Plinies Natural! Hiftorie. 



A well fprinckled and drenched a long time in brine : and when it is dried againc, make ic up round 

 into ccrtaincbotdcs or balsj and fo give ic tokine and oxen for their fodder. There bee ttefet 

 fire on itjand ftraw botb^ in the field whereas it grew. And furcly,r/;'^// highly conimendcth thj^ 

 for a great point of Husbandric : the chcefe reafon hereof was^ to burne the iced that the Vve^ds 

 fbedj and to kill their roots that remaine upon arable ground. In fumme, ihedivericfafhions 

 and manners of reaping, proceed from thi'syXhat in fome countries the harvefts. bee greater 

 than in others: and bcfidcs. Reapers and mowiecsarcnot to bee had in all places alikc^ nor fo 

 cafily hired; j -^y^^^i xn 



Itfollowcth now by good order, asii matter hercunifo aniTCXcd^ to write of the manner Jio\« 

 to lay up and kecpe corne.for ftore.Somearfi very curious and indeed over precife in this pointj 



B and namely in building of barnes and gartiers. For they give ordcrj that in any wife their walls 

 be raifed of bricke, and thofe three foot in thickneffe.' AlToj that they be filled top fulUnd clo- 

 fed up aloftjthat they have no windov^ac ailjnor any place open to let in or admit wind.Othcrs 

 would have windowes^ but thofe onely toward the Northeaft windj where the Sunne rifeth in 

 Summer, 01 elfe into the North '.and in auy hand the bricke raiift nor bee laid with lime, foE^ 

 that it is mx){i hurtftill to corne . For as touching oile dregs or lecs^ how they would have it to 

 bee ufedj I have declared alreadie. Contrariwilej in fome countries they build their garners of 

 timber, and lei them aloft in the aire hollow from the gronndj bearing upon piles and pofts of 

 wood; and luch aredevifed of purpolewitiimanyouvertureson every fide to receive Wind, in* 

 foiinichj as from beneath alfo theboiirdsand plankes bee open totakeallairc . Andyctothcrs 



C there bee who miflikc altogether thcfc kind ot frames, beiiag of this opinion. That in fuch fo- 

 iars and lofts reared fo high into the aire, the corne will diminifh and wither : yeSjand if it lie 

 neare to a roufc of tiles, it will bee in daunger to catch a fire and burne . There bee that would 

 not have corne to bee turned in the garnerj for to breath and take the wind : for that the mite 

 or weeviii that eateth graine, never cojiimeth within lonre fingers of the botconie of the hcape, 

 fo that beneath ihac g^gediereis no danger, and therefore it needs no fochfiirring at all. Ce- 

 Amelia faith^Tliat it vvere good to have a garner open into the Wcff j for that the wind Favo^ 

 nius is kind tor corne; whereat I marvai'e very much, confidcring that otherwfe he is carefliilto 

 feekeoutthcdneft places. Laft of alla^therebe iome that would have a land- toad tied by one of 

 her hinder or longer kgges, and-fo to hang at, t}ie;dore and entric of the garner or barnc where 



D corne lietb . For mine ownc part, if I rnoliid (peake wliat I thinkc, 1 hold, that the chcefe and 

 principal! thing for the keeping of corne weiij is to kn.ovv,and ufe the veric fit time and leafon 

 of layingitup. Forif itbeegatiieredvvhenitisnotfuJIyripc, and beforcithave the due par- 

 • ching from the Sunne, and the firme fnbffance hardened asit oughtj likewilcif it bee brought 

 unto the barne or game? Jhoie, it cannot bee avoided^ but vcrmine will breed therein to doc it 

 muchhurt. ■ < ■ .:;h]-:?:co .••^w';^!j/'. to ^ , r- v ••'.»} . 



That fome kind of grainc will cdntinuc good and found, yea, and lafi: longer than other, 

 there bee many caufes. For either it procccdeth from the skin or huskcjwkn it is manifold, as 

 in Millet; or the fatnefic or the marrow and floure within^ \'«hich maintaincth and feedeth the 

 grainc asthe radicall and nutritive huraoi!r,as in Sefama 5 or laftlysofbitterncllc, as in Lupines 



E and the Imall bitter G ichots. As for i he Frument or wheat Triticum, apt it is moif of all othec 

 to engender and breed weevils and fuch like wormes, becaule it foone catcheth a hcate, and is 

 quickly cnchaufed, by reafon of the thicke and falf fubftance of the ownejand befides ericloled 

 and clad it is within a thicke and groffe skin,which is tl?.e bran . Barley hath afiner and flendcrer 

 huske : and fome Pulfe a thinner than it :fuch iherfore are not fubjed to the faid vcrmincHow- 

 beit, Bcanesbee covered with thicke pillings or tunicles, and therefore cafic to tske .an unna- 

 tural! heat and putrific. Some ufe a devife to keepe Frument corne a long time, with oile lecs^ 

 bcflovving qnelythe fprinckle of one Quadrantall, toathoufand Modi) thereof. Others bc- 

 flrew among it the ponder of Chalke brought either from Chalcis orCariajorclfc lay Ibmc 

 VVormei'sood among it* There i? akind oi earth in Olynthus andCerynthuswithinEuboea, 



F which is highly commended jn this cafe, for it will not fuffer conic to corrupt . And lightly, 

 what corne foever it he that is laid up in the eare.never taketh any harmejkeepc it as long as you 

 will. Howbeit, the heft and mofi alfuredway to preferve corne, is in caves or vaults under the 

 ground, which in Latme bccall^d Sin, as the pra^life is in Cappadocia andThracia. In ^gypt 

 md BatbasiCj above allthings they looke to this^ That their garners ftand uponadric ground 5 



Fff ij and 



