A Sixteenth-Century Farm. 323 



in an appearance at this late stage of the winter. Invigorated 

 by the better food, all hands would seize the earliest oppor- 

 tunity afforded by open weather to get on to the land once 

 more. The barley soil would get its second ploughing, the 

 oats would be sown, and the manure carted on to the spring 

 bean land. 



In these days, when enclosures were few, the dilatory farmer 

 was spurred on by his more industrious neighbours, who fore- 

 saw that even a single late sown crop would delay not only the 

 universal harvest, but the entry of their cattle and swine on 

 the infield at Lammas day. About this time of the year 

 Tudor farmers in the Eastern Counties might have been seen 

 at work in many such a field ploughing a large ridge, in width 

 as much as a rod, around that portion of land intended as an 

 enclosure. This they would sow with hips and haws, hazel 

 nuts, and the fruit of the bramble, harrowing and weeding the 

 ground for a couple of years after, and ditching it a still longer 

 period, until there sprang up those belts of coppice which have 

 received the later appellation of shaws or springs, and which 

 were admirably adapted both for shelter and fence. 



Having sown his oats and beans, dunged his meadow ground, 

 and (if he possessed any) attended to the setting of his young 

 vines or hop roots, it was time for the farmer to look over his 

 granaries, and thrash out sufficient grain to convert into the 

 Lady-day rent. On the 12th of March, termed by Tusser 

 " Gregory," the cattle were removed from the meadow ground, 

 and a little later, at Easter day, or as Tusser terms it, " Paske," 

 the marsh meadow ground was similarly cleared. This month 

 of March was an arduous time for the farmer ; and as in Lent 

 it was the rule rather than the exception for Tudor farmers to 

 abstain from flesh meat, they had to work on such orthodox 

 but meagre diet as salt fish, f urmity, gruel, wigs, milk, parsnips, 

 hasty pudding, pancakes, and occasionally eggs. It must have 

 been a worse time still for the farmer's dog, whose longing 

 for meat sometimes induced him to raid on the flock. 



" Watch therefore in Lent," says Tusser ; "to thy sheep go 

 and looke, for dogs will have vittels, by hooke and by crooke." 



During April the barley was sown, the wheat rolled, the 



