Jnly 10, 1873. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



29 



but the garden and Flax culture were tbe wife's portions of 

 labour. Two brief extracts on these heads will suffice. 



" It i^i aecessarye, profytable, and also a pleasure, to a hous- 

 banile, to haue Peares, Wardens, and Apples of dyuerse sortes. 

 And also Cheryes, Filberdes, BuUeys, Dampsons, Plummea, 

 Walnuttes, and suche other. And tberfore it ib conuenyent, to 

 lerne howe thou shalte grafEe. Thau it is to be knowen, what 

 thynges thou must bane to graffe withall. Thou muste haue a 

 graffynge sawe, the whiche wolde be very thynne, and thycko 

 tothed, and bycause it ia thynne, it wyll cut the narower kyrfe, 

 and the cleaner for brusynge of the barke. And tberfore it is 

 »ette in a compasse pece of yren, syxe inches of, to make itstyffe 



and bygge ; thou muste haue also a graftyuge knyfe, Jan inche 

 brode, with a thycke backe, to cleue the stocke with all. And 

 also a mallet, to dryue the knyfe and thy wt-tlge in to the tree ; 

 and a eharpe knife, to pare the stockesbeed, and another 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 a broder, for a bygger stocke, to open the 

 stocke, whan it is cloueu and pared : and also good tough claye 

 and mosse, and also bastes or pyllj-nge of wethy or elme, to 

 bynde them with, &c." 



" And in the begynnynge of Marche, or a lyltell afore, is tyme 

 for a wyfo to make her gardf n, and to gette as many good sedea 



Sili AMTUUWlf liT/^UEttiiERT. 



and herbea as she cannc, and specially auche as be good for the 

 poUe, and to eate and as ofte as nede shall requyre, it muste be 

 weded, forels the wedes wyl ouergrowe tbe herbes. And also 

 in Marche ia tyme to sowe Flaxe and Hempe ; for I haue harde 

 olde houswyues saye, that better is Marche hurdes than Apryll 

 Flaxe, the reason appereth : but howe it shulde be aowen, weded, 

 pulled, repeyled, watred, washen, dryed, beaten, braked, tawed, 

 hechelcd, spon, wounden, wrapped, and wouen, it nedeth not 

 for me to shewe, for they be wise ynough, and therof may tliey 

 make shetes, bordclothes, towels, "shertes, smockes, and suche 

 other necessaryes, and tberfore let thy distaffe be alwaye redyo 

 for a pastyme, that thou be not ydle." 



The garden crops seem to have been scanty both in quantity 

 and variety ; and the same deficiency evidently characterised 

 the gardens even of royalty, for in 1537 we find in the privy 



purse expeneea of Mary, afterwards Queen, that Apples, Cu- 

 cumbers, " Strawberes," " Pescoddes," " Cherico," " Pcyres," 

 " Fylberds," Wardens, " Scaret rotes" (Rkcrrots), " Harti- 

 cboks," " Medlcrs," and " Pepins," were brought to her as 

 acceptable presents, the donors being often jioor persons, but 

 often friars, and the prior of the Charterhouse. 



Fuller, in the century succeeding P'itzherbert's death, says 

 that his publications are " monuments which will longer con- 

 tinue his memory than that Hat blew stone in Norbury church 

 under which ho lieth interred ;" and this prophecy is true, for 

 the inscription is now illegible, although in Neve'.s time it was 

 readable as follows : — " Of youro eharitie prey for the soulo of 

 Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, one of the Kingos .lustioes of tho 

 Common Bonche, and eomotymo Lord and Patronel'of this 



