24. How to make forks and rakes. 33 



the seuerall medowe it maketh the lesse charge, and that 

 20 the moldywarpe-hilles be spredde, and the styckes cleane M e-hiiis. 

 pycked out of the medowe in Apryll, or in the begin- 

 n}'nge of Maye. 



24. ^ Howe forkes and rakes shnlde be made. 

 A Good husbande hath his forkes and rakes made ^°j^s and 



rakes. 



redye in the wynter before, and they wolde be gotte 

 bytwene Mighelmasse and Martylmasse, and beyked, and 

 4 sette euen, to lye vpryght in thy hande : and than they CFoi. 19^.] 

 wyll be harde styffe and dr}'e. And whan the housbande 

 sytteth by the fyre, and hath nothynge to do, than maye 

 he make theym redye, and tothe the rakes with dr}'e wethy- 

 8 wode, and bore the holes with his wymble, bothe aboue for^he't'^th 

 and vnder, and driue the tethe vpwarde faste and harde, °^^^^^^- 

 and than wedge them aboue with drje woode of oke, for 

 that is hard, and wil driue and neuer come out. And if 



1 2 he get them in sappe-tyme, all the beykyng and drienge 

 that can be had shal not make them harde and styffe, 

 but they woll alwaye be plyenge : for they be moste ^nl wi£^' 

 comonly made of hasell and withee, and these be the 



1 6 trees that blome, and specially hasell : for it begynneth 



to blome as sone as the lefe is fallen. And if the rake ^^ "•* , 



grreen wood. 



be made of grene woode, the heed wyll not abyde 

 vppon the stele, and the tethe wyll fall out, whan he 



20 hath mooste nede to them, and let his warke, and lose 



moche heye. And se that thy rake and forke lye vprjghte ^*^* *^' 

 in thy hand, for and the one ende of thy rake, or the syde 

 of thy forke, hang downe-warde, than they be not hand- 



24 some nor easy to worke with. 



25. \ To tedde and make hay. 



Whan thy medowes be mowed, they wolde be well [^°'- ^°^ 

 tedded and layde euen vppon the grounde : and if the 2^*^'"*^ 

 grasse be very thycke, it wolde be shaken with handes. 



