Plinies Natural! Hiftone; 5?5 



A And verily this that is faid of one fortj may bee verified of all kinds. The corne d^^^ to 

 the bottome of the mowgh in a barne toward the floorejis ever to be refcrved for feed. And that 

 inuft needs bee beft, becaiife it is weightier 5 for therein lieth the goodnefle : neither is there a 

 better way to difcernc and diftinguilh good corne from other. If you fee an eare of corn having 

 graiiiesin it here and there flaring diftantafunder^be fiire the corne is not good for this purpofe, 

 and tfierefore it muft be caft afide.Thc beft graine looketh reddiih j and being broken betweenc 

 ones teeth^retaincth ftill the fame colour within : the worfe corne for feed is that^ which fi-^eweth 

 more ofthe white flonre within. , 



Furthermorejihisiscertainejthatfomc grounds take morefccdjandronie le(!e. And hereby 

 verily doe Husbandmen gather their firftprefage religiouflyjofa good or badharveft for when 



B they fee the ground fwallow more feed than ordinarie,they have acercmonic to fay and beleeve, 

 that it is hungrieand hath greedily eaten the feed. When a man is tofow a moift groundjgood 

 reafon there is to make the quicker difpatch^and to doe it betimes, forfcareleail rainecome to 

 rotit.Butcontrariwifejin drie places it is not amifietoftay the late rand attend [ill raine follow, 

 leaft by lying long in the earthjand not conceiving for want of moifture^it look the hearty and 

 turnc to nothing. Semblablyjwhen a manfoweth earely^hee muff beftow the more ieed and fow 

 tbickCjbecaufe it is long ere it fwell & be readie to chir.But if he be late in h is feednes^he fliould 

 calf it thin into the ground,for thicke fowing will choke and kill ihefced.Moreovcrjin this feat 

 of fowing there is a pretie skill and cunningjnamelyjto carie an even hand^^ cait the feed equals 

 ly throughout the whole field. The hand(in any cafe) ofthe feeds-man mull agree with his gate 



C and march ; it ought alwaies to goejulf with his right foot. Herein alfo this would not bee for^. 

 gotten^That one is more fortunate and hath a more luckie hand than another^and the feed will 

 profper better and yeeld more encreafe that fuch a one foweth: a hidden fecret furcly in Nature^ 

 and whereof we can yeeld no found reafon. Over and beiides^this is to be confideredj That corn 

 comming from a cold foile^mufhiot be fbwne in a hot ground 5 nor that which grew in a forward 

 and haftie fieldjought not to be transferred Into latcwaid lands. HowfoeverjfonK there bee that 

 have given rule cieane contrarie: howbeit^ they have deceived themf elves with all their foolilTi: 

 curiofiiie. 



Now as touching the quantitic of feed that mufl begivenjaccordingto the varietie both of 

 ground and grain^thefe principles following are to be obierved .hi a rcalonable good ground of 



D a meane temperaturejan acre in ordinane proportion will ask of common wheat Triticumj or of 



the fine wheat SiligOjfivcModijjof the red wheat Parlor of ^Seedrforfb we call a kind of bread- *Heme3neA 

 corncjten Modij 3 ofBarlcylixejof BeanesasnuichasofcommonwheaCjandafiftpartoronc ZcaorSpde. 

 Moduis ovcrjot Vetches iwelvcjofCich-pcafe thegreater3Cichlingsthelcfre3& ofPeafe^threej 

 ofLupines ten J of Lentils three ; [as for diefe,fojke would have them fowed together with drie 

 dungjof Ervile fix ; of Silicia or Feni-greeke fix 5 of Phafeols or Kidney beanes foure; of Dradgc 

 orBalimongfor horfe-provender^twcncie^butof Millet and Panickcfoufc Sextars, Howbeitj 

 herein can be fet down no jull proporrion/or the foil imy alter all. And in one wordja fat ground 

 will receive more, and a leane ieflc. Befidesjthere doth aiife a difference anorhei way^in this ma- 

 ner : if it be a mafTie/aff jchalkicjand moifl groundjyou may bcf^ow in one acre thereof fixeMo- 



E dijjeither of common wheat or of fine wheac Siligo j but in cafe it be loofe and lightjuakcdjdrie, 

 and yet in good heart and freCjit will askebucfoure.Forche leaner that a ground is, unleffe it be 

 fowne fcant^andtheftraw come up alfo ihin^the iliorter eare will the corn have^& the fame light 

 in the headland nothing therein.Bethe ground rich and fatjyee fliall fee outcf one root a t>um- 

 ber of f^emstofpring;fo that although the graine be thin fowne, yet will it come up thicke, and 

 beare a faire and full eare. And therefore in an Acre of ground you fliail not doe amifle, to 

 keepe a meane betweene foure and fixe Modi], having refped to the nature of the fbilc. And yet 

 Ibmc there be that would have [of Wheat] five Modij fowne at all adventure.,and neither more 

 nor IcfTejwhatfoever the ground be.To conclude^if the ground be fet with trees^or lying on the 

 fide of anhill5allisone,as if itwereleane5hungrie,and out of heart. And hereto may be redu- 



F ced that notable Aphorifine, worthie to bee kept and obferved as a divine Oracle, Take not 

 toomuchof aland,wearenotoutallthe fatnefle, butleaveitinfomefieart . Overand above 

 the Rules aforefaid, uxs^irw^^ inhis Treatife called Praxidicus, commeth in with one more of 

 hisowne. Sow your ground (faith hee) when iheMoone isinanyof thefefignes, Aries,Ge- 

 Oiinij Leoj Libra, and Aquarius . And Zoroajlrcs hath another Ailronomicall obfervation 



