22 



13. How to sow barley. 



Feb. 2. betyme. But moste generally, to begyn sone after Candel- 



masse is good season, so that they be sowen ere the 



36 begynnynge of Marche, or sone vpon. And specially let 

 them be sowen in the olde of the mone. Forthopinion of 

 olde husbandes is, that they shoulde the better codde, 

 and the sooner be rype. But I speke not of hasty pees, 



40 for they be sowen before Christmasse, &c. 



Barley. 



[Fol. II.] 



Sow five 

 bushels to 

 the acre. 



Sprot-bar- 

 ley. 



Long-ear. 



13. ^ To sowe barley. 



Every good housbande hath his barleye-falowe well 

 dounged, and lyenge rygged all the depe and colde of 

 wynter ; the whiche ryggynge maketh the lande to be 

 4 drye, and the dongynge maketh it to be melowe and 

 ranke. And if a drye season come before Candelmasse, 

 or sone after, it wolde be caste downe and waterforowed 

 bytwene the landes, that the wete rest not in the raine : 

 8 and in the begynnynge of Marche, rydge it vppe agayne, 

 and to sowe in euery acre fyue London bushelles, or 

 foure at the leaste. And some yeres it maye so fortune, 

 that there cometh no seasonable wether before Marche, 



12 to plowe his barley-erthe. And as soone as he hath 

 sowen his pees and beanes, than let hym caste his barley- 

 erthe, and shortly after rygge it agayne : soo that it be 

 sowen before Apryll. And if the yere-tyme be paste, 



16 than sowe it vpon the castynge. 



^ It is to be knowen that there be thre maner of barleys, 

 that is to say, sprot-barleye, longe-eare, and beare-barley, 

 that some menne call bigge. Sprot-barley hath a flat 



20 eare most comonly, thre quarters of an inche brode, 

 and thre inches long, and the comes be very great 

 and white, and it is the best barley. Long-eare hath 

 a flatte eare, halfe an inche brode, and foure inches 



24 and more of length : but the corne is not so greate 

 nor soo whyte, and sooner it wyll turne and growe 



