51.

Cold Maie and windie, Barne filleth vp finelie. Forgotten month past, Doe now at the last. Essex and Suffolke. 1 At Philip and Jacob,[E305] away with the lams that thinkest to haue any milke of their dams. At Lammas leaue milking, for feare of a thing: least (requiem æternam) in winter they sing. Milking of eawes. 2 To milke and to fold them is much to require, except yee haue pasture to fil their desire. Yet manie by milking (such heede they doo take), not hurting their bodies much profit doo make. ¶ 3 Fiue eawes to a cow, make a proofe by a score, shall double thy dairie, else trust me no more. Yet may a good huswife that knoweth the skill, haue mixt and vnmixt at hir pleasure and will. 4 If sheepe or thy lambe fall a wrigling with taile, go by and by search it, whiles helpe may preuaile: That barberlie handled[E306] I dare thee assure, cast dust in his arse, thou hast finisht thy cure. 5 Where houses be reeded[1] (as houses haue neede), now pare off the mosse, and go beat in the reed. The iuster ye driue it, the smoother and plaine, more handsome ye make it to shut off the raine. Leaue off cropping. Destroie Iuie. 6 From Maie til October leaue cropping, for why? in wood sere, whatsoeuer thou croppest wil dy. Where Iuie imbraceth the tree verie sore, kill Iuie, or else tree wil addle no more.[E307] 7 Keepe threshing for thresher, til Maie be come in, to haue to be suer fresh chaffe in the bin. And somewhat to scamble, for hog and for hen, and worke when it raineth for loitering men.[E308] Count store no sore. 8 Be sure of haie and of prouender some, for labouring cattel til pasture be come. And if ye doo mind to haue nothing to sterue, haue one thing or other, for all thing to serue. 9 Ground compassed wel and a following[2] yeare, (if wheat or thy barlie too ranke doo appeare) Now eat it with sheepe or else mowe it ye may, for ledging, and so, to the birds for a pray. ¶ Wéeding. 10 In Maie get a weede hooke, a crotch and a gloue,[E309] and weed out such weedes as the corne doth not loue: For weeding of winter corne now it is best, but June is the better for weeding the rest. Ill wéeds. 11 The May weed doth burn[E310] and the thistle doth freat,[E311] the fitchis[3] pul downward,[E312] both rie and the wheat. The brake and the cockle[E313] be noisome too much, yet like vnto boddle[E314] no weede there is such. ¶ 12 Slack neuer thy weeding, for dearth nor for cheape, the corne shall reward it er euer ye reape. And specially where ye doo trust for to seede,[4] let that be well vsed, the better to speede. Sowing of branke. 13 In Maie is good sowing, thy buck[E315] or thy branke,[E316] that black is as pepper, and smelleth so ranke. It is to thy land, as a comfort or muck, and al thing it maketh as fat as a buck. 14[5] Sowe buck after barlie, or after thy wheat, a peck to a roode (if the measure be great); Three earthes see ye giue it, and sowe it aboue, and harrow it finelie if buck ye doo loue. 15 Who pescods would gather, to haue with the last, to serue for his houshold till haruest be past, Must sowe them in Maie, in a corner ye shal, where through so late growing no hindrance may fal.[E317] ¶ Sowing of flax and hempe. 16 Good flax and good hemp for to haue of hir owne, in Maie a good huswife will see it be sowne. And afterward trim it, to serue at a neede, the fimble to spin and the karl for hir seede.[E318] 17 Get into the hopyard, for now it is time,[6] to teach Robin hop on his pole how to clime: To follow the Sunne, as his propertie is,[E319] and weede him and trim him, if aught go amis. Ill neighbours to the hop. 18 Grasse, thistle and mustard seede, hemlock and bur, tine, mallow and nettle, that keepe such a stur. With peacock and turkie, that nibbles off top, are verie ill neighbors to seelie poore hop. 19 From wheat go and rake out the titters or tine, if eare be not foorth, it will rise againe fine. Use now in thy rie, little raking or none, breake tine[7] from his roote, and so let it alone.[E320] Wéeding of quickset. 20 Bankes newly quicksetted, some weeding doo craue, the kindlier nourishment thereby to haue. Then after a shower to weeding a snatch, more easilie weede with the roote to dispatch. Now draine ditches. 21 The fen and the quamire,[8][E321] so marrish be kind, and are to be drained, now wine to thy mind: Which yeerelie vndrained and suffered vncut, annoieth the meadowes that thereon doo but. ¶ Swarming of bées. 22 Take heede to thy bees, that are readie to swarme, the losse thereof now is a crownes worth of harme:[9] Let skilfull be readie and diligence seene, least being too careles, thou losest thy beene. Twifallowing. 23 In Maie at the furthest, twifallow thy land, much drout may else after cause plough for to stand: This tilth being done, ye haue passed the wurst, then after who ploweth, plow thou with the furst. Carie out compas. 24 Twifallow once ended, get tumbrell and man, and compas that fallow as soone as ye can. Let skilfull bestow it, where neede is vpon, more profit the sooner to follow[10] thereon. 25 Hide hedlonds with muck, if ye will to the knees, so dripped and shadowd with bushes and trees:[E322] Bare plots full of galles,[11] if ye plow ouerthwart, and compas it then, is a husbandlie part. 26 Let children be hired, to lay to their bones, from fallow as needeth to gather vp stones. What wisedome for profit aduiseth vnto, that husband and huswife must willingly do. Forth to grasse with thy calues. 27 To gras with thy calues in some medow plot nere, where neither their mothers may see them nor here. Where water is plentie and barth to sit warme, and looke well vnto them, for taking of harme. Let not cattel want water. 28 Pinch neuer thy wennels of water or meat, if euer ye hope for to haue them good neat: In Sommer time dailie, in Winter in frost, if cattel lack drinke, they be vtterly lost. Ouerlay not thy pastures. 29 For coueting much ouerlay not thy ground, and then shall thy cattel be lustie and sound. But pinch them of pasture, while Sommer doth last, and lift at their tailes er an Winter be past.[E323] Get home thy fewel. 30 Get home with thy fewell, made readie to fet, the sooner the easier carrege to get: Or otherwise linger the carrege thereon, till (where as ye left it) a quarter be gon. Husbandrie for Citizens. 31 His firing in Sommer, let Citizen buie, least buieng in Winter make purse for to crie. For carman and collier harps both on a string, in Winter they cast to be with thee to bring.[12] Sléeping time.[E324] 32 From Maie to mid August, an hower or two, let patch[E325] sleepe a snatch, how soeuer ye do, Though sleeping one hower refresheth his song, yet trust not hob growthed[E326] for sleeping too long. ¶ Stilling of herbes. 33 The knowledge of stilling is one pretie feat, The waters be holesome, the charges not great.[E327] What timelie thou gettest, while Sommer doth last, thinke Winter will helpe thee, to spend it as fast. ¶ 34 Fine bazell desireth it may be hir lot, to growe as the gilloflower, trim in a pot, That ladies and gentils, for whom she doth serue, may helpe hir as needeth, poore life to preserue.[13] 35 Keepe oxe fro thy cow that to profit would go, least cow be deceiued by oxe dooing so: And thou recompenced for suffering the same, with want of a calfe and a cow to wax lame.