RCRAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 107 



For Makinge and Mending e of Earthen Floores. 

 When they are to make a newe barne floore, they grave it all 

 over, and then rake it all over with hey rakes or yron waine 

 rakes till the mowles bee indifferent small , then they bringe 

 water in seas and in greate tubbes or hogsheads on sleddes, ; nd 

 water it tiU it bee as soft as morter, or allmo.st as a puddle ; 

 then lette it lye a fortnight, till the water bee sattled in that it 

 beginne to waxe hard againe, and then beate it downe smooth 

 with broad flatte peeces of wood. When a fioore is decayed, 

 that there are holes worne, they usually leade as many coupe 

 loales of redde clay, or else of clottes from the faugh field, as 

 will serve, but they must leade theire clottes from such places 

 where the clay is not mixed with sande ; and then when it 

 commeth, theire manner is for one to stande with a mell and 

 breake the clottes small, another hath a showle and showleth the 

 mowles into the hole, the third and aU the rest have rammers 

 for ramminge and beatinge of the earth downe into the hole ; 

 these rammers are made of old everinges, harrowe baUs, oi- such 

 like thinges as have holes ; they putte into the holes two rungs 

 to hold by, the lowest for the right hand more then three quar- 

 ters of a yard from the foote of the rammer ; the uppermost 

 aboute a quarter of a yard higher then it, for the left hand ; 

 then they water it, and lette it lye three or fower dayes to 

 mawme, for if they should ramme it presently it would cleame 

 to the beater : wee use to digge and leade clay for our barne 

 from John Bonwickes liiU. 



For Destroyinge of Robbers from ajiongst Bees. 

 Robbers beginne to play theire parts aboute or before the 10th 

 of September ; when yow see that they are gone into an hive, 

 your best way is to twine a small wreath of longe grasse and 

 stoppe all alonge the mouth of the hive to keepe them in from 

 spoylinge any more hives ; then att night bringe a lantorne and 

 a candle, two bowles, a sheete, an old wheate riddle, halfe a 

 chafinge dish full of good lastinge coales, and an handfuU of 

 brimstone beaten small ; sette the chaiinge dish of coales into 

 one of the bowles, throwe the brimstone upon the coales, turne 

 the riddle downe over the chafinge dish, and turne the mouth of 

 the hive downe upon the riddle, and lappe the sheete aboute the 

 edge of the hive, and it wiU suffocate the bees that they will 

 fall downe dead into the riddle immediately. 



