320 History of the English Landed Interest. 



against tlie highways to keep out the water from above.^ 

 Leaving his j'onng crop, the farmer could now turn his atten- 

 tion to gathering in on a fine day his orchard fruits. Tusser 

 recommends him to choose a time when the moon is on the 

 wane, possiblj^ because dark nights might save his fruit store 

 collected under the trees from the sharp eyes of the Micher.'* 

 Having styed iip his boar, who by now found little feed in the 

 field, the farmer next proceeded to harvest his hemp, "retting" 

 it in small pools on commons, or near roads, and taking it out 

 as soon as it began to swim. If it was left too long it would 

 rot, and with the fear of this before their eyes, manj- farmers 

 were wont to dew-ret instead of water-ret it." This was the 

 " shake time " after harvest, when the cattle were turned on 

 to the common field, and the farmer made the most of his 

 spare moments in collecting brakes and fern to store for firing 

 or erect into winter shelters for his livestock. Mast was also 

 harvested, partly for sowing in open spaces among the trees, 

 partly for throwing on the grass about the homestead where 

 the swine could find it. The garden was about this time 

 occupying the attention of the farmer's womenkind. They 

 would be replenishing the strawberry bed with wild roots 

 transplanted from the wood. These, together with the rose- 

 mary and giltyflowers, had to be protected with straw in frosty 

 weather. Fruit bushes, such as the barberry, respis and goose- 

 berry, were also attended to. The herb bed, containing worm- 

 wood, rue and other plants, was weeded, and a fresh supply of 

 sawdust, brickdust and ashes strewn over the paths. 



In October the next year's barley ground would receive its 

 first ploughing, and the winter species of peas, such as the 

 Hasting or Reading, be got into the ground. An}' land to be 

 set apart for trees would now be fenced off from rabbits and 

 cattle, and sown with acorns or other seed. Haws would be 



^ He would perhaps be unable to sow his headland with wheat until 

 after his neighbour's horses had ploughed the adjacent plot. Headlands 

 must have been common turning ground in the infield. 



2 " Thief." 



' '• Dew-retting " was the spreading of the hem]) on a water meadow, 

 " watei'-retting " was done in pools. 



