CHAPTER IV 



OF THE GROWING OF HERBS 



In March and in April, from morning to niglit, 

 In sowing and setting, good liousewives delight ; 

 To have in a garden or other like plot, 

 To trim up their house, and to furnish their pot. 



The nature of flowers, dame Physic doth shew ; 

 She teacheth them all, to be known to a few. 

 To set or to sow, or else sown to remove. 

 How that should be practised, pain if ye love. 



Time and ages, to sow or to gather be bold, 

 But set to remove, when the weather is cold. 

 Cut all thing or gather, the moon in the wane. 

 But sow in encreasing or give it his bane. 



Now sets do ask watering, with pot or with dish, 

 New sown do not so, if ye do as I wish : 

 Through cunning with dibble, rake, mattock and spade, 

 By line, and by level, the garden is made. 



Who soweth too lateward, hath seldom good seed, 

 Who soweth too soon little better shall speed. 

 Apt time and the season, so diverse to hit, 

 Let ai^r and layer, help practice and wit. 



Five hundred Points of Good Husbandry, — TussER. 



The majority of herbs are not exacting in their require- 

 ments, but a few foreigners thrive the better for a little 

 protection as a start. This is the opinion of a successful 

 gardener on the Herb-Border in an ordinary kitchen- 

 garden : " As to soil and situation, I used to devote a 

 border entirely to Herbs, under a privet hedge, facing 

 north-west, with a rough marly bottom. I had a plant 



