_A comparison of all the former soyles together, and most especiall notes
for giuing the ignorant Husbandman perfect vnderstanding, of what is
written before._
The reason why I haue thus at large discoursed of euery seuerall soyle,
both simple and compounded, is to show vnto the industrious Husbandman,
the perfect and true reason of the generall alteration of our workes in
Husbandry, through this our Realme of England: for if all our Land, as
it is one kingdome, were likewise of one composition, mixture, and
goodnesse, it were then exceeding preposterous to see those diuersities,
alterations, I, and euen contrary manners of proceedings in Husbandry,
which are daily and hourely vsed: but euery man in his owne worke knowes
the alteration of clymates. Yet for so much as this labour of Husbandry,
consisteth not for the most part in the knowing and vnderstanding
breast, but in the rude, simple, and ignorant Clowne, who onely knoweth
how to doe his labour, but cannot giue a reason why he doth such labour,
more then the instruction of his parents, or the custome of the
Countrie, where it comes to passe (and I haue many times seene the same
to mine admiration) that the skillfullest Clowne which is bred in the
clay soyles, when hee hath beene brought to the sandy ground, hee could
neither hould the plough, temper the plough, nor tell which way in good
order to driue the Cattell, the heauinesse of the one labour being so
contrary to the lightnesse of the other, that not hauing a temperance,
or vnderstanding in his hands, hee hath beene put euen vnto his wittes
ends; therefore I thinke it conuenient, in this place, by a slight
comparison of soyles together, to giue the simplest Husbandman such
direct & plaine rules that he shall with out the study of his braines,
attaine to absolute knowledge of euery seuerall mixture of earth: and
albeit hee shall not be able distinctly to say at the first that it is
compounded of such and such earths, yet hee shall be very able to
deliuer the true reason and manner how such ground (of what nature
soeuer) shall be Husbanded and tilled.
Therefore to begin the Husbandman, is to vnderstand, that generally
there are but two soyles for him to regard, for in them consisteth the
whole Arte of Husbandry: as namely, the open and loose earth, and the
close and fast binding earth, and these two soyles being meare opposites
and contraries, most necessarily require in the Husbandman a double
vnderstanding, for there is no soyle, of what simplicitie or mixture
soeuer it be, but it is either loose or fast.
Now to giue you my meaning of these two words, _loose_ and _fast_, it
is, that euery soyle which vpon parching and dry weather, euen when the
Sunne beames scorcheth, and as it were baketh the earth, if then the
ground vpon such exceeding drought doe moulder and fall to dust, so that
whereas before when it did retaine moisture it was heauie, tough, and
not to be seperated, now hauing lost that glewinesse it is light, loose,
and euen with a mans foote to be spurnd to ashes, all such grounds are
tearmed loose and open grounds, because at no time they doe binde in or
imprison the seede (the frost time onely excepted, which is by
accidence, and not from the nature of the soyle:) and all such grounds
as in their moisture or after the fall of any sodaine raine are soft,
plyable, light, and easie to be wrought, but after when they come to
loose that moistnesse and that the powerfulnesse of the Sunne hath as it
were drid vp their veynes, if then such earths become hard, firme, and
not to be seperated, then are those soyles tearmed fast and binding
soyles, for if there ardors be not taken in their due times, and their
seede cast into them in perfect and due seasons, neither is it possible
for the Plowman to plow them, nor for the seede to sprout through, the
earth being so fastned and as it were stone-like fixt together. Now
sithence that all soyles are drawne into these two heads, fastnes, and
loosenesse, and to them is annexed the diuersitie of all tillage, I will
now show the simple Husbandman which earths be loose, and which fast,
and how without curiositie to know and to distinguish them.
Breifely, all soyles that are simple and of themselues vncompounded, as
namely, all claies, as blacke, white, gray, or blew, and all sands, as
either red, white, or blacke, are open and loose soyles: the claies
because the body and substance of them being held together by moistnes,
that moisture being dryed vp, their strength and stifnesse decayeth, and
sands by reason of their naturall lightnesse, which wanting a more moist
and fixt body to be ioyned with them doe loose all strength of binding
or holding together. Now all mixt or compound earths (except the
compositions of one and the same kinds, as clay with clay, or sand with
sand) are euer fast and binding earths: for betwixt sand and clay, or
clay & grauell, is such an affinitie, that when they be mixt together
the sand doth giue to the clay such hardnesse and drynesse, and the clay
to the sand such moisture and coldnesse, that being fixt together they
make one hard body, which through the warmth of the Sunne bindeth and
cleaueth together. But if it be so that the ignorance of the Husbandman
cannot either through the subtiltie of his eye sight, or the
obseruations gathered from his experience, distinguish of these soyles,
and the rather, sith many soyles are so indifferently mixt, and the
colour so very perfect, that euen skill it selfe may be deceiued: as
first to speake of what mixture some soyles consist, yet for as much as
it is sufficient for the Husbandman to know which is loose and which is
binding, hee shall onely when he is perplext with these differences, vse
this experiment, hee shall take a good lumpe of that earth whose
temperature hee would know, and working it with water and his wet
hands, like a peece of past, he shall then as it were make a cake
thereof, and laying it before an hot fire, there let it lye, till all
the moisture be dried & backt out of it, then taking it into your hands
and breaking it in peeces, if betweene your fingers it moulder and fall
into a small dust, then be assured it is a loose, simple, and
vncompounded earth, but if it breake hard and firme, like a stone, and
when you crumble it betweene your fingers it be rough, greetie, and
shining, then be assured it is a compounded fast-binding earth, and is
compounded of clay and sand, and if in the baking it doe turne red or
redish, it is compounded of a gray clay and red sand, but if it be
browne or blewish, then it is a blacke clay & white sand, but if when
you breake it you finde therein many small pibles, then the mixture is
clay and grauell. Now there be some mixt soyles, after they are thus
bak't, although they be hard and binding, yet they will not be so
exceeding hard and stone-like as other soyles will be, and that is where
the mixture is vnequall, as where the clay is more then the sand, or the
sand more then the clay.
When you haue by this experiment found out the nature of your earth, and
can tell whether it be simple or compounded, you shall then looke to the
fruitfulnesse thereof, which generally you shall thus distinguish.
First, that clayes, simple and of themselues vncompounded, are of all
the most fruitfull, of which, blacke is the best, that next to clayes,
your mixt earths are most fertill, and the mixture of the blacke clay
and red sand, called a hasell earth, is the best, and that your sands
are of all soyles most barraine, of which the red sand for profit hath
euer the preheminence.
Now for the generall tillage and vse of these grounds, you shall
vnderstand that the simple and vncompounded grounds, being loose and
open (if they lye free from the danger of water) the Lands may be layd
the flattest and greatest, the furrowes turned vp the largest and
closest, and the plough and plough-Irons, most large and massie, onely
those for the sandy grounds must be more slender then those for the
clayes and much more nimble, as hath beene showed before. Now for the
mixt earths, you shall lay your Lands high, round, and little, set your
furrowes vpright, open, and so small as is possible, and make your
plough and plow Irons most nimble and slender, according to the manner
before specified: and thus I conclude, that hee which knoweth the loose
earth and the binding earth, can either helpe or abate the strength of
the earth, as is needfull, and knowes how to sorte his ploughes to each
temper, knowes the ground and substance of all tillage.