RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 45 



stay at hoame, till yow see the day alter, for corne that is wette 

 bowTide up is halfe undone ; and by doinge thus yow may im- 

 ploy your folkes att hoame aboute other necessary businesses ; 

 and if it doe not brighten up till towardes noone, your best way 

 will bee to lette your owne folkes dine betimes att hoame, and 

 then it shall bee accounted but for halfe a day with those that 

 worke with yow by daytaile. It is good to bee dealinge with 

 come as soone as possibly yow may, or dare ; that if yow chance 

 to bee interrupted A\dth wette weather, you may not thereby 

 bee casten quite behinde ; whearefore the cheife thinge in an 

 husbandman is to labour both by sowinge soone, and Ukewise 

 by all other meanes, that hee may have a timely harvest ; for 

 one day aboute the middle of August dryeth as much as three 

 or fower in September. When corne is fully ripe, and not in- 

 feckted with weedes, it neede not stande above a weeke in the 

 stooke to harden ; but if it bee either greenish, or softe, it 

 woulde stande nine or tenne dayes afore it bee ledde. There 

 shoulde bee in everie stooke 12 sheaves ; and tlieire manner in 

 stookinge of winter corne is to sette nine of the sheaves with 

 theire arses downe to the grownde, and tlieire toppes caven up 

 soe that they stande just fower square, havinge three sheaves 

 on every side, and one in the midst ; and then doe they take 

 the other three sheaves that remaine, and cover the toppe of 

 the standinge sheaves ; and they (most commonly) lay the arses 

 of the three sheaves towards the worke-folkes, and the heades 

 or toppes of the sheaves backwards towards the place wheare 

 they beganne. 



If winter corne bee fuUy ripe, and cleane without weeds, it 

 is usually sayd and founde to bee stooke and bushell, and 

 sometimes more ; whearefore a good husband will allwayes 

 aske, when they are first begunne to sheare, if come bee cleane, 

 ripe, and rise well, that is, come up thicke and ranke ; and 

 againe hee wiU aske if the stookes rise thicke or rise well, i.e., 

 if they stande thicke ; for this is the usual phraise hereabouts. 

 Those that are experienced desire that theire rye hange blacke 

 out of the eare, and that theire wlieate bee indifferent well 

 hardened ; for then they say that as soone as it is inned, it will 

 grinde on a mill ; and hkewise that it will yeeld weU to the 

 bushell when it is not cutte to soone, for then it neither pineth 

 nor shrinketh ; and besides it bleedeth better in the thrashinge 

 then that which is cutte afore it bee fully ripe. Many have 

 aUedged that White-wheate is the best to imingle and sowe 

 with rye, and that it will bee the soonest ripe ; but wee finde 

 experimentally that Kentish wheate is the best, or that which 

 (hereabouts) is called Dodde-reade ; and besides it is a larger 



