RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 49 



stooke after above sixe sythes. Come sythes have allwayes 

 cradles, for carryinge of the corne handsomely to the sweath- 

 balke. Yow may knowe a good mower of corne by these pro- 

 perties foUowinge. 



1. Hee takes a good breadth, as, for example, I haveknowne 

 two good mowers whoe have cutte one of our broade landes a 

 foote and a halfe beyond the ridge continnally. 



2. Hee lyeth his sythe well downe, or (as they say) hee lyeth 

 her neare the grownde, and cutteth rounde and eaven att pointe 

 and att heele, that it is allmost impossible to come after him 

 and finde howe his sweath hath gone. 



3. Hee settes his corne well, which is a greate ease to those 

 that gather after him ; and not, as many bad mowers doe, (and 

 especially when they make over much haste) thro we the corne 

 soe behinde them that, when the corne is layd in bande, one 

 can scarce tell which is the heade and which is the arse of the 

 sheafe ; and this kinde of mowinge is both an hm-t to the corne, 

 and like^vise to the outhggers. 



A good outhgger is knowne by folio winge close imto him that 

 shee gathereth after, and likewise by makinge of her bandes ; 

 for some outhggers twine theire bandes, and others againe make 

 them of pulled corne ; they may make them well enough either 

 way, but such as doe not make stronge bandes are much to bee 

 blamed, for good bindinge is one of the principall and chiefe 

 thinges that an husbandman ought to regarde, and looke unto, 

 viz. : that his corne bee harde and fast tyed, for otherwise it is 

 noe better than rakins ; and it is a thinge impossible to binde 

 fast, if the bandes bee not good. 



In cuttinge of grasse they mowe allwayes outwards, because 

 theire sweathbalke shoulde not bee against the standing grasse, 

 and soe hinder him that cometh next ; but in mowinge of come 

 it is otherwise, for they mowe allwayes into the corne, and that 

 onely to sette it well against the standinge come, for the ease 

 of those that gather after them. 



An outhgger carryeth but onely one loome to the field, and 

 that is a rake, which is called an outligginge rake, or a gather- 

 inge rake ; this rake hath usually sixe wood teeth, and some of 

 them but five ; the teeth are allmost sixe ynches longe ; the 

 shafte is of saugh, and the head and teeth of seasoned ash. 



Outhggers are aUwayes to turne theire faces towardes the 

 standinge-corne, holdinge theire right hande underneath the 

 rake, aiid layinge theire left hande above ; for theire left hande 

 is to bee aboute the middle of the shafte, and theire right 

 hande higher up towards the toppe of the shafte ; and soe are 

 they (for theire owne ease) to throwe doAvne theire bandes in 



H 



