100 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND. 



It was only the large landowners who indulged in a garden 

 specially set apart for flowers and pleasure. The garden of every 

 small manor and farm-house in the kingdom was essentially for 

 use. Fitzherbert, in his Book of Husbandry, 1534, enumerates the 

 general duties of a wife, among which he does not forget the 

 garden : " And in the beginning of March or a lyttel afore, is 

 tyme for a wife to make her garden, and to gette as many 

 good sedes and herbes as be good for the potte and to eate, and 

 as ofte as nede shall requyre, it must be weded, for els wedes wyl 

 ouergrowe the herbes." These herbs were much the same as in 

 the previous century, but a few are mentioned in -writings of this 

 date, which have not appeared on earlier lists, and some, such as 

 asparagus, melons, taragon, horse-radish, and artichokes \vere 

 first grown in the royal gardens about this time. Tusser devotes 

 several lines in his poem to beans and peas. In January 



" Good gardiner mine 

 Make garden fine 

 Set garden pease 



and beans, if ye please." 



And again, 



" Dig garden, stroy* mallow, now may ye at ease 

 And set (as a dainte) thy runciuall pease." 



Also 



"Sowe pease (good trullf) 



the moone past full 

 Stick bows a rowe 



where runciuals growe." 

 " Set plentie of bows among runciuall pease 



to climber thereon, and to branch at their ease." 



These quotations show that runcival peas were a favourite 

 dainty. They were a large kind of pea, and the name is 

 supposed to be derived from Roncesvalles, in the Pyrenees. 

 Tusser also gives directions for picking beans 



" Not rent off, but cut off ripe beane with a knife 

 For hindering stalke of hir vegetive life 

 So gather the lowest, and leauing the top 

 Shall teach thee a trick, for to double thy crop." 



* Expression often used probably for the sake of rhythm. = weed, or 

 destroy, wild mallow, a common weed. 

 j- = good girl, or lass. 



