RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 33 



dry, and neede the lesse sweate in the cocke, yow are to lette it 

 lye two whole dayes spreade before yow rake and cocke it, and 

 if a longe raine come after it is spreade the grass will growe 

 thorowe it and make it very trowblesome to rake, and att such 

 a time yow are to tm^ne it all over and lette it dry afore yow 

 rake it ; otherwise the many greene soppes that are in it will 

 bee a meanes to make it cleame togeather in Imnpes, and 

 moidde in the cocke ; one spreader will spreade as much in a 

 day as sixe goode mowers will mowe ; then after your grasse 

 hath layen two dayes spreade, yow are to gette it raked and 

 cocked, and if it bee both well welked and dry when yow cocke 

 it, yow may venture to leade it within five dayes without any 

 more to doe ; butt if it bee eyther wette or greene when yow 

 cocke it, yow are not to lette it stande above three dayes afore 

 yow throwe it out againe and gette it well tilled in, and then 

 cast it into greate cocke yow may if yow please. When hay is 

 raked, or thrown e into wind-rowe, there shoulde bee just as 

 many with rakes as there are with forkes, viz. : first a forke and 

 then a rake ; and then if there chance to bee an odde one, the 

 odde is to goe last up, and with her rakeshafte to throwe up 

 the sweath, and then to come first downe againe, and rake the 

 same ; and then are they right againe. Haymakers will cocke 

 as much in one houre as they wiU. rake togeather in two, 

 whearefore they seldome beginne to cocke afore three of the 

 clocke, and then doe tliey beginne theire first wheare they be- 

 ganne first to rake. When hay hath stoode fower or five dayes 

 in small cocke, then they carry them togeather, and putte two 

 or three grasse cockes in one, and sometimes fower ; if the 

 winde be any thinge bigge when they beginne to cocke, theire 

 manner is to twine two bandes with their rake out of the bot- 

 tome of the cocke, on either side, and soe to make them meete 

 over the toppe of the cocke. Such closes as pay tithe shoulde 

 allwayes bee tended in grasse-cocke, and then are there 9 grasse- 

 cockes for the owner betwixt the procter's tythe cockes, which 

 cockes beinge putte togeather are usually throwne into 3, viz. : 

 three into one. If there come any raine whiles the hay is in 

 cocke, soe that it bee iU wette, the fii'st faire day that cometh 

 yow are to gette it throwne out, aboute nine of the clocke, and 

 then tm-ned againe, aboute twelve, and soe cocked up towards 

 night. A good mower will mowe 40 grasse-cockes in a day, 

 which are accounted a loade and an halfe, for 26 or 28 gi-asse- 

 cockes are a sufficient loade, and fower good haymakers will 

 rake and cocke five loades in a day ; wee sell our best hay 

 usually for I6s. a loade, and our coursest and longest bottome 

 hay for 13s. 4f?., viz. : such as groweth in the bottomes and ing- 



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