RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1G41. 53 



waine that is teamed within a quarter or halfe an houre after 

 sunsette is to goe againe, if the night bee faire and the moone 

 likely to give light. Our usuall course is when wee have 

 brought up the farre roomestead as high as the balke, to leave 

 it that it may settle, and beginne on a lowe mowe, that the 

 waines may not bee soe longe in teaminge, and then when that 

 is brought up allmost as high as the others, wee sette (att night) 

 the last, or perhapps the two last waines, to the mowe brest, 

 and leave thom unteamed till the morninge : and then in the 

 morninge when our folkes are all togeather, and that wee have 

 force enough, then doe wee throwe from the waine to the fore- 

 mo we. and from that to the backe-mowe ; and thus doe wee 

 every night mth our last waine, and then in the morninge gette 

 it teamed backewards, till the backemowes bee finished. It is 

 a greate furtherance to have one to teame the waines whiles 

 that the wainefolkes are att breakefast and dinner, for by this 

 meanes there is alhnost an houres time gained for every waine. 



For Mowinge of Barley. 

 Wee beganne to mowe barley this 9th of September, beinge 

 Thursday, 1641 ; and wee had constantly 8 or 9, and sometimes 

 10 Mowers. The reason why wee had so many was because 

 wee stayed somethinge longe afore wee gotte an ende of our 

 oates ; that our barley ripened soe altogeather that wee scarce 

 knewe wheare to beginne for the ripest ; the reason why it 

 came so altogeather was because the mannured lande was laste 

 sowne, which shoulde have beene sowen first ; for corne that is 

 sowne on lande that is in hearte, will allwayes bee sooner ripe 

 then that which is sowne on bare lande. Our barley ripened 

 (this yeare) very kindely and all ahke ; the onely fault was slaine 

 come ; which was not much. Wlien your barley is infeckted 

 with slaine corne yow must endeavour by all meanes possible to 

 leade it dry ; for if it bee dry gotten, the blackeness will dust 

 out, and in feyinge blow away with the winde ; otherwise, if it 

 bee wette gotten, it will blacken, and colour the corne soe that 

 it will be a greate hinderance to it in the saile. Yow may 

 knowe when barley is ripe, for then the eares will crooke eaven 

 downe, and the awnes stande out stiffe and wide asunder. If 

 barley bee fully ripe, and without greenes, yow may venture to 

 leade it after that it may have stoode two dayes in the stooke. 

 It is no pointe of good husbandry to sowe barley on lande that 

 is exceedinge fatte, for lande may be too fatte for barley, viz. : 

 such clay-lande as is newely riven forth, and such barley will 

 come upp very thicke and ranke, and usually full of weedes, the 

 stem me will bee stronge and steare, and the barley itselfe 



