_How to preserue all manner of seedes, hearbs, flowers, and fruits,
from all manner of noysome and pestilent things which deuoure and hurt
them._
[Sidenote: Of Thunder and Lightning.]
It is not enough to bequeath and giue your séedes vnto the ground, and
then immediatly to expect (without any further industrie) the fruit of
your labours, no goodnesse seldome commeth with such ease: you must
therefore know that when you lay your séedes in the ground, they are
like so many good men amongst a world of wicked ones, and as it were
inuironed and begirt with maine Armies of enemies, from which if your
care and diligence doe not defend them the most, if not all, will
doubtlesse perish, and of these enemies the worst and most violentest
is _Thunder_ and _Lightning_, which in a moment killeth all sorts of
flowers, plants, and trées, euen in the height and pride of their
flourishing, which to preuent, it hath béene the practise of all the
auncient Gardners, to plant against the walles of their Gardens, or in
the middest of their quarters, where their choysest flowers grow, the
_Lawrell_ or _Bay_ Trée, which is euer helde a defence against those
strikings.
[Sidenote: Of Caterpillers.]
Next vnto _Thunder_ and _Lightning_ are _Caterpillers_, which are a
kinde of filthy little wormes, which lye in Cobwebs about the leaues,
deuouring them, and poysoning the sap, in such sort, that the Plant
dieth spéedily after: the way to kill these, is to take strong Vrine
and Ashes mixt together, and with it to dash and sprinkle all the
Plants cleane ouer, and it will both preuent their bréeding, or being
bred will kill them: the smoake of Brimstone will doe the like, yet if
they be excéeding much abundant, the surest way to destroy them, is to
take olde, rotten, mouldy Hay, and setting it on fire, with the blaze
thereof burne the Cob-webs, and then with the smoake smother and kill
the wormes, and they will hardly euer bréede in that place againe.
[Sidenote: Of Toades and Frogges.]
Next these are _Toades_ and _Frogges_, which are very poysonous and
great destroyers of young Plants, chiefly in their first appearing
aboue the ground, and the auncient Gardners haue vsed to destroy them
by burning the fat of a Stagge in some part of the Garden beds, from
which earth all creatures that haue poyson in them, will flye with all
violence: other Gardners will watch where the Kite pearcheth on nights,
and gathering vp her dung, scatter it vpon the beds either simply, or
mixt with the shauings of an olde Harts horne, and no venemous thing
will come néere it.
[Sidenote: Of the field Myce.]
Next these are field _Myce_, which will roote séedes out of the earth,
and deuoure them aboundantly, which to kill you shall take _Henbane
seede_, and beate it to pouder, and then mixing it with swéete Oyle,
fresh Butter, or Grease, make thereof a bayte; and when you finde
where they scratch or roote, lay some part of the bayte in that place,
and they will gréedily eate it, and it will kill them: there be other
Gardners which will take a Wéesell, and burning it to ashes, scatter
the ashes on the beds, and then no field _Mouse_ will come néere them.
[Sidenote: Of Flyes.]
Next these are _Flyes_, as flesh-_Flyes_, _Scarabs_, _Hornets_,
_Dores_, and such like, which are great destroyers of Séeds and Plants,
when they appeare in their first leafe, and are soft and tender, which
to destroy, you shall either take _Orpment_ mixt with milke, or the
pouder of _Allome_, or the ashes of any of these _Flyes_ burnt, and
with it sprinkle your beds and young plants all ouer, and it will kéepe
_Flyes_ that they will not dare to come néere them.
[Sidenote: Of the greene Fly.]
If the gréene _Fly_, which of all other _Flyes_ is most gréedie to hurt
Séedes and Plants, doe offend your Garden, you shall take _Henbane_
leaues, _Houseleeke_, and _Minte_, and beat them in a Morter, then
straine forth the iuyce, and then adde thereto as much Vinegar as
was of all the rest, and there-with sprinkle your beds all ouer, and
the gréene _Fly_ will neuer come néere them. Some hold opinion, that
if you plant the hearbe _Rocket_ in your Garden, that it is a safe
preseruatiue against these gréene _Flyes_, for it is most certaine that
the very smell thereof will kill these, and most sorts of all other
_Flyes_ whatsoeuer, as hath béene found by approued experience, and the
sylts of olde auncient Abby Gardens, which a man shall seldome finde
without this hearbe planted in them.
[Sidenote: Of Gnats.]
Next these are _Gnats_, which although it be the smallest of all Flyes,
yet it is the greatest, quickest, and sharpest deuourer of tender
Plants of all other, for it biteth déeper and more venemously sharpe,
then those which are of much bigger substance: the best way to destroy
them is morning and euening, to smoake and perfume your beds either
with wet Rosemary, or with mouldy Hay: some vse to burne _Calamint_,
and some Oxe dung, and sure all are very good, for the smoakes are very
sharpe, and styflle as soone as it is receiued.
[Sidenote: Of Pismyers.]
Next these are _Pismyers_, which also are very noysome vnto Gardens,
for they will digge vp, and carrie away the smaller séedes to their
hills, and in short space spoyle and deface a bed of his encrease, and
the best way to destroy them, is, if you finde their hill, to poure hot
scalding water vpon them: or if vpon your Garden beds you strowe Ashes
or Lyme, but especially that which is made of chalk, they will by no
meanes come néere them, as you shall finde by experience.
[Sidenote: Of Moales.]
Next these are _Moales_, which digging and vndermining the earth,
turneth vp Séedes and Plants in a confused fashion, to the vtter
destruction and ruine of the Husband-mans labour, the cure whereof is
to take them in such sort, as shall be shewed in this Booke, where I
speake of Pasture grounds; but if you finde that their encrease and
continuance multiply with your labour, it shall be then good for you
to plant in diuers places of your Garden the hearbe called _Palma
christi_, in other places _Garlickes_ and in other places _Onyons_, and
it is an assured rule that no _Moale_ will come néere where they grow
for the strength and violence of their smell, is poysonous and deadly
to those blind vermines.
[Sidenote: Of Snailes.]
Next there are _Snailes_ of both kindes, blacke and white, which are
as much offensiue to Gardens, as any other crawling thing, for they
féed of the tender leaues of plants, and of the outmost rindes of the
daintiest hearbs or flowers, the way to destroy them, is to sprinkle
vpon the beds and other places of their aboad good store of chimney
soote, which by no meanes they can endure, because it is mortall and
poysonous.
[Sidenote: Of Moathes.]
Next there are _Moathes_ or _Moaghts_, which are very pernitious in
a Garden, for they destroy both Séeds and Plants, and there is not
better or more certaine way to kill them, then by taking olde horse
hoofes, and burning them, with the smoake thereof to perfume all the
places where they abide, and it will in an instant kill them; with this
smoake onely you may kéepe Arras hanging, Tapistrie, Néedle-worke,
Cushions, or Carpets, or any woollen cloath or garment whatsoeuer safe
from _Moathes_ as long as you please, neither néede you to vse it aboue
once or twice a yéere at the most, as shall be more at large in another
place declared.
[Sidenote: Of Cankers.]
Next these are _Cankers_, which are a kinde of filthie wormes, which
deuoure both the great and small leaues of all sorts of swéet Plants,
especially _Lettuce_, _Cabbadge_, _Colaflours,_ and such like; and the
way to destroy them, is to scatter amongst your Plants, Goose-dung,
or to sprinkle the iuyce thereof with a wispe of _Rue_, or hearbe of
_Grace_ ouer all the beds, and though some with a rustie knife vse to
scrape them from the leaues, and so kill them on a Tyle-shread, yet for
my part I hold this the néerer way, and both more certaine and more
easie, as experience will approue.
[Sidenote: Of Garden Wormes.]
[Sidenote: An excellent experiment.]
Lastly, are your Garden _Wormes_ which liuing in the hollowes of the
earth féede much vpon your tender Garden séedes, and the soft sprouts
which first issue from them, especially from all sorts of kirnels, in
which they delight more then in any other séede whatsoeuer, as you may
finde by experience, if you please to obserue accidents as they happen,
without which obseruation you shall hardly attaine to the perfection
of an excellent Gardner: for if you please to make this triall, take
the kirnels of a faire sound Pippin, and deuide them into two parts,
then sowe the one halfe in a Garden bed well drest and trimmed for the
purpose, where the worme hath liberty to come and goe at his pleasure,
sowe the other halfe in some riuen boule, earthen pot, or halfe Tub,
made for the purpose with the same earth or mould that the bed is, and
then set the vessell so as no worme may come there-vnto, and you shall
finde that all those Séedes will sprout and come forth, when hardly any
one of those in the bed of earth will or can prosper, there being no
other reason but the extreame gréedinesse of the deuouring worme, which
to preuent, you shall take Oxe dung, and burn it to ashes, then mixe
them with the earth where-with you couer your Séedes, and it will both
kill the wormes, and make the Séedes sprout both sooner and safer. And
thus much for the preseruation of Séeds and Plants, from all noysome
and pestilent creatures, which being practised with care and diligence,
will giue vnto euery honest minde the satisfaction he desireth.
[Sidenote: The conclusion of the Kitchen Garden.]
Now to conclude this small tract or Treatise of the Husbandmans
_Kitchen Garden_, I would haue euery honest Reader vnderstand, that I
haue not taken vpon me to modell out any curious shape or proportion,
but onely figured out a perfect nourcerie, shewing you how to bréed
and bring vp all things fit for health or recreation which being once
brought to mature and ripe age, you may dispose into those proper
places which may become their worthinesse, in which worke I would haue
your owne fancy your owne directour, for I may giue preheminence to
that you least like, and disestéeme that most which to you may séeme
most worthy, therefore let your owne iudgement order your Garden, like
your house, and your hearbs like your furniture, placing the best in
the best places, & such as are most conspicuous, and the rest according
to their dignities in more inferiour roomes, remembring that your
galleries, great chambers, and lodgings of state doe deserue Arras,
your Hall Wainscote, and your meanest offices some _Boscadge_, or
cleanly painting: from this alligorie if you can draw any wit, you may
finde without my further instruction how to frame Gardens of all sorts
to your owne contentment.
THE SECOND PART
OF THE SECOND BOOKE
of the _English Husbandman_: Contayning
the ordering of all sorts of VVoods, and
the breeding of Cattell.