46 AGRICULTURE IN THE 



hawdod, apparently chicory; dogfennel or mather, and ter, which 

 I do not identify. The author counsels the grinding of the 

 seeds from several of these plants, for he says they contain much 

 flour. The difficulty with the husbandman was to weed corn 

 which is sown broadcast. The hook therefore with which the 

 weeds are cut up should not be more than an inch wide, and 

 the labourer must be careful not to tread on the corn. 



The plough is the most necessary instrument of agriculture, 

 with the requisite harness, whether the husbandman uses oxen 

 or horses. But besides, he must have wains or waggons, a cop- 

 yoke, which appears to be either the pole of the waggon or the 

 projecting part of the waggon which hangs over the strill horse, 

 a pair of sieves, a wain-rope, and a pitchfork. The wheels of 

 the wain are either wooden or iron-bound, the latter dearer at 

 first, but cheaper in the end, since a pair of iron-bound wheels 

 will last out seven or eight wooden ones, besides being rounder 

 and lighter to draw. We must however except soft or marshy 

 ground. The husbandman will also need a cart on two wheels 

 with necessary harness. In certain districts the carts and 

 waggons carry ladders before and behind. The remaining 

 implements are axe, hatchet, hedgingbilJ, a pin-auger, a rest- 

 auger, a flail, a spade, and a shovel. These, says Fitzherbert, 

 .are the names they go by in my country, though I know that 

 they have other names elsewhere. To buy all these, or what- 

 ever else may be needed, is costly, and a thrifty man will make 

 them himself. The time for this is in the winter, when the 

 farmer sits by the fire. He should get the wood between 

 Michaelmas and Martinmas, and should dry and straighten it. 

 He should tooth the rakes with dry willow, having bored holes 

 with his wimble, and wedge the teeth with dry oak. On no 

 account get the wood when the sap is in it, for then it will 

 never dry. 



The hay harvest, and the good quality of the hay, was of great 

 importance to the medieval farmer. Good tedding, says Fitz- 

 herbert, is the chief point to make good hay. Hay should be 

 constantly turned after the dew is gone. When sufficiently 



