CENTURY V. 215 



440. It hath been observed, that hacking of trees 

 in their bark, both downright and across, so as you 

 may make them rather in slices than in continued 

 hacks, doth great good to trees ; and especially de- 

 livereth them from being hide-bound, and killeth 

 their moss. 



441. Shade to some plants conduceth to make 

 them large and prosperous more than sun, as in 

 strawberries and bays, &c. Therefore amongst 

 strawberries sow here and there some borage seed, 

 and you shall find the strawberries under those leaves 

 far more large than their fellows. And bays you 

 must plant to the north, or defend them from the 

 sun by a hedge-row ; and when you sow the berries, 

 weed not the borders for the first half year ; for the 

 weed giveth them shade. 



442. To increase the crops of plants, there would 

 be considered not only the increasing the lust of the 

 earth, or of the plant, but the saving also of that 

 which is spilt. So they have lately made a trial to 

 set wheat, which nevertheless hath been left off, 

 because of the trouble and pains : yet so much is 

 true, that there is much saved by the setting, in com 

 parison of that which is sown, both by keeping it 

 from being picked up by birds, and by avoiding the 

 shallow lying of it, whereby much that is sown taketh 

 no root. 



443. It is prescribed by some of the ancients, 

 that you take small trees, upon which figs or other 

 fruit grow, being yet unripe, and cover the trees in 

 the middle of autumn with dung until the spring ; 



