be bores and sowes all, and no hogges. And if thou be able to rere vi pigges a yere, than let two of them be bores, and foure of them sowes, and so to contynue after the rate. For a bore will haue as lyttell kepynge 12 as a hogge, and is moche better than a hogge, and more meate on hym and is ready at all tymes to eate in the wynter season, and to be layde in souse. And a sowe, er she be able to kyl, shall bryng forth as many pyggs or 16 moo, as she is worth; and her bodye is neuer the worse, and wyll be as good baken as a hogge, and as lyttell kepynge, but at suche tyme as she hath pygges. And if thy sowe haue moo pygges than thou wilt rere, sel them, 20 or eate them, & rere those pigges that come about lenten-time, specyally the begynnynge of somer, for they can-not be rered in winter, for cold, without great coste.

122. Of bees.

   Of bees is lyttell charge but good attendaunce; at the tyme that they shall cast the swarme, it is conuenient, that

Put the beehive in a garden or orchard.

the hyue be set in a garden, or an orchyarde, where as they maye be kepte from the northe wynde, and the 4 mouthe of the hyue towarde the sonne. And in June

They commonly swarm in June or July.

and July they do most commonlye caste, and they wolde haue some lowe trees nyghe vnto them before the hyue that the swarme maye lyght vpon; and whan 8 the swarme is knytte, take a hyue, and splente it within with thre or foure splentes, that the bees maye knytte theyr combes therto; and annoynte the splentes, and

How to take a swarm.

the sydes of the hyue, with a lyttell honye. And if thou 12 haue no honye, take swete creame, and than set a stole or a forme nyghe vnto the swarme, and laye a clene washen shete vppon the stole, and thanne holde the

[Fol. 51b.]

smalle ende of the hyue downewarde and shake the 16 bees in-to the hyue, and shortely sette it vppon the stole, and turne vppe the comers of the shete ouer the hyue, and to leue one place open, that the bees may come in

Never strive with bees.

and out: but thou mayst not fight nor stryue with theym 20 for noo cause; and to laye nettyls vppon the bowes, where as they were knytte, to dryue them from that place; and soo watche them all that daye, that they go not away; and at nyght, whan al be goone vp into the 24 hyue, take it away and set it where it shall stande, and take awaye thy shete, and haue claye tempered to laye aboute it vppon the borde or stone, where it shall stande, that noo wynde comme in, but the borde is better and 28 warmer. And to leaue an hole open on the south syde, of three inches brode, and an inche of heyghte, for the bees to come in and out. And than to make a couerynge of wheate-strawe or rye-strawe, to couer and house the 32 hyue about, and set the hyue two fote or more from the erthe vpon stakes, soo that a mouse cannot come to it, and also neyther beastes nor swyne. And if a swarme be caste late in the yere, they wolde be fedde with honnye in 36 wynter, and layde vppon a thynne narowe borde, or a thynne sclatte or leade; put it into the hyue, and an other thynne borde wolde be set before euery hyues mouthe, that no winde come in; and to haue foure or fyue 40 lyttell nyckes made on the nether syde, that a bee maye comme out or go in, and so fastened, that the wynde blowe it not downe, and to take it vp whan he wyll. And that hyue that is fedde, to stoppe the mouthe cleane, 44 that other bees come not in; for if they doo, they wyll fyghte, and kyll eche other. And beware, that noo waspes come in-to the hyue, for they wyll kyl the bees, and eate the honny. And also there is a bee called a 48 drone, and she is greatter than an other bee, and they wyll eate the honny, and gather nothynge: and therfore they wolde be kylde, and it is a sayenge, that she hath loste her stynge, and than she wyl not labour as the other 52 do.

123. ¶ Howe to kepe beastes and other cattell.

How to keep beasts.

   If a housbande shall kepe cattell well to his profytte, he must haue seuerall closes and pastures to put his cattel in, the which wolde be wel quickesetted, diched, & hedged, that he maye seuer the byggeste cattell frome 4 the weykeste at his pleasure, and specyallye in wynter-tyme, whan they shall be fodered. And thoughe a man be but a farmer, and shall haue his farme xx yeres, it is lesse coste for hym, and more profyte, to quyckeset, 8 dyche, and hedge, than to haue his cattell goo before the herdeman. For let the housbande spende in thre yeres as moche money as the kepynge of his beastes, swyne, and shepe doth cost him in iii yeres, than alwaye after, 12 he shal haue all maner of cattell with the tenthe parte of the coste, and the beastes shal lyke moche better. And by this reason. The herdeman wyll haue for euery beast .ii.d. a quarter, or there aboute: And the swyneherde 16 wyll haue for euery swyne .i.d. at the leaste. Than he must haue a shepeherde of his owne, or elles he shal neuer thryue. Than reken meate, drinke, and wages for his shepeherde, the herdmans hyre, and the swyneherdes 20 hyre, these charges wyll double his rent or nyghe it, excepte his farme be aboue .xl. s. by yere. Nowe see what his charges be in .iii. yeres, lette hym ware as moche money in quickesettynge, dychynge, and hedgynge, and 24 in thre yeres he shall be discharged for euermore, and moche of this labour he and his seruauntes maye do with theyr owne handes, and saue moche money. And than hath he euery fyelde in seueraltye. And by the assente 28 of the lordes and tenauntes, euery neyghbour may exchaunge landes with other. And than shall his farme be twyse so good in profytte to the tenaunte as it was before, and as moche lande kepte in tyllage; and than shall not 32 the ryche man ouer-eate the poore man with his cattell, and the fourth parte of heye and strawe shall serue his cattell better in a pasture, than iiii. tymes soo moche wyll do in a house, and lesse attendaunce, and better the 36 cattel shall lyke, and the chiefe sauegarde for corne bothe daye and nyghte that can be.

124. ¶ To get settes and set them.

   And if thou haue pastures, thou muste nedes haue quyckesettynge, dychynge and plasshynge. Whan it is

Quickset hedges.

grene, and commeth to age, than gette thy quyckesettes in the woode-countreye, and let theym be of whyte-thorne 4 and crabtree, for they be beste; holye and hasell be good. And if thou dwelle in the playne-countrey, than mayste

Set young oaks and ashes.

thou gete bothe asshe, oke, and elme, for those wyll encrease moche woode in shorte space. And set thy oke-settes 8 and the asshe .x. or .xii fote a-sonder, and cut them

[Fol. 53b.]

as thou dost thy other settes, and couer theym ouer with thornes a lyttell, that shepe and cattell eate them not.

Clear away the weeds.

And also wede them clene in mydsomer mone or soone 12 after: for the wedes, if they ouer growe, wyl kyl the settes.

Never have blackthorn.

But get no blacke-thorne for nothynge, for that wyl grow outwarde into the pasture, and doth moch hurte in the grasse, and tearyng the woll of the shepe. It is good 16 tyme to set quickesettes, fro that tyme the leaues be fallen,

When to set quicksets.

vnto oure lady daye in lente; and thy sandye grounde or grauell set fyrste, than clay grounde, and than meane grounde, and the medowe or marreys grounde laste, for 20 the sande and grauell wyll drye anone, and than the quyckeset wyll take no rote, excepte it haue greate weate; for the muldes wyll lye lose, if it be dyched in February or

How to set quicksets.

marche, and lyke wise clay ground. And make thy settes 24 longe ynough, that they maye be set depe ynough in the erth: for than they wyll growe the better. And to stande halfe a foote and more aboue the erthe, that they maye sprynge oute in many braunches. And than to take a lyne, 28

Make a straight trench.

and sette it there as thou wylte haue thy hedge, and to make a trenche after thy lyne, and to pare awaye the grasse there the quyckesettes shal be set, and caste it by,

[Fol. 54.]

where the erthe of the dyche shall lye, and dygge vp the 32 muldes a spade-graffe depe, and to put in thy settes, and dygge up more molde, and laye vppon that set, and so peruse, tyll thou haue set all thy settes, and let them lene towarde the dyche. And a foote from that make thy 36 dyche. For if thou make it to nyghe thy settes, the water maye fortune to weare the grounde on that syde, and cause thy settes to fall downe.

125. ¶ To make a dyche.

Of what size to make ditches.

   If thou make thy dyche foure foote brode, than wolde it be two foote and a halfe depe. And if it be .v. fote brode, than .iii. fote depe, and so accordynge; and if it be fyue fote brod, than it wolde be double sette, and the 4 rather it wolde fence it-selfe, and the lower hedge wyll serue.

126. ¶ To make a hedge.

Stakes for a hedge.

   Thou muste gette the stakes of the harte of oke, for those be best; crabtre, blacke-thorne, and ellore be good. Reed wethy is beste in marsshe grounde; asshe, maple, hasel, and whyte-thorne wyl serue for a time. And set 4

[Fol. 54b.]

thy stakes within .ii. foote and a halfe together, excepte thou haue very good edderynge, and longe, to bynde with.

Ethers for a hedge.

And if it be double eddered, it is moch the better, and gret strength to the hedge, and moche lenger it wil last. 8 And lay thy small trouse or thornes, that thou hedgeste withall, ouer thy quickesettes, that shepe do not eate the

Drive the stakes firmly.

sprynge nor buddes of thy settes. Let thy stakes be well dryuen, that the poynt take the hard erthe. And whan 12 thou haste made thy hedge, and eddered it well, than take

Wind in the ethers.

thy mall agayne, and dryue downe thy edderinges, and also thy stakes by and by. For with the wyndynge of the edderynges thou doost leuse thy stakes; and therfore 16

Then drive the stakes again.

they muste nedes be dryuen newe, and hardened agayne, and the better the stake wil be dryuen, whan he is wel bounden.

127. ¶ To plasshe or pleche a hedge.

How to pleach a hedge.

   If the hedge be of .x. or .xii. yeres growing sythe it was first set, thanne take a sharpe hachet, or a handbyll, and cutte the settes in a playne place, nyghe vnto the

Cut the sets more than half through,

erthe, the more halue a-sonder; and bende it downe 4 towarde the erthe, and wrappe and wynde theym to-gether,

[Fol. 55.]

but alwaye se that the toppe lye hyer than the

and bend them down, but not too low.

rote a good quantytie, for elles the sappe wyll not renne in-to the toppe kyndely, but in processe the toppe wyll 8 dye; and than set a lyttel hedge on the backe-syde, and it shall nede noo more mendynge manye yeres after. And if the hedge be of .xx. .xxiiii. or .xxx. yere of age,

How to pleach an older hedge.

sythe it was fyrst sette, than wynde in first al the 12 nether-moste bowes, and wynde them together, and than cutte the settes in a playne place a lyttel from the erth, the more halfe a-sonder, and to lette it slaue downewarde, and not vpwarde, for dyuerse causes: than wynde the 16 bowes and braunches therof in-to the hedge, and at euery two fote, or .iii. fote, to leaue one set growyng not plasshed; and the toppe to be cut of foure fote hygh, or there-aboute, to stande as a stake, if there be any 20 suche, or els to set an-other, and to wynd the other that be pleched about them. And if the bowes wyll not lye playne in the hedge, than cut it the more halfe

How to pleach a very old hedge.

a-sonder, and bynd it to the hedge, and than shal he not 24 nede for to mende the hedge, but in fewe places, .xx. yeres after or more. And if the hedge be olde, and be great stubbes or trees, and thyn in the bottome, that beastes may go vnder or betwene the trees: thanne 28 take a sharpe axe, and cutte the trees or stubbes, that

[Fol. 55b.]

growe a fote from the erthe, or there-about, in a plaine place, within an inche or two inches of the side, and let them slaue downward, as I sayd before, and let the 32 toppe of the tree lye ouer the rote of an other tree, and to pleche downe the bowes of the same tree, to stoppe the holowe places. And if all the holowe and voyde places wyl not be fylled and stopped, than scoure the 36 olde dyche, and cast it vp newe, and to fyll with erthe all the voyde places. And if soo be these trees wyll not reche in euerye place to make a sufficyent defence, than double quicke-set it, & diche it new in euery place that 40 is nedeful, and set a hedge thervpon, and to ouerlay the settes, for eatynge of shepe or other cattel.

128. ¶ To mende a hye-waye.

How to mend a road.

   Me semeth, it is necessarye to shewe mine opinion, howe an hye-way shulde be amended. And fyrste and pryncypally, se that there be noo water standynge in the

Let no water stand on it.

hye-waye, but that it be alwaye currante and rennynge, 4 nor haue none abydynge more in one place thanne in another. And in somer, whan the water is dryed vp, than

[Fol. 56.]

to get grauell, and to fyll vp euery lowe place, and to make theym euen, somewhat dyscendynge or currante, 8 one waye or other; and if there be noo grauell nor

Fill up the holes with gravel.

stones to gette, yet fyll vp with erthe in the begynnyge of somer, that it maye be well hardened with caryage and treadynge vppon, and it shall be well 12 amended, if the water maye passe away from it; the whiche wolde be well consydered, and specially aboute

About London they mend roads badly, putting in earth before the gravel.

London, where as they make moche more coste than nedeth; for there they dyche theyr hye-wayes on bothe 16 sydes, and fyll vp the holowe and lowe places with erthe, and than they caste and laye grauell alofte. And whan a greatte rayne or water commeth, and synketh thorowe the grauell, and commeth to the erthe, than the erthe 20 swelleth and bolneth and waxeth softe, and with

Then the gravel sinks, and the road is like a quicksand.

treadynge, and specyally with caryage, the grauell synketh, and gothe downewarde as his nature and kynde requyreth, and than it is in maner of a quycke-sande, 24 that harde it is for any thynge to goo ouer. But yf they wolde make no dyche in sommertyme, whan the water is dryed vp, that a man may se all the holowe and lowe places, than to cary grauel, and fyl it vp as hygh as the other 28 knolles be; than wold it not bolne ne swell, nor be no quycke-sande, and euery man may go beside the hie-way with theyr cariage at theyr pleasure. And this me semeth is lesse coste, and lenger wyll last with a lyttell mendynge 32 whan nede requyreth. Therfore me thynketh, yf this were well loked vpon, it shuld be bothe good and necessarye for that purpose: for soo haue I seen done in other places, where as I haue ben, &c. 36

129. ¶ To remoue and set trees.

How to remove and set trees.

   If thou wylte remoue and sette trees, get as manye rotes with them as thou canste, and breake them not, nor bryse theym, by thy wyll. And if there be any rote broken and sore brused, cut it of harde by, there as it is 4 brused, with a sharpe hatchet, elles that roote wyll dye. And if it be asshe, elme, or oke, cut of all the bowes

Cut off some of the boughs.

cleane, and saue the toppe hole. For if thou make hym ryche of bowes, thou makeste hym poore of thryfte, for 8 two causes. The bowes causeth theym to shake with wynde, and to leuse the rotes. Also he can-not be soo cleane gete, but some of the rotes muste nedes be cut, and than there wyll not come soo moche sappe and 12 moystenes to the bowes, as there dyd before. And if the tree be very longe, cut of the top, two or thre

[Fol. 51; So misnumbered all the way to the end. We may call it 51*.]

yardes. And if it be an apple-tree, or peare-tree, or suche other as beareth fruyte, than cut away all the 16 water-bowes, and the small bowes, that the pryncipall bowes may haue the more sap. And if ye make a marke, which syde of the tree standeth towarde the sonne, that he may be set so agayne, it is soo moche 20 the better.

130. ¶ Trees to be set without rotes and growe.

Some trees can be set without roots.

   There be trees wil be set without rotes, and growe well, and sprynge rotes of them-selfe. And those be dyuerse apple-trees, that haue knottes in the bowes, as casses, or wydes, and suche other, that wyll growe on 4

Poplar and withy.

slauynges, and lykewyse popeler and wethy: and they must be cut cleane besyde the tree, that they growe on, and the toppe cut cleane of .viii. or .x. fote of lengthe, and all the bowes betwene, and to be set a fote depe or. 8 in the erthe, in good grounde. And ye shall vnderstande,

Four withies, viz. white, black, red, and osier.

that there be foure maner of wethyes, that is to say, white wethye, blacke wethy, reed wethy, and osyerde wethy. Whyte wethye wyll growe vppon drye 12 grounde, yf it be sette in the begynnyge of wynter, and

[Fol. 51*b.]

wyll not growe in marsshe grounde; blacke wethy wyll growe better on marshe grounde, and redde wethy in

Osiers will grow in water.

lyke maner: and osyerde wethy wyll growe beste in water 16 and moyste grounde. And they be trees that wyll soone be nourysshed, and they wyll beare moche woodde, and

Crop them every seven years.

they wolde be cropped euery .vii. or .viii. yere or els they wyll dye; but they maye not be cropped in sappe-tyme, 20 nor no tree els. And in many places, bothe the lordes, freeholders, and tenauntes at wyll, sette suche wethyes, and popelers, in marsshe grounde, to nourysshe wodde, &c.

131. ¶ To fell wodde for housholde, or to sell.

Fell underwood in winter; let the cattle browze on it.

   If thou haue any woddes to felle, for thy householde to brenne, or to sell, than fell the vnder-wodde fyrste in wynter, that thy cattell or beastes maye eate and brouse the toppes, and to fell noo more on a daye but as moche 4 as the beastes wyll eate the same daye, or on the morowe

Make it up into faggots.

after. And as soone as it is well eaten or broused, thanne kydde it, and set them on the endes, and that wyll saue the bandes from rottynge, and they shall be 8 the lyghter to carye, and the better wyll they brenne, and lie in lesse rowme. And whan thou shalt bryng them home to make a stacke of them, set the nethermoste course vpon the endes, and the seconde course flat vppon 12 the syde, and the endes vpwarde, and the thyrde cou[r]se flatte on the syde ouerthwart the other. And so to peruse them, tyll thou haue layd all vp. And whan thou shalte brenne them, take the ouermoste fyrste. 16

132. ¶ To shrede, lop, or croppe trees.

How to shred, lop, and crop trees.

   If thou haue any trees to shrede, loppe, or croppe for the fyre-wodde, croppe them in wynter, that thy beastes maye eate the brouse, and the mosse of the bowes, and also the yues. And whanne they be broused 4 and eaten, dresse the wodde, and bowe it clene, and cutte it at every byghte, and rere the greatte wodde to the tree, and kydde the smal bowes, and set them on ende. And if thou shalte not haue sufficyent wodde, 8

Do not head trees too low.

excepte thou heed thy trees, and cut of the toppes, than heed theym thre or foure fote aboue any tymber: and if it be noo tymbre tree, but a shaken tree, or a hedge-rote full of knottes, than heed hym thyrty foote hyghe, 12

[Fol. 52*b.]

or twenty at the leaste, for soo ferre he wyll beare plentye of woode and bowes, and moche more, thanne

Trees grow only to a certain height; then they spread.

if he were not heeded. For a tree hath a propertye to growe to a certayne heyght, and whan he commeth to 16 that heyghte, he standeth styll, and groweth noo hyer, but in brede; and in conclusion the toppe wyll dye and decrease, and the body thryue. And if a tree be heeded, and vsed to be lopped and cropped at euerye 20 .xii. or .xvi. yeres ende, or there-about, it wyll beare moche more woode, by processe of time, than if it were not cropped, and moche more profyte to the owner.

133. ¶ Howe a man shoulde shrede, loppe, or croppe trees.

In shredding trees, some men begin at the top.

   It is the comon gyse, to begynne at the top of the tree, whan he shall be shred or cropped, bycause eche bough shulde lye vppon other whan they shall fal, so that the weight of the bowes shall cause theym to be 4

It is not the best way.

the rather cut downe. But that is not beste, for that causeth the bowes to slaue downe the nether parte, and pulleth awaye the barke from the bodye of the tree, the whiche wyll cause the tree to be holowe in that place 8 in tyme commynge, and many tymes it shall hynder

[Fol. 53*.]

hym. And therfore lette hym begynne at the nether-moste boughe fyrste, and with a lyghte axe for an hande, to cut the boughe on bothe sydes, a fote or two foote 12 from the bodye of the tree. And specially cut it more on the nether syde, than on the ouer syde, soo that the boughe fall not streyght downe, but turne on the syde, and than shall it not slaue nor breke no barke. 16 And euery boughe wil haue a newe heed, and beare

Never crop or head a tree with a north or east wind,

moche more woode; and by thy wyll, without thou must nedes do it, crop not thy tree, nor specyallye heed hym, whan the wynde standeth in the northe, or in the eest. 20 And beware, that thou croppe hym not, nor heed hym

nor in sap-time.

(specially) in sappe-tyme, for than wyll he dye within fewe yeres after, if it be an oke.

134. ¶ To sell woode or tymber.

Retail the wood yourself.

   If thou haue any woode to selle, I aduyse the, retayle it thy-selfe, if thou mayste attende vppon it: and if not, thanne to cause thy baylye, or somme other wyse or

If small, sell in faggots.

dyscrete man, to do it for the. And if it be small wode, 4 to kydde it, and sel it by the hundredes, or by the thousandes. And if there be asshes in it, to sell the smalle

[Fol. 53*b.]

asshes to cowpers for garches, and the gret asshes to whele-wryghtes, and the meane asshes to plowe-wrightes, 8 and the crabbe-trees to myllers, to make cogges and ronges. And if there be any okes, bothe gret and smal, fel them, and pyl them, and sel the barke by it-selfe; and than sorte the trees, the polles by them-selfe, the myddel 12 sorte[30] by them-selfe, and the greattest by them-selfe, & than sel them by scores, or halfe scores, or .C. as thou maist, and to fel it hard by the erth, for i. fote next vnto the erth is worthe .ii fote in the top; and to cut 16 thy tymber longe ynoughe, that thou leue no timber in the toppe. And to sell the toppes as they lye a greatte, or elles dresse them & sel the great wodde by it-selfe, & the kyd-wodde by it-selfe, and to fal the vnder-wode 20 fyrst at any tyme between Martilmas and holyrode-day. And al the asshes, bytwene Martylmasse and Candelmas, and all okes, as soon as they wyl pyl, vntyl May be done, and not after. Perauenture the greattest man hath not 24 the beste prouisyon. And that is bycause the seruauntes wyll not enfourme hym these wayes, and also may fortune they wold bye suche woodes theym-selfe, or be partener of the same and to auyse his lorde to sel them. It is not 28 conuenient that the salesman, that selleth the wod, shuld be partener with the bier.

135. ¶ To kepe sprynge-wodde.

   In the wynter before that thou wilt fel thy wodde, make a good and a sure hedge, that no maner of cattel can get in. And as shortly as it is fallen, let it be caryed away, or

Of plantations or ‘spring-wood.’

the sprynge come vp, for els the cattell, that doth cary 4 the wodde, wyll eate the sprynge: and whan the top is eaten, or broken, it is a great lette, hurte, and hynderaunce of the goodnes of the sprynge; for than where it is eaten, it burges oute of many braunches, and not soo fayre as 8 the fyrst wolde haue ben. A parke is best kept, where there is neyther man, dogge, nor foure-foted beast therin, except dere. And so is a spryng beste kepte, where there is neyther manne nor foure-foted beastes within 12 the hedge. But if there be moche grasse, and thou were lothe to lose it, than put in calues, newly wained and taken from theyr dammes, and also waynynge coltes, or horses not paste a yere of age: and let thy calues be 16 taken away at Maye; the coltes may go lenger for eating of any wodde; but there is ieoperdy bothe for calues, foles, and coltes, for tyckes or for beinge lowsy, the whiche wyl kyl them, if they be not taken hede vnto. 20 And .vii. yeres is the lest that it wil saue it-selfe, but .x. yeres is best. And than the vnder bowes wolde be cutte awaye, and made kyddes therof, and the other wyll growe moche the better and faster. And if the 24 vnder bowes be not cutte awaye, they wyll dye, and than they be loste, and greatte hurte to the sprynge, for they take awaye the sappe, that shoulde cause the sprynge to growe better. 28

136. ¶ Necessary thynges belongynge to graffynge.

Pears, apples, cherries, filberts, bullace, damsons, &c.

   It is necessarye, profytable, and also a pleasure, to a housbande, to haue peares, wardens, and apples of dyuerse sortes. And also cheryes, filberdes, bulleys, dampsons, plummes, walnuttes, and suche other. And 4 therfore it is conuenyent to lerne howe thou shalte graffe. Than it is to be knowen what thynges thou

A grafting-saw.

must haue to graffe withall. Thou muste haue a graffynge-sawe, the whiche wolde be very thynne, and 8 thycke-tothed; and bycause it is thynne, it wyll cut the narower kyrfe, and the cleaner, for brusynge of the barke. And therfore it is sette in a compasse pece of yren,

Grafting-knife.

syxe inches of, to make it styffe and bygge. Thou 12 muste haue also a graffynge-knyfe, an inche brode, with

[Fol. 55*.]

a thycke backe, to cleue the stocke with-all. And also a mallet, to dryue the knyfe and thy wedge in-to the tree: and a sharpe knife, to pare the stockes heed, and 16 an other sharpe knyfe, to cutte the graffe cleane. And also thou muste haue two wedges of harde wood, or elles of yren, a longe small one for a small stocke, and broder for a bygger stocke, to open the stocke, whan it is clouen 20 and pared: and also good tough claye and mosse, and also bastes or pyllynge of wethy or elme, to bynde them with, &c.

137. ¶ What fruite shuld be fyrste graffed.

Graft pears before apples.

   Peares and wardens wolde be graffed before any maner of apples, bycause the sappe commeth sooner and rather in-to the peare-tree and warden-tree, thanne in-to the

Graft from Feb. 14 to March 25.

apple-tree. And after saynt Valentynes daye, it is tyme 4 to grade both peares and wardens, tyll Marche be comen, and thanne to graffe appels to our lady daye. And than graffe that that is gette of an olde apple-tree fyrste, for that wyll budde before the graffe get of a yonge apple-tree 8 late graffed. And a peare or a warden wolde be graded in a pyrre-stocke; and if thou canst get none,

[Fol. 55*b.]

than graffe it in a crabbe-tree stocke, and it wyll do well: and some men grade theym in a whyte-thorne, and than 12

A crab-stock is best for apples.

it wyll be the more harder and stonye. And for all maner of appels, the crabtree stocke is beste.

138. ¶ Howe to graffe.

Select the graft.

   Thou muste get thy graffes of the fayrest lanses, that thou canste fynde on the tree, and see that it haue a good

Saw the crab-tree,

knotte or ioynte, and an euen. Than take thy sawe, and sawe in-to thy c[r]abbetree, in a fayre playne place, pare it 4

cleave and open the stock;

euen with thy knyfe, and thanne cleaue the stocke with thy greatte knyfe and thy mallet, and set in a wedge, and open the stocke, accordynge to the thyckenesse of thy graffe; thanne take thy smalle sharpe knyfe, and cutte 8 the graffe on bothe sydes in the ioynte, but passe not the myddes therof for nothynge, and let the inner syde, that shall be set in-to the stocke, be a lyttel thynner than the vtter syde, and the nether poynte of the graffe the 12 thynner: than proferre thy graffe in-to the stocke; and if it go not close, than cut the graffe or the stocke, tyll they close cleane, that thou canste not put the edge of thy knyfe on neyther syde betwene the stocke and the 16 graffe, and sette them so that the toppes of the graffe bende a lyttell outewarde, and see that the wodde of the graffe be set mete with the wodde of the stocke, and the sappe of the stocke maye renne streyght and euen with 20 the sappe of the graffe. For the barke of the graffe is neuer soo thicke as the barke of the stocke. And therfore thou mayste not sette the barkes mete on the vtter syde, but on the inner syde: than pulle awaye thy wedge, 24 and it wyl stande moche faster. Than take toughe cleye, lyke marley, and ley it vppon the stocke-heed, and with thy fynger laye it close vnto the graffe, and a lyttel vnder the heed, to kepe it moyst, and that no wynde come into 28 the stocke at the cleauynge. Than take mosse, and laye thervpon, for chynynge of the claye: than take a baste of whyte wethy or elme, or halfe a bryer, and bynd the mosse, the clay, and the graffe together, but be well ware, 32 that thou breake not thy graffe, neyther in the clayenge, nor in the byndynge; and thou muste set some-thinge by the graffe, that crowes, nor byrdes do not lyght vpon thy graffe, for if they do, they wil breake hym, &c. 36

139. ¶ To graffe bytwene the barke and the tree.

   There is an other maner of graffinge than this, and soner done, & soner to growe: but it is more ieoperdy for

Another way of grafting.

winde whan it begynneth to growe. Thou muste sawe thy stocke, and pare the heed therof, as thou diddest 4 before, but cleue it not: than take thy graffe, and cut it in the ioynt to the myddes, and make the tenaunte therof halfe an inche longe or a lyttell more, all on the one syde, and pare the barke awaye a lyttel at the poynt on the 8 other syde: than thou muste haue made redy a ponch of harde wood, with a stop and a tenaunte on the one syde, lyke to the tenaunte of the graffe. Than put the tenaunt of the ponche betwen the barke and the woode of the 12 stocke, and pull it out agayne, and put in the graffe, and se that it ioyne close, or els mende it. And this can-not fayle, for now the sappe cometh on euery syde, but it wyl spring soo faste, that if it stande on playne 16