Fiue Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie

[16 contd. ]

Sowing of rie.

9
Thresh seed and to fanning, September doth crie,
get plough to the field, and be sowing of rie:
To harrow the rydgis, er euer ye strike,[E90]
is one peece[20] of husbandrie Suffolk doth like.

10
Sowe timely thy whitewheat, sowe rie in the dust,
let seede haue his longing, let soile haue hir lust:
Let rie be partaker of Mihelmas spring,
to beare out the hardnes that winter doth bring.

Myslen.

11[21]
Some mixeth to miller the rie with the wheat,
Temmes lofe on his table to haue for to eate:
But sowe it not mixed, to growe so on land,
least rie tarie wheat, till it shed as it stand.

12
If soile doe desire to haue rie with the wheat,
by growing togither, for safetie more great,
Let white wheat be ton, be it deere, be it cheape,
the sooner to ripe, for the sickle to reape.

Sowing.

13
Though beanes be in sowing but scattered in,
yet wheat, rie, and peason, I loue not too thin:
Sowe barlie and dredge,[E91] with a plentifull hand,
least weede, steed of seede, ouer groweth thy land.

KÉeping of crowes.

14[22]
No sooner a sowing, but out by and by,
with mother[23] or boy that Alarum can cry:
And let them be armed with sling or with bowe,
to skare away piggen, the rooke and the crowe.[E92]

Water furrough.

15
Seed sowen, draw a forrough, the water to draine,
and dike vp such ends as in harmes[24] doe remaine:
For driuing of cattell or rouing that waie,
which being preuented, ye hinder their praie.

Amend marsh walles.

16
Saint Mihel[25] doth bid thee amend the marsh wal,[E93]
the brecke and the crab hole, the foreland and al:
One noble in season bestowed theron,
may saue thee a hundred er winter be gon.

Gelding of rams.

17
Now geld with the gelder the ram and the bul,
sew ponds, amend dammes, and sel webster thy wul:
Out fruit go and gather, but not in the deaw,
with crab and the wal nut, for feare of a shreaw.

Gathering of fruit.

18
The Moone in the wane, gather fruit for to last,
but winter fruit gather when Mihel is past:
Though michers that loue not to buy nor to craue,
makes some gather sooner, else few for to haue.

Too early gathering is not best.

19
Fruit gathred too timely wil taste of the wood,
wil shrink[26] and be bitter, and seldome prooue good:
So fruit that is shaken, or beat off a tree,
with brusing in falling, soone faultie wil bee.

Driuing of hiues.

20
Now burne vp the bees that ye mind for to driue,
at Midsomer driue them and saue them aliue:
Place hiue in good

[1] In 1577 these and similar couplets at the beginning of each month's Husbandrie, precede the month's Abstract instead.

[2] Sts. 1 and 2 not in 1577.

[3] Mighelmas. 1577.

[4] coefers. 1577.

[5] rakged. 1577.

[6] at hyt. 1577.

[7] Or borow with sorow as long as thou wilt. 1577.

[8] liened. 1577.

[9] To pare horse's hoofs with.-T.R.

[10] "Clouting is arming the Axle-Tree with Iron plates."—T.R.

[11] "Arming the Fellowes with Iron Strakes, or a Tire as some call it."—T.R. Strakes are segments of a tire.

[12] "Of a tough piece of Whitleather."—T.R.

[13] "Lightest and coolest, but indeed not so comly as those of Wadmus."—T.R.

[14] St. 15 not in 1577, but as follows:—

Rakes also for barley, long toothed in bed,
and greater like toothed for barley so shed.

and first couplet of st. 16.

[15] St. 16 not thus in 1577; see note above, and next note.

[16] In 1577 the second couplet of st. 16 makes a stanza with the following:

Strong fetters and shakles, with horslock and pad;
Strong soles, and such other thinges, meete to be had.

[17] Hog yokes, and a twicher, and ringes for a hog,
with tar in a pot, for the byeting of dog. 1577.

[18] St. 19 not in 1577.

[19] St. 20 not in 1577.

[20] This point of good husbandry, etc. 1577.

[21] St. 11 not in 1577.

[22] Sts. 14 and 15 not in 1577, but nine stanzas which do not occur here.

[23] Cf. ante, ch. 17, st. 13 and note E85.

[24] Cf. post, ch. 19, st. 6.

[25] Mighel, here and in st. 18. 1577.

[26] "If Fruit stand too long it will be mealy, which is worse than shrively, for now most Gentlemen chuse the shriveled Apple."—T.R.

[27] "Ther is a Water-retting and a Dew-retting, which last is done on a good Rawing, or aftermath of a Meadow Water."—T.R.

[28] "After Harvest."—T.R.

[29] This is placed before st. 9 in 1577.

[30] "Laying the Boards handsomely one upon another with sticks between."—T.R.

[31] The outermost piece.

[32] Cf. note 12, p. 33.

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