Gervase Markham

“ Cardus Benedictus, or the blessed Thistell, is hot and dry, it is very soueraine against most inward sicknesses, stancheth blood, and is a great comforter of the braine, it delighteth in a rich ground and a loose well tempered mould, it must be sowne very shallow, and not couered aboue two inches déepe, the first quarter of the Moone is best to sowe it in, and in the moneths of March, May or September, if you sowe a little fine flaxen Wheat with it, no doubt but it will prosper the better. ”

“ The seasons [Pg 39] most méete for the same, is the latter end of March, Aprill, or May, for the flowers flourish most in May, Iune, and Iuly. As soone as it is sprung a handfull aboue the earth; you shall remoue it into a fresh mould, and that will make it flourish the brauer: the roote of this flower is like an Apple, or great flat Onion, and therefore in the replanting of it, you must be carefull to make a hole large and fitte for the same, and to fixe the mould gently and close about the same. ”

“ The red Rose is not fully so tender as the Damaske, neither is it so pleasant in smell, nor doubleth his leaues so often; yet it is much more Phisicall, and oftner vsed in medicine, it is likewise fitter to be planted then sowen, and the earth in which it most ioyeth would be a little rough or grauelly, and the best compasse you can lay vnto it, is rubbish or the sweeping of houses, the moneths to sowe or plant it in is March or September, & the time to prune and cut away the superfluous branches is euer the midst of October. ”

“ Know then that if after your hedge is come to sixe or seauen yéeres of age, you shall let it grow on without cutting or pruning, that then although it grow thicke at the top, yet it will decay and grow so thinne at the bottome, that not onely beasts but men may runne through it, and in the end it will dye and come to nothing, which to preuent, it shall be good once in seauen or eight yéeres to plash and lay all your Quick-set hedges, in which there is much fine Art and cunning to be vsed. ”

“ It is very good also amongst your fat beasts euer to haue a leane horse or two: for your fat beasts taketh delight to féede with them, and sometimes to bite after them, there being as it were a kinde of sympathie or liking of each others tastes. After your grasse is fully knit, and hath receiued his whole strength, which wil be at Midsommer, then you may suffer your fat beast to eate a little néerer vnto the ground till after Lammas, because there is an extraordinarie swéetnesse therein, springing from the heate of the Sunnes beames onely. ”

“ High Woods are those which containe onely Trées for Timber, and are not pestred or imbraced with the vnder growth of small brush wood, such as Hazels, White-thorne, Sallowes and Poplar are; these for the most part consist of Oakes, Ash, Elme, Béech, Maple, and such like, growing so remote and seperate one from another, that although their tops and branches méete, and as it were infolde one within another, yet at the rootes a man may walke or ride about them without trouble. ”

“ If the Moone doe blush or looke high colloured, if the Racke ride high, and the Firmament be much vaulted: if Woods and Hils séeme to make a noyse: if the Stars séeme to shine brighter then vsuall: if it shall thunder in Winter, or if it thunder without lightning: if Bels be heard farre off with more ease then accustomed, and presently in the same instant be not heard at all: If Cobwebs flye much in the ayre: If Hernes or Heronshoes cry much in their flying: If fire sparkle much, or if wood or Wainscot cracke much, all these are most certaine signes of much winde that will follow after. ”

“ Now if your Spring be slow, and late in the yéere before your grasse will appeare aboue ground, it is méete then that you enclose your ground, and not only maintaine the fences with high and thicke Quick-sets, but also with tall Timber-trées, whose shade and strength may defend many colde blasts from the earth, and adde vnto it a more naturall warmenesse then it had before, for it is onely the coldnesse of the soyle which makes the grasse long before it grow. ”

“ If your ground be subiect to the scorching or burning of the Sunne, then you shall vnderstand that it is directly contrary to the last soyle we spake of: for as that by too much moysture is made barraine by colde, so this by too much want of moysture is made barraine with heate: wherefore the Husbandman shall in this case draw all his draynes, to bring moysture into his ground, which sometimes watring and sometimes ouer-flowing the same, will in the end bring it to a reasonable fertility, for it is a rule, that where there may be ouerflowes, To helpe quarries of stone. ”

“ The months most fit for sowing these séedes, are Aprill, May and Iune onely, for other are much too colde, and in this manner you may sowe any tender séede whatsoeuer.
Of the Beane of Egipt.
Beanes of Egipt delight in a moyst watrish ground, rather fertile then any way giuen to barrainnesse, yet will plentifully enough prosper in any indifferent earth: they are rather to set then sowe, because they must take strong roote, and be fixed somewhat déepe into the earth, and the moneth which is most proper for them, is the latter end of Ianuary, all February and the beginning of March onely. ”

“ The time of gathering your séede is, when it is all turned purely blacke, and the time of gathering the Onions is, when the heads doe forsake the earth, after they be gathered you shall lay them on a dry floore for a fortnight, or more, and then binde them vp in ropes, and hang them where they may haue the ayre of the fire, onely note that shall gather your Onions in the increase of the Moone, as they were sowne, and not otherwise. ”

“ Then Rosemary, which is an Hearbe tender and curious, yet of singular vertue: it is soone slaine with frost or lightening: it will grow plentifully from the séede, but much better from the slip, it delighteth to be planted against some Wall where it may haue the reflection of the Sunne, for to stand vnpropped of himselfe, the very shaking of the winde will kill it. ”

“ Now for your Wall Gylliflower, it delighteth in hard rubbish, limy, and stonie grounds, whence it commeth that they couet most to grow vpon walles, pauements, and such like barraine places. It may be sowen in any moneth or season, for it is a séede of that hardnesse, that it makes no difference betwixt Winter and Sommer, but will flourish in both equally, and beareth his flowers all the yéere, whence it comes that the Husbandman preserues it most in his Bée-garden ”

“ Pompyons, Gourds, or Mellons, desire a very good ground, or by Nature or Art, the séedes must be sowne very thinne, as at least halfe a foote one from another, they would lye reasonably déepe, yet the mould very gentle which couers them, they are subiect to spread and runne ouer much ground, therefore as they grow you must direct their stemmes so as they may not annoy one another, and when they flower you shall lay broad Tiles or Slate stones vnder them, that the fruit nor flower may not touch the earth ”

“ Nauew, if the earth haue any small goodnesse in it will grow plentifully, neither is offended with any ayre, onely the mould would be loose and rough, for otherwise it many times turneth to Rape: the séede naturally commeth vp very thicke, therefore it is expedient to remoue them and plant them thinner, for that best preserueth their [Pg 28] natures, they may be sowne in February, March, Aprill, September, or October. ”

“ When you haue made sale of your Timber, you shall by no meanes let it be cut downe till the end of Aprill, at which time the sap ascending vpward, will loosen the bark, and make it come from the body of the Trée easily. You shall cut your Timber downe close by the earth, not digge it vp by the rootes, vnlesse you meane vtterly to destroy it, for from the spurnes of the roote will arise new Spiers, which in processe of time, will come to another Trée. ”

“ The first is to take an Augure full as large in compasse (although much shorter) as that where-with you boare Pumps and with it boare a hole in the earth two-foote, and a halfe déepe, then hauing headed some of the choysest Willowes you haue, take the fairest and straightest of those lops, and then cutting the sloape-wise at both ends and leauing no superfluous twigs cleauing there-vnto, put the bigger end downe very hard into the earth, and then with the mould which came forth, with the Augure ram the earth close and hard about the Set, so as no reasonable strength may shake it. ”

“ Husbands, which will take the fayrest, goodliest and soundest Onions they can get, and in this moneth of March set them thrée fingers déepe in the earth, and these of all other bring forth the purest and best séede, for which purpose onely they are preserued: as soone as your séed-Onions are knotted, you shall vnderproppe them with square cradles, made of stickes, least the waight of the boules which carry the séede, should breake the blades. ”

“ Now to speake first of the Willow it would be euer planted vpon bankes, where it may stand more dry then wet, for such prosper best, and endure longest, as for proofe some will continue, twelue, fiftéene nay one and twentie yéeres, where as those which are set close by the water, will hardly endure seueral, but not aboue nine yéeres at the most. Touching their planting, they be set two manner of wayes, but which is the best, is not yet agréed on amongst Husbandmen. ”

“ 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 ”

“ Now so soone as March is come, vpon the first change of the Moone, you shall digge vp this Earth againe, leuell it, and order it in all points as was sayd of the barraine Earth, onely there will néede no more vse of meanure, but as soone as it is digged, raked, leuelled, and brought into a fine mould, you may then tread out your Beds, as aforesayd, euer proportioning the quantitie of them according to the quantitie of your séedes, hauing the most of that which is most in vse, and the least of the contrary. ”

“ Then Sauory, of which are two kindes, the Winter-Sauory, and Summer, both delight in leane ground, and are quicke of growth, and long lasting.
Of Time.
Then Time, of which are also two kindes, the running Time, and the Garden Time: they delight in fertile ground, and from the séede are very slow of growth, therefore it is best euer to set them from the slip. The running Time doth delight in the shadow, but the Garden Time in the Sunne. ”

“ As for the common infirmities in a Horses priuy parts, which are swellings, inflammations, incording, & such like, you shall but only swimme your horse in cold water Morning and Euening, and it is a present helpe, both for them, or the stifling of a horse in his hinder ioynt: Thus you sée these twelue medicines will sufficiently cure all the diseases in Horse or Beast whatsoeuer, which who so will not carry in his memory, he is worthy now and then to be punisht for his sloath, and sometimes to suffer losse, which may make him more industrious to studie for his owne good and profit. ”

“ Now for your Pot-hearbs, which are most generally in vse, they be these: Endiue and Succorie, which delight in moyst ground, and will endure the winter. Bleete of which there be two kindes, Red and White: this Hearbe neuer néedeth wéeding, and if he be suffered to shed his séed [Pg 18] it will hardly euer to be got out of a Garden.
Of Beets.
Then Beets, which must be much wéeded, for they loue to liue by themselues, and if they grow too thicke you may take them vp when they are a finger long in their owne earth, and set them in another bed, and they will prosper much better. ”

“ Whosoeuer be a Lord or Master of much vnder-wood, which is indéede young spring-wood of all kindes, growing thicke and close together, either from the séede, as is declared in the former Chapter, or from the rootes of former salles, the first being a profit begotten by him selfe, the other a right left by purchase or inheritance, and desire, as it is the dutie of euery vertuous husband, to make his best and most lawfullest profit thereof, hauing not left vnto him any president of former commodity. ”

“ The best times for laying of meddowes to rest, is, if the meddow lye high, as in vp-land Countries, or if the soyle [Pg 93] be cold, or the springing thereof slow, at Candlemasse: but if the ground be more warme, temperate, & of some more fertility, then you may lay it at our Ladies day in March: but if the ground be most fruitfull, then if you lay it at May-day, it will be early enough. ”

“ In the Winter it shrinketh into the earth, and is hardly or not at all discerned, by meanes whereof I haue séene diuers supposing it to be dead, to digge vp the earth, and negligently spoyle the roote, but be not you of that opinion, and in the Spring you shall sée it arise and flourish brauely. ”

“ Coliander is of the nature of the earth, cold & dry, it helps disgestion, & suppresseth vapours which offend the braine, it may be sowne vpon any indifferent ground, & in any month except December and Ianuary, the elder the séedes are the better so they be sound, and they desire much watering. ”

“ Nature which is the most perfect worke-mistresse of all things (as all the Philosophers say) but I say our good God out of his most diuine wisedome, hath allotted to euery soyle, if we will note it, through the whole course of this Kingdome, particular profit to sustaine and maintaine it, as to some Mines, to some Timber, and to some fertility of grasse and corne, and where any one of these are, there commonly some of the other is euer wanting, as we sée daily in our experience ”