bring in dung, or good earth to the maintenance thereof, towards the height∣ning of your hills, or else will plow it, &c.