_Of the planting or setting of Corne, and the profit thereof._
Not that I am conceited, or carried away with any nouelty or strange
practise, vnusually practised in this kingdome, or that I will ascribe
vnto my selfe to giue any iudiciall approbation or allowance to things
mearely vnfrequented, doe I publish, within my booke, this relation of
the setting of Corne, but onely because I would not haue our English
Husbandman to be ignorant of any skill or obscure faculty which is
either proper to his profession, or agreeable with the fertillitie and
nature of our clymates, and the rather, since some few yeeres agoe, this
(as it then appeared secret) being with much admiration bruted through
the kingdome, in so much that according to our weake accustomed
dispositions (which euer loues strange things best) it was held so
worthy, both for generall profit and perticular ease, that very fein
(except the discreet) but did not alone put it in practise, but did euen
ground strong beleifes to raise to themselues great common-wealthes by
the profits thereof; some not onely holding insufficient arguments, in
great places, of the invtilitie of the plough, but euen vtterly
contemning the poore cart Iade, as a creature of no necessitie, so that
Poulters and Carriers, were in good hope to buy Horse-flesh as they
bought egges, at least fiue for a penie; but it hath proued otherwise,
and the Husbandman as yet cannot loose the Horses seruice. But to
proceede to the manner of setting or planting of Corne, it is in this
manner.
{SN: Of setting Wheate.}
Hauing chosen out an aker of good Corne ground, you shall at the
beginning of March, appoint at least sixe diggers or laborers with
spades to digge vp the earth gardenwise, at least a foote and three
inches deepe (which is a large spades graft) and being so digged vp, to
rest till Iune, and then to digge it ouer againe, and in the digging to
trench it and Manure it, as for a garden mould, bestowing at least
sixteene Waine-load of Horse or Oxe Manure vpon the aker, and the Manure
to be well couered within the earth, then so to let it rest vntill the
beginning of October, which being the time for the setting, you shall
then digge it vp the third time, and with rakes and beetells breake the
moulde somewhat small, then shall you take a board of sixe foot square,
which shalbe bored full of large wimble holes, each hole standing in
good order, iust sixe inches one from another, then laying the board
vpon the new digged ground, you shall with a stick, made for the
purpose, through euery hole in the board, make a hole into the ground,
at least fore inches deepe, and then into euery such hole you shall drop
a Corne of Wheate, and so remouing the board from place to place, goe
all ouer the ground that you haue digged, and so set each seuerall Corne
sixe inches one from another, and then with a rake you shall rake ouer
and couer all the holes with earth, in such sort that they may not be
discerned. And herein you are to obserue by the way that a quarte of
Wheate will set your aker: which Wheate is not to be taken as it falles
out by chance when you buy it in the market, but especially culd and
pickt out of the eare, being neither the vppermost Cornes which grow in
the toppes of the eares, nor the lowest, which grow at the setting on of
the stalke, both which, most commonly are light and of small substance,
but those which are in the midst, and are the greatest, fullest, and
roundest.
{SN: Of setting Barly, or Pease.}
Now in the selfe-same sort as you dresse your ground for your Wheate, in
the selfe same manner you shall dresse your ground for Barly, onely the
first time you digge it shalbe after the beginning of May, the second
time and the Manuring about the midst of October, wherein you shall note
that to your aker of Barly earth, you shall alow at least foure and
twentie Waine-load of Manure, and the last time of your digging and
setting shalbe at the beginning of Aprill.
Now for the dressing of your earth for the setting of Pease, it is in
all things answerable to that for Barly, onely you may saue the one
halfe of your Manure, because a dosen Waine-load is sufficient, and the
time for setting them, or any other pulse, is euer about the midst of
February.
{SN: Of the profit of setting Corne.}
Now for the profit which issueth from this practise of setting of Corne,
I must needs confesse, if I shall speake simply of the thing, that is,
how many foulds it doubleth and increaseth, surely it is both great and
wonderfull: and whereas ingenerall it is reputed that an aker of set
Corne yeeldeth as much profit as nine akers of sowne Corne, for mine
owne part I haue seene a much greater increase, if euery Corne set in an
aker should bring forth so much as I haue seene to proceede from some
three or foure Cornes set in a garden, but I feare me the generalitie
will neuer hould with the particular: how euer, it is most certaine that
earth in this sort trimmed and inriched, and Corne in this sort set and
preserued, yeeldeth at least twelue-fold more commoditie then that which
by mans hand is confusedly throwne into the ground from the Hopper:
whence it hath come to passe that those which by a few Cornes in their
gardens thus set, seeing the innumerable increase, haue concluded a
publique profit to arise thereby to the whole kingdome, not looking to
the intricacie, trouble, and casualtie, which attends it, being such and
so insupportable that almost no Husbandman is able to vndergoe it: to
which we need no better testimony then the example of those which hauing
out of meare couetousnesse and lucre of gaine, followed it with all
greedinesse, seeing the mischiefes and inconueniences which hath
incountred their workes, haue euen desisted, and forgotten that euer
there was any such practise, and yet for mine owne part I will not so
vtterly condemne it, that I will depriue it of all vse, but rather leaue
it to the discretion of iudgement, and for my selfe, onely hould this
opinion, that though it may very wel be spared from the generall vse of
Wheat and Barly in this kingdome, yet for hastie-Pease, French Beanes,
and such like pulse, it is of necessary imployment, both in rich and
poore mens gardens. And thus much for the setting of Corne.