The English Husbandman (The Second Booke) /

by Gervase Markham

If your ground be morish or full of quicke myers, you shall then by small draynes or trenches draw away the water, and turne it into some lower ditch or current, and so bringing the ground to a stability or firmenesse, there is no doubt but fruitfulnesse, will presently follow after.

To helpe mossinesse.

Lastly, if your ground be mossie, and bring forth in stead of grasse onely a soft fussie and vnwholsome mosse, your onely best way to cure the fault, is in the Winter time to tread it much with the féete of Cattell, as by making of Hay-stacks in diuers parts of such ground, and so fodring your Cattell about the same, and so yéerely altering the places of your Stackes or Réekes to goe ouer all your ground, & without doubt the treading of the ground will kill the mosse, and the meanuring of the Cattell, and the expence of Hay-séeds vpon the ground, will soone bring the earth to much fruitfulnesse and goodnesse.

The generall vse of barraine grounds.

Now for the generall vse of these barraine grounds, it is to be vnderstood, that albe by the meanes before shewed, they may be helpt or bettered, yet they are but onely for bréede or encrease of Cattell. Whether the grounds be seuerall and enclosed, or vniuersall and common: whether they be Woods, Parkes, or Pastures, or Heathes, Mores, Downes, or other wilde and vnlimitted places, and these grounds shall be deuided into thrée parts, the first and most fruitfullest lying lowest, lying néerest to the riuer or some running streame, you shall preserue for meddow, and not suffer any beast to bite vpon the same from Candlemasse, vntill the hay be taken from the ground. The second part, you shall graze or eate from Candlemasse till Lammas, which would be that which lieth most plaine and bleake, and most subiect to all weathers. And the third part, which is the warmest and safest, you shall graze from all-Hollantide till Candlemasse, and betwixt Lammas and all-Hollantide you shall eate vp your eddish or after-crop of your meddowes.

What Cattell are to be bred.

Now whereas I speake generally, that these barraine grounds are for the bréede of Cattell, yet you shall vnderstand me particularly, as namely, what Cattell for what soyle, for euery barraine earth will not bring forth Cattell alike, as some will beare a faire Cowe or Oxe, yet but a little Horse: and some will bring forth a very goodly Horse, yet but a very little horned beast, therefore you shall obserue that if your ground lye any thing lowe, or be subiect to much moysture, and so not extreamely barraine, but although the Spring be late, yet after it springeth, it yéeldeth a reasonable bit, this ground is fittest to bréede Cattell vpon, as Cowe, Oxe, and such like: but if it lye high and dry, if it be stonie or mountainous, haue much reflection of the Sunne: or though it be some-what more barraine then the former earth, and in the best part of the Spring yéeld but a short, yet swéet bit, this ground is fittest to bréede a faire and large horse vpon: but if it be extreamely barraine colde and moyst, stonie or mossie, so it be replenished with any good store of Vnderwood, then it is fit to bréede small hard Nags vpon, or Geldings of a meaner size, Goates, wilde-Swine, or such like. And lastly, if it be extreame barraine, colde, and dry, and altogether without any kinde of shelter, but subiect to euery blast whatsoeuer, this ground is fit onely to bréede Shéepe vpon, as we sée by daily experience in the seuerall parts of this Kingdome: so that to conclude, you shall beare in your memorie, that where you bréede your beast, would be reasonable bit: where you bréede your Horse good ayre and warmth, and where you bréede your Shéepe, there much spaciousnesse of ground. And thus much briefly for the nature and vse of your barraine grounds.

Of fertill grounds.

Now to procéede to your fruitfull and rich grounds, whose very encrease and abundance of grasse, without any other curious relation shewes their fertility, there is little obseruation to be held in the ordering & disposing of them, for being naturally good of themselues, there néedeth little Art to the maintainance of the same, onely to haue an especiall care to the fencing and safe kéeping of them, to the due time of eating them with your Cattell, and to obserue a fit proportion of rest for them, in which they may grow and gather head for the maintainance of such beasts as shall féede vpon them. And to these, as an especiall rule aboue the rest, must be added a carefull diligence not to ouer-stocke or loade your ground with more Cattell then it may conueniently beare, for if your ground be neuer so fruitfull, if it be ouer-prest with multitudes of Cattell, it cannot by any meanes yéeld you the profit of your expectation, but returne you losse and dammage.

The deuision of rich grounds.