The eighteenth Booke of 



cute and goc through the treatife of other forts of corne and their nature, if I had once written G 

 fomewhat in one part thereof as touching the accidents and imperf eClions that happen among 

 ihcm* 



Chap, xvii. 



P§> The faults imldent to corne ^ and their remedies, Alfo xphat corne is ref^(Slive to 

 * this or thatfoile,for to kfome therein^ 



THe firft andprincipalldefeCtobferVed in bread-cornc, and Wheat cfpeciallyj is when it 

 doth degenerate and turneinto Ores : and not onely itjbut Barley alfo doth the Hke. Sem- 

 blably, Otesotherwhiles Icrvc themrne in ftecd of bread corne: as wee may fee infome 

 countries of Almainc,wherc they do ufually fow it^and commonly they have no other pottage H 

 therejthan Oatmealc gruell [which they call Abremouz.] Jheforefaid defed and imperfedioa 

 is occafioned cheefely by the moift foile or ovetwet weather. Another caufe there followeth alfo 

 thereupon, proceeding from the feeblcnefle and weakenelle of the feed, namely, when itlieth 

 long fobbing in the ground^ before it come up .• and hereto may be referred thefaultines of the 

 (eed otherwilc, namely jif it were worme-eaten or otherwife rotten at the time of fowing . And 

 verily jno foonet appeareth it above ground,but the forefaid ciiange or baftardie may be fecnc, 

 whereby it doth appearcjthat the caufe is in the root. 



A fecond defed orimperfedion there is alfo incident to corne jV^hich hath fome near refem- 

 blance to the Ores aforelaidjnamelyjwhen the graine being formed and newly come to the jiifl 

 proportion of bigneffeChowbeitjnotyetfuU and ripe) before thatitisfirmeand hardjisfmiticn J 

 with a noifome biaft,and fojikean abortive friiitjdecaierh and windcreth away within the eare 5 

 infuchfbrtjasthereisno fubflance left therein, but appeareth void and emptie. Nowthefe ad- 

 verfe and malignant winds hurt all fpiked corne,as well Wheat as ^arleyjai three feverall times: 

 to wit,in their flower 5 prefently upon their blouming ; and laft of allj when they begin to ripen 5 

 for then,namely when they are upon the point of maturitie,thofe blafls confume the graincjand 

 bring it to nothing,which before was full : whereas at the two former feafons they hinder it alto- 

 gether from knitting and growing. The bote ^leames moreover of the Sunne^betweene often 

 cioudingjdoe much harme to corne. 



Furthermore, there be certaine little wormes breeding in the root,that doe eat it : which hap- 

 penethby occafion of muchraine falling immediately after the feednes, efpecially5when fomc ^ 

 fome fuddaine heat and drowthcnfueth theruponjwhich bindeth the earth abovcjandfojenclo- 

 ftth the moifture conceived withinjthe very caufe & nourice of putrifadion.Yel"hall have other 

 fuch like verminc engender likewife in the very graine of the corne, namely jwhen the eare doth 

 glow withiujand is chafed with fultrie bote raines.Over and befidesjthere be certaine[green]flies 

 likefmallBeetles,calledCantharideSjwhich doe gnaw and eat the corne. But all thele^and fuch 

 hkewormesor flies die pre(ently,wlien the corne(which was their food)isgone.Moreover,Oile5 

 Pitchjand Tarre, all manner of greacealfojbee contrarie to feed-corne efpccialiyj and therefore 

 •take heed that you fow none fuch as hath caught OiIe,Pitch,or Greace.Asfor iTiowersof raine, 

 good they are for corncjfo long onely as it is in the greenc blade: when corne is blouming(be it 

 either Wheat or Barleyjorfuch like)raine is hurtfulLMariePulfe takes no harme tberbyjunleflc L 

 itbetheCich-peafe. 



All kinds of Wheat and other bread corne, when they be toward ripene{re,catch hurt by 

 fbowers ; but Barley more than any. Befides all this,ihere is a certaine white hcarbe or weed r&» 

 fembling Panicke,growing among corne,3nd overfpreading whole fields;which not onely bin- 

 dereth corne jbut aUb killeth all thecattell thatfeedcih thereupon . For as touching ray or dar- 

 nell^bursjthiftles^and brambles,! may hold and reckon themjnot fo much for faults and imper- 

 fedionsofcornc,as rather the plagues and infedions proceedingfrom the very earth. And foe 

 blading, which commeth of fome diftemperature of the aire (a mifcheefe common as well to 

 corne, as vines)itis ashurtfullasany other maladiewhatfoever.Thisunhappiebial^falleth moft 

 often in places fubjed to mift s and d€wes,and namely,hollow vallies and low grounds lying un- "* 

 . der the wind ; for contrariwifejwindie quartcrs,and fuch as are mounted high,are not lubjed to 

 this inconvenience. Alfo, wee may number among the faults incident to corne,their rankeneffe 5 

 namely, when the blade is fo overgrowne,and the ftalke fo charged and loden with a heaviehcad 

 that the corne ftandeth not upnght,but is lodged and lieth along. Moteovcrjwhen thercfalleih 



* a great 



