The onicnng of the Kitchen Garden. 463 



CHAP. III. 



How to -;-,// timers Garden herbes^ both for their fvwing, 

 //>c'fiJing, iiihl gathering of the fee Jc. 



OVr chiefell and greatell Gardiners now adaies, doe fo prouide for themfelucs 

 euery yeare, that from their owne grounds they gather the feede of many 

 herbe> that they fowe againe: for hauing gained the bell kind of diuers herbes, 

 they will be llill furniihed with the Came, and be not to fecke euery yeare for new that 

 oftentimes will not yeelde them halfe the profit that their choyce feede will: I fay of 

 man}' herhe>, but not of all ; for the belt of them all hath not ground fufficient for all 

 forts, nor will our climate bring fome to that perfection that other forraine doth, and 

 therefore the feede of fome things are continually brought from beyond Sea vnto vs. 

 And againe although our chiefe Gardiners doe (till prouide their owne feede of diuers 

 things from their owne ground, becaufe as I faid it is of the bell kinde, yet you muft vn- 

 derltand alfo, that good llore of the fame fortes of feeds are brought from beyond the 

 tor that which is gathered in this Land is not fufficient to ferue euery mans vfe in 

 the whole Kingdome by many parts; yet llill it is true, that our Englifh feede of many 

 things is better then any that commeth from beyond the Seas : as for example, Red- 

 difh, Lett ice, Carrots, Parfneps, Turneps, Cabbages, and Leekes, of all which I in- 

 tend to write in this place; for thefe arc by them fo husbanded, that they doe not fow 

 their owne grounds with any other feede of thefe forts but their owne : which that 

 yon may know the manner how to doe, I will here fet it downe, that euery one may 

 haue the bell directions if they will follow jhem. Of Reddifh there are two forts, one 

 more early then the other : they vfe therefore to fow their early Reddifh firfl, that they 

 may haue the earlieit profit ot them, which is more worth in one fortnight, then in 

 a moneth after. And to effect this they haue fome artificiall helps alfo ; which are thefe : 

 They vfe to digge vp a large plot of ground where they intend to fow their feede a lit- 

 tle before or after Chrillmas, calling it into high balkes or ridges fiue or fixe foote a- 

 funder, which they fuffer to lye and take all the extreame frolts in lanuary to mellow 

 the earth, and when the frolics are pall, they then beginne to bring into it good (lore 

 ot frelh liable dung, which they laye neyther too deepe nor too thicke, and couer it 

 with the mould a hand breadth thicknefle aboue the dung, which doth giue fuch a 

 warmth and comfort to whatfoeuer is fowen thereon, that it forceth it forward much 

 fooner then any other way can doe : And to preuent both the froftes, and the cold 

 bitter windes which often fpoyle their feede new fprung vp, they vfe to fet great high 

 and large mattes made of reedes, tyed together, and faltened vnto Itrong (takes, thrull 

 into the ground to keepe them vp from falling, or being blowne down with the winde; 

 which mattes they place on the North and Eall fide to breake the force of thefe winds, 

 and are fo fure and fate a defence, that a bricke wall cannot better defend anything 

 vnder it, then this fence will. In this manner they doe euery yeare to bring forward 

 their feede to gaine the more by them, and they that will haue Reddifh early, mull 

 take the lame courfe. The other fort of Reddilh for the moll part is fowen in Februa- 

 rie, a fortnight after the other at the leall, and likewife euery moneth after vnto Sep- 

 tember, that they may haue young continually. Foj the blacke Reddilh, although ma- 

 ny in many places doe fowe it in the fame time, and in the fame manner that the ordi- 

 nary is fowen, yet the nature thereof is to runne vp to feede more fpeedily then the 

 other, if it haue fo rich ground to grow vpon, and therefore the bell time to fow it is 

 in Augult, that fo it may abide all winter, wherein is the chiefelt time for the fpending 

 thereot, and to keepe -it vntill the beginning of the next yeare from running vp to feed : 

 the gathering whereof, as alfo of the other fort, is all after one manner, that is, to be 

 pulled vp when the pods change whitilh, and then hanged vpon bulhes, pales, or fuch 

 other thing, vntill they bee thorough dry, and then beaten or thralhed out vpon a 

 fmooth plancher, or vpon clothes, as euery ones llbre is, and their conueniencie. Let- 

 tice is lowen oftentimes with the early Reddilh, in the fame manner before faid, that 

 they may haue Lettice likewife as early as the time of the year will permit them, which 



they 



