_Of the choice of seede-Corne, and which is best for which soyle._
Hauing thus showed vnto you the seuerall soyles and temperatures of our
English land, together with the order of Manuring, dressing and tillage
of the same, I thinke it meete (although I haue in generall writ
something already touching the seede belonging to euery seuerall earth)
now to proceede to a particular election and choice of seede-Corne, in
which there is great care and diligence to be vsed: for as in Men,
Beasts, Fowle, & euery mouing thing, there is great care taken for the
choice of the breeders, because the creatures bred doe so much
participate of the parents that for the most part they are seene not
onely to carry away their outward figures and semblances, but euen their
naturall conditions and inclinations, good issuing from good, and euill
from euill: so in the choise of seede-Corne, if their be any neglect or
carelessenesse, the crop issuing of such corrupt seede must of force
bring forth a more corrupt haruest, by as much as it exceedeth in the
multiplication.
{SN: The choise of seede Wheate.}
To proceede therefore to the choise of seede-Corne, I will begin with
Wheate, of which there are diuers kindes, as your whole straw Wheate,
the great browne Pollard, the white Pollard, the Organe or red Wheate,
the flaxen Wheate, and the chilter Wheate. Your whole straw Wheate, and
browne Pollard, are knowne, the first, by his straw, which is full of
pith, and hath in it no hollownesse (whence it comes that Husbandmen
esteeme it so much for their thacking, allowing it to be as good and
durable as reede:) the latter is knowne by his eare, which is great,
white, and smooth, without anes or beard vpon it: in the hand they are
both much like one to another, being of all Wheates the biggest,
roundest and fullest: they be somewhat of a high colour, and haue vpon
them a very thicke huske, which making the meale somewhat browne causeth
the Baker not all together to esteeme them for his purest manchet, yet
the yeeld of flower which cometh from them is as great and greater then
any other Wheate whatsoeuer. These two sortes of Wheate are to be sowne
vpon the fallow field, as crauing the greatest strength and fatnesse of
ground, whence it comes that they are most commonly seene to grow vpon
the richest and stiffest blacke clayes, being a graine of that strength
that they will seldome or neuer mildew or turne blacke, as the other
sortes of Wheate will doe, if the strength of the ground be not abated
before they be throwne into the earth. Now for the choise of these two
Wheates, if you be compelled to buy them in the market, you must regard
that you buy that which is the cleanest and fairest, being vtterly
without any weedes, as darnell, cockell, tares or any other foulnesse
whatsoeuer: you shall looke that the Wheate, as neare as may be, hould
all of one bignesse and all of one colour, for to beholde it contrary,
that is to say, to see some great Cornes, some little, some high
coloured, some pale, so that in their mixture they resemble changeable
taffata, is an apparant signe that the Corne is not of one kinde but
mixt or blended, as being partly whole-straw, partly Pollard, partly
Organe, and partly Chelter. For the flaxen, it is naturally so white
that it cannot be mixt but it may easily be discerned, and these mixt
seedes are neuer good, either for the ground or the vse of man. Againe
you shall carefully looke that neither this kinde of Wheate, nor any
other that you buy for seede be blacke at the ends, for that is a signe
that the graine comming from too rich a soyle was mildewed, and then it
will neuer be fruitfull or proue good seede, as also you shall take care
that it be not too white at the ends, showing the Corne to be as it were
of two colours, for that is a signe that the Wheate was washt and dried
againe, which vtterly confoundeth the strength of the Corne and takes
from it all abilitie of bringing forth any great encrease. Now if it be
so that you haue a crop of Wheate of your owne, so that you haue no need
of the market, you shall then picke out of your choisest sheafes, and
vpon a cleane floare gently bat them with a flaile, and not thresh them
cleane, for that Corne which is greatest, fullest, and ripest, will
first flie out of the eare, and when you haue so batted a competent
quantitie you shall then winnow it and dresse it cleane, both by the
helpe of a strong winde and open siues, and so make it fit for your
seede.
I haue seene some Husbands (and truely I haue accounted them both good
and carefull) that haue before Wheate seede time both themselues, wiues,
children, and seruants at times of best leasure, out of a great Wheate
mow or bay, to gleane or pull out of the sheafes, eare by eare, the most
principall eares, and knitting them vp in small bundells to bat them and
make their seede thereof, and questionlesse it is the best seede of all
other: for you shall be sure that therein can be nothing but the
cleanest and the best of the Corne, without any weedes or foulnesse,
which can hardly be when a man thresheth the whole sheafe, and although
some men may thinke that this labour is great and troblesome, especially
such as sowe great quantities of Wheate, yet let them thus farre
encourage themselues, that if they doe the first yeere but gleane a
bushell or two (which is nothing amongst a few persons) and sowe it vp
on good Land, the encrease of it will the next yeere goe farre in the
sowing the whole crop: for when I doe speake of this picking of Wheate,
eare by eare, I doe not intend the picking of many quarters, but of so
much as the increase thereof may amount to some quarter.
Now there is also another regarde to be had (as auailable as any of the
former) in chusing of your seede Wheate, and that is to respect the
soyle from whence you take your seede, and the soyle into which you put
it, as thus.
If the ground whereon you meane to sowe your Wheat be a rich, blacke,
clay, stiffe and full of fertillitie, you shall then (as neare as you
can) chuse your seede from the barrainest mixt earth you can finde (so
the Wheate be whole-straw or Pollard) as from a clay and grauell, or a
clay and white sand, that your seede comming from a much more barraine
earth then that wherein you put it, the strength may be as it were
redoubled, and the encrease consequently amount to a higher quantitie,
as we finde it proueth in our daylie experience; but if these barraine
soyles doe not afforde you seede to your contentment, it shall not then
be amisse (you sowing your Wheate vpon fallow or tilth ground) if you
take your seede-Wheate either from an earth of like nature to your owne,
or from any mixt earth, so that such seede come from the niams, that is,
that it hath beene sowne after Pease, as being the third crop of the
Land, and not from the fallow or tilth ground, for it is a maxiome
amongst the best Husbands (though somewhat proposterous to common sence)
bring to your rich ground seede from the barraine, and to the barraine
seede from the rich, their reason (taken from their experience) being
this, that the seede (as before I said) which prospereth vpon a leane
ground being put into a rich, doth out of that superfluitie of warmth,
strength and fatnesse, double his increase; and the seede which commeth
from the fat ground being put into the leane, hauing all the vigour,
fulnesse and iuyce of fertilnes, doth not onely defend it selfe against
the hungrinesse of the ground but brings forth increase contrary to
expectation; whence proceedeth this generall custome of good Husbands in
this Land, that those which dwell in the barraine woode Lands, heathes
and high mountaine countries of this kingdome, euer (as neere as they
can) seeke out their seede in the fruitfull low vales, and very gardens
of the earth, & so likewise those in the vales take some helpes also
from the mountaines.
Now for your other sortes of Wheate, that is to say, the white Pollard
and the Organe, they are graines nothing so great, full, and large, as
the whole straw, or browne Pollard, but small, bright, and very thinly
huskt: your Organe is very red, your Pollard somewhat pale: these two
sorts of Wheate are best to be sowne vpon the third or fourth field,
that is to say, after your Pease, for they can by no meanes endure an
ouer rich ground, as being tender and apt to sprout with small moisture,
but to mildew and choake with too much fatnesse, the soyles most apt for
them are mixt earths, especially the blacke clay and red sand, or white
clay and red sand, for as touching other mixtures of grounds, they are
for the most part so barraine, that they will but hardly bring forth
Wheate vpon their fallow field, and then much worse vpon a fourth field.
Now for any other particular choise of these two seedes, they are the
same which I shewed in the whole straw, and great Pollard. As for the
flaxen Wheate, and chilter Wheate, the first, is a very white Wheate
both inward and outward, the other a pale red or deepe yellow: they are
the least of all sorts of Wheate, yet of much more hardnes and
toughnesse in sprouting, then either the Organe or white Pollard, and
therefore desire somewhat a more richer soyle, and to that end they are
for the most part sowne vpon fallow fields, in mixt earths, of what
natures or barrainenesse soeuer, as is to be seene most generally ouer
all the South parts of this Realme: and although vncompounded sands out
of their owne natures, doe hardly bring forth any Wheate, yet vpon some
of the best sands and vpon the flintie grauels, I haue seene these two
Wheates grow in good abundance, but being seldome it is not so much to
be respected.
{SN: The choise of seede Rye.}
After your Wheate you shall make choise of your Rie, of which there is
not diuers kindes although it carrie diuers complections, as some
blackish, browne, great, full and long as that which for the most part
growes vpon the red sand, or red clay, which is three parts red sand
mixt with blacke clay, and is the best Rie: the other a pale gray Rie,
short, small, and hungry, as that which growes vpon the white sand, or
white clay and white sand, and is the worst Rie. Now you shall
vnderstand that your sand grounds are your onely naturall grounds for
Rie, as being indeede not principally apt for any other graine,
therefore when you chuse your Rie for seede, you shall chuse that which
is brownest, full, bould, and longest, you shall haue great care that it
be free from weedes or filth, sith your sand grounds, out of their owne
naturall heat, doth put forth such store of naughtie weeds, that except
a man be extraordinarily carefull, both in the choise and dressing of
his Rie, he may easily be deceiued and poyson his ground with those
weedes, which with great difficultie are after rooted out againe. Now
for your seedes to each soyle, it is euer best to sow your best sand-Rie
vpon your best clay ground, and your best clay-Rie vpon your best sand
ground, obseruing euer this generall principle, not onely in Rie, but
euen in Wheat, Barly, Pease and other graine of account, that is, euer
once in three yeeres, to change all your seede, which you shall finde
both to augment your encrease and to returne you double profit.
{SN: The choise of seede-Barly.}
Now for the choise of your seede-Barly, you shall vnderstand, that for
as much as it is a graine of the greatest vse, & most tendernesse,
therefore there is the greatest diligence to be vsed in the election
thereof. Know then that of Barly there be diuers sorts, as namely, that
which wee call our common Barly, being long eares with two rankes of
Corne, narrow, close, and vpright: another called spike or
batteldore-Barly, being a large eare with two rankes of Corne, broad,
flat, and in fashion of a batteldore: and the third called beane-Barly,
or Barly big, being a large foure-square eare, like vnto an eare of
Wheate.
Of these three Barlyes the first is most in vse, as being most apt and
proper to euery soyle, whether it be fruitfull or barraine, in this our
kingdome, but they haue all one shape, colour and forme, except the
soyle alter them, onely the spike-Barly is most large and plentifull,
the common Barly hardest and aptest to grow, and the beane-Barly least,
palest, & tenderest, so that with vs it is more commonly seene in
gardens then in fields, although in other Countries, as in Fraunce,
Ireland, and such like, they sowe no other Barly at all, but with vs it
is of no such generall estimation, and therefore I will neither giue it
precedencie nor speake of it, otherwise then to referre it to the
discreation of him who takes delight in many practises: but for the
common Barly, or spike-Barly, which our experience findes to be
excellent and of great vse, I will knit them in one, and write, my full
opinion of them, for their choise in our seede. You shall know then that
when you goe into the market to chuse Barly for your seede, you shall to
your best power elect that which is whitest, fullest, and roundest,
being as the ploughman calles it, a full bunting Corne, like the nebbe
or beake of a Bunting, you shall obserue that it be all of one Corne,
and not mingled, that is, clay Barly, and sand Barly together, which you
shall distinguish by these differences: the clay Barly is of a palish,
white, yellow colour; smoth, full, large, and round, and the sand Barly
is of a deepe yellow, browne at the neather end, long, slender, and as
it were, withered, and in generall no sand Barly is principall good for
seede: but if the Barly be somewhat of a high colour, and browne at the
neather end, yet notwithstanding is very full, bould, and bigge, then it
is a signe that such Barly comes not from the sand, but rather from an
ouer fat soyle, sith the fatnesse of the earth doth euer alter the
complection of the Barly; for the whiter Barly euer the leaner soyle,
and better seede: you shall also obserue, that there be not in it any
light Corne, which is a kinde of hungry graine without substance, which
although it filleth the seeds-mans hand, yet it deceiueth the ground,
and this light Corne will commonly be amongst the best Barly: for where
the ground is so rich that it bringeth forth the Barly too rankely,
there the Corne, wanting power to stand vpon roote, falleth to the
ground, and so robde of kindly ripening, bringeth forth much light and
insufficient graine. Next this, you shall take care that in your
seede-Barly there be not any Oates, for although they be in this case
amongst Husbandmen accounted the best of weede, yet are they such a
disgrace, that euery good Husband will most diligently eschew them, and
for that cause onely will our most industrious Husbands bestow the
tedious labour of gleaning their Barly, eare by eare, by which
gleanings, in a yeere, or two, they will compasse their whole seede,
which must infallibly be without either Oates or any weede whatsoeuer:
and although some grounds, especially your richest blacke clayes, will
out of the abundance of their fruitfulnesse (as not induring to be Idle)
bring forth naturally a certaine kinde of wilde Oates, which makes some
ignorant Husbands lesse carefull of their seede, as supposing that those
wilde ones are a poisoning to their graine, but they are infinetly
deceiued: for such wilde Oates, wheresoeuer they be, doe shake and fall
away long before the Barly be ready, so that the Husbandman doth carry
of them nothing into the Barne, but the straw onely. Next Oates, you
must be carefull that there be in your Barly no other foule weede: for
whatsoeuer you sow, you must looke for the increase of the like nature,
and therefore as before I said in the Wheate, so in the Barly, I would
wish euery good Husband to imploy some time in gleaning out of his Mow
the principall eares of Barly, which being batted, drest, and sowne, by
it selfe, albeit no great quantitie at the first, yet in time it may
extend to make his whole seede perfect, and then hee shall finde his
profit both in the market, where hee shall (for euery vse) sell with the
deerest, and in his owne house where he shall finde his yeeld redoubled.
Now for fitting of seuerall seedes to seuerall soyles, you shall
obserue, that the best seede-Barly for your clay field, is ninam Barly,
sowne vpon the clay field, that is to say, Barly which is sowne where
Barly last grew, or a second crop of Barly: for the ground hauing his
pride abated in the first croppe, the second, though it be nothing neere
so much in quantitie, yet that Corne which it doth bring forth is most
pure, most white, most full, and the best of all seedes whatsoeuer, and
as in case of this soyle, so in all other like soyles which doe hould
that strength or fruitfulnesse in them that they are either able of
themselues, or with some helpe of Manure in the latter end of the yeere,
to bring forth two croppes of Barly, one after the other: but if either
your soyle deny you this strength, or the distance of place bereaue you
of the commoditie thereof, then you shall vnderstand that Barly from a
hasell ground is the best seede, for the clay ground, and Barly from the
clay ground is the best seede, not onely for the hasell earth, but euen
for all mixt earths whatsoeuer, and the Barly which proceedes from the
mixt earths is the best seede for all simple and vncompounded sands or
grauells, as wee finde, both by their increasings and dayly experience.
{SN: The choise of seede-Beanes, Pease, and Pulse.}
Now for the choise of seede-Beanes, Pease, or other Pulse, the scruple
is nothing neere so great as of other seedes, because euery one that
knowes any graine, can distinguish them when hee sees them: besides they
are of that massie waight, and so well able to indure the strength of
the winde, that they are easie to be seuered from any weede or filth
whatsoeuer: it resteth therefore that I onely giue you instruction how
to imploy them.
You shall vnderstand therefore, that if your soyle be a stiffe, blacke,
rich, clay, that then your best seede is cleane Beanes, or at the least
three partes Beanes, and but one part Pease: if it be a gray, or white
clay, then Beanes and Pease equally mixt together: if the best mixt
earths, as a blacke clay and red sand, blacke clay and white sand, or
white clay and red sand, then your seede must be cleane Pease onely: if
it be white clay and white sand, blacke clay and blacke sand, then your
seede must be Pease and Fitches mixt together: but if it be grauell or
sand simple, or grauell and sand compounded, then your seede must be
either cleane Fitches, cleane Bucke, or cleane Tares, or else Fitches,
Bucke and Tares mixt together.
{SN: The choise of seede-Oates.}
Now to conclude with the choise of your Oates. You shall vnderstand that
there be diuers kindes of them, as namely, the great long white Oate,
the great long blacke Oate, the cut Oate, and the skegge: the two first
of these are knowne by their greatnesse and colours, for they are long,
full, bigge, and smooth, and are fittest to be sowne vpon the best of
barraine grounds, for sith Oates are the worst of graine, I will giue
them no other prioritie of place. The next of these, which is the cut
Oate, it is of a pale yealow colour, short, smooth, and thicke, the
increase of them is very great, and they are the fittest to be sowne
vpon the worst of best grounds, for most commonly where you see them,
you shall also see both good Wheate, good Barly, and good Beanes and
Pease also. Now for the skegge Oate, it is a little, small, hungry,
leane Oate, with a beard at the small end like a wilde Oate, and is good
for small vse more then Pullen onely: it is a seede meete for the
barrainest and worst earth, as fit to grow but there where nothing of
better profit will grow. And thus much for those seedes which are apt
and in vse in our English soyles: wherein if any man imagine me guiltie
of errour, in that I haue omitted particularly to speake of the seede of
blend-Corne, or Masline, which is Wheate and Rye mixt together, I
answere him, that sith I haue shewed him how to chuse both the best
Wheate and the best Rye, it is an easie matter to mixe them according to
his owne discretion.