Yet thus much I must aduertise the Husbandman, that this meanuring of Pasture grounds carries with it diuers imperfections, for though it occasion abundance of grasse to growe, yet the meddow or hay which comes thereof, is so ranke, loggie, and fulsome in tast, that a beast taketh no ioy to eate thereof, more then to holde very life and soule together. Also the grasse thus meanured which you intend to graze or eate with your Cattell, is by meanes of the meanure so loose at the roote, that Cattell as they bite plucke vp both the grasse, roote, and all, which being of strong & ranke sent in the mouth of a beast, maketh him loathe and cast it out againe, and so not striue to eate to be fat, but onely to maintaine life.
To helpe a slow Spring.
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. Also in this case it is méete that you lay (as the husbandman tearmes it) all such Pasture as you intend to graze at the spring following, in Nouember before, & so not being bitten from that time till Aprill following, no doubt but your spring will be both good and forward. There be others which helpe their slow springing grounds by stocking them in the latter end of the yéere with great abundance of shéepe, who although they bite néere to the ground, and leaue little grasse behinde them, yet they so tread and meanure it with their hot meanure, that it will spring after it commeth to rest, much more early and faster then it was wont. So that to conclude in a word, to make a barren ground spring earely, is to kéepe it warme, let it haue long rest, and meanure it well with Shéepe.
To help Knot-grasse and Speare-grasse.
If your ground be troubled with Knot-grasse or Speare-grasse, it is a signe of too much colde moysture in the earth, and in this case you shall with a great common Plough, made for such a purpose, turne vp great furrowes through your ground, and make them so descend and fall one into another, that not onely the moysture bred in the earth, but that which falls vpon the earth, may haue a swift passage from the same, and so your soyle being drayned and kept dry, all those wéedy kindes of grasse will soone perish.
To helpe Sun-burning.
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. there can seldome be any hurt by Sunne-burning, vnlesse that such soyles be vpon Limestone ground, or néere vnto other quarries of hard stone, which lying néere vnto the vpper swarth of the grasse, doth so burne the roote, that the vpper branches cannot prosper. In this case the bringing in of water doth rather hurt then good, wherefore your best course is partly by your owne industry, and partly by the labours of others, who are traded in such commodities, to let forth your ground to Stone-diggers or Lime-makers, who digging the quarries out of the earth, and then filling vp the emptie places with rubbish and other earth, the soyle will in short space become as fruitfull as any other, for it is onely the want of taking roote; or the burning vp of the roote, which makes this kinde of earth barraine.
To help Ling, Braken, &c.
Now if your ground bring forth Ling, Braken, Gorse, Whinnes, or such like: you shall pare off the vpper swarth of the earth, and lay it in the Sunne to dry, in the height or heate of Sommer, and being throughly dried, you shall lay them in round hollow heapes one sod ouer another, then putting fire vnto them, burne them into ashes, which done, spread the ashes, like a meanure, ouer all the ground, and you shall sée those wéedes will no more spring or grow in that ground.
To helpe morishnesse or quick-myers.