CHAP. I. Of Husbandry and Improve­ments in general; plainly dis­covering that there is a spontaneous generation and growth of Vegetables and Animals.

IN my former Treatise of this Subject, and the first Chapter, I discoursed somewhat of the Matter or Essence of Vegetables, from which they receive their substance, That inexhausti­ble Treasure from which the Husband­man, by a proper application of his Seed, extracteth so great Riches: I will now make some small addition to that Chap­ter, in opposition to an Assertion some­times made; which is, That every Plant [Page 2] is propagated by its proper Seed; And, That Nature produceth nothing sponta­neously.

Now what can be more plain, Than That there are sponta­neous pro­ductions of Plants. that every part of this Globe of Earth (where the perpendicular Rayes of the scorching Sun, or the defect of those at­tracting beams in the Frigid Zones, or the great quantities of Egyptian or Lybian Sands prevent not,) affords its larger Forests, Woods, Groves; Or its lesser Shrubs; Or its fertile Plains, replete with great variety of small Vegetables, some as Medicines, others as Poysons, some as Food, others as Rayment to their re­spective Inhabitants, and for Pasturage to the numerous Herds and Flocks of Cattel and other lesser Animals feeding on them, without being planted in such places by Humane Industry, or the Seeds transport­ed in the Air to so remote parts. The Western Islands also that lie remote from the American Continent, although unin­habited by Humane Race, yet afforded to the first Discoverers large Woods and fruitful Pastures, which fed our European Cattel when put on shore, and on which they multiplied and prospered exceed­ingly; such Vegetables that were so far [Page 3] from being propagated by Seeds carried thither in the Air, or by any other means, that the Species of some of them are not to be found in other Countries.

The Histories of the first Discoveries of the Western Continent, and the Islands remote from Land on every side, will furnish you with variety of Examples of this nature.

Besides, there are many Plants that are spontaneous only at certain Seasons, and not at other, according as the Recepta­cle or Matrix of the Earth is enclined; For sometimes over-much moisture, in a wet year, causeth Land to emit other Plants than before it did in dry years; and the laying of dry Land wet, or wet Land dry, very much altereth the Species of Vegetables that spontaneously proceed from it.

Mr. Evelin in his Philosophical Dis­course of Earth, gives an account of what Dr. Morison affirmed of the Plant Erysimum or Irio, that after the Conflagra­tion of the City of London, more of it appeared amongst the Ruines, than was known to grow in all Europe besides: It being (as he saith) a curious Exotic, to be [Page 4] found most about Naples, and but rarely elsewhere.

Examples of this nature are many, where after the felling of one sort or Spe­cies of Wood another hath succeeded; and where Land that hath been frequently sown with one sort of grain, hath produ­ced other grain than what hath been sown.

The same Mr. Evelin in his most excel­lent Discourse of Forest-Trees, relates from a Person most worthy of Credit, That is the Territory of Alzey (a Country in Ger­many, where they were miserably distressed for Wood, which they had so destroyed, as that they were reduced to make use of Straw for their best Fewel,) a very large Tract be­ing newly plowed, but the Wars surprizing them, not suffer'd to sow; There sprung up the next year a whole Forest of Pine-Trees of which sort of Wood there was none at all within less than fourscore miles.

Many other Relations there are in Some assert that all Plants are produced of Seeds. Pliny, and other Authors of the like na­ture, which I need not mention; Only here I cannot but take notice of the far­fetch't Cause of such unexpected pro­ductions of Vegetables some have given, [Page 5] viz. That because God said, Gen 1. I have given you every Herb bearing Seed, and every Tree in the which is the fruit of a Tree yielding Seed: Therefore all Vege­tables are produced and multiplied of the seed of the same Species, and by no other ways, and deny all spontaneous Producti­ons. And to back this Assertion, have found out a way whereby the seeds of all Vegetables may be conveyed from one Country to another, viz. by the Wind, from whence their Species may be re­newed or propagated de novo in places where formerly they have not been known. And imagine that the Showers of seeds mentioned by Pliny in lib. 16. cap. 33. & lib. 19. cap. 3. were first ex­haled from Trees or Plants of the same kind; and to make this seem more pro­bable or easie to obtain Credit, they have discovered that there are several Plants that produce seed, which formerly were reputed barren; and those seeds so small that with the Wind they may easily be transmitted from place to place at a very great distance, whereof Mr Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society, in his little Tract, in­titled Lampas, gives you some instances. As that Observation of his own about [Page 6] the seed of Moss, which with his Micro­scope he found to be very numerous and very small, that there will need no less than nine hundred and threescore thousands of them to cover the superficiet of an inch square; and that the number of them in a grain weight cannot be les than one thousand three hundred eighty and two millions: These seeds he suppo­seth may easily be drawn up into the Air and carried from place to place, even, to the tops of the highest Towers, or to places most remote, and be sown by the passing Air, or falling drops of Rain; and that it is not in the art of Man to leave Earth exposed to the common Air and to exclude the entrance, or pre­vent the sowing of these imperceptible Seeds.

Another was an Observation of Mr. W. C. of Eristol about Fern-seed, which he found to be likewise very small, and nu­merous, and that the little Boxes contain­ing the seeds were in most of the Plants not half, and in some not above one third, or one quarter as big as a very small grain of common white sand; and that some of those bladders contained about 100 seeds, which were so exceed­ing [Page 7] small as to be wholly invisible to the naked Eye, and indiscoverable without a Microscope.

I will not gainsay these curious and in­genious Observations, nor question them. But these do not at all manifest that all Plants are produced of seeds taken from the same Species. For how could the Wind carry the heavy, though small seeds, of Purslane from the Continent above 1000 miles over the Seas to the Island Sancta Helena, where at the first disco­very thereof it plentifully grew; and the seeds of the Cedar from Mount Liba­nus, or any other Continent, to the Island of Bermudas, where so great Woods and Groves of it were found at its first discovery? Or how could the Seeds of the various kinds of Grass be wafted over so large Seas into all places, almost throughout the World, by the Air only? For although the seeds of them are but small, yet have they their weight; and notwithstanding they may by Hurri­canes, tempestuous Winds, or the like, be elevated to a great height in the Air, yet have they a tendency towards the center of the Earth, and cannot long re­remain at such a distance, as to be trans­mitted [Page 8] from one Country to another, nor indeed is there any necessity thereof: For although every Plant may yield its seed by which it may probably encrease, yet that is no reason but that every soil may spontaneously produce some Vegetable it is most enclinable to. As some Seas yield Coral, some one sort of Weed, some ano­ther, the like of other Waters; likewise some Plants yield one sort of Excres­cence, and some another, which cannot be imagined to proceed from material seed, no other than the variety of Mush­rooms, Mold, &c. which differ according to the nature of the soil, or the several subjects from whence they grow, these rather proceeding from the universal Agent, as it is more or less animated by the Celestial Sun, and as it meets with its proper Matrix, so it produceth some Plant or other. Now the use the Hus­bandman may make of these natural and spontaneous productions, is, that by them he may discover the temper and strength of the ground that produceth them, that he may either multiply the same Species, if for his advantage, or such other that are consimilar, or avoid planting or sow­ing in Land of a contrary nature.

For it is observ'd that where Brambles flourish, the Vine will prosper; and that Land natural to the Birch is not good for Apples, Pears, &c. That Tree delighting in the lightest and poorest, these in richer and stronger Lands. Many of the like Observations may the Husbandman make of the nature of his ground, and accord­ingly may he apply proper seeds or plants to the same.

It hath been also asserted, That no Ani­mals That there are sponta­neous pro­ductions of Animals are produced but by the act of Ge­neration, each proceeding from others of the same Species. But if they that are of that opinion do consider that there is no habitable place on this Globe that is not replete with Animals greater or lesser, and some places with both, notwithstand­ing it doth not appear how the first of them came thither; They will easily [Page 10] grant, that the same universal Agent or Spiritus Mundi that never resteth, may when it meeteth with a proper subject cause Animation, as the matter is where­on it worketh; for some places or things being less prolific or fertile are apt to Vegetation, others that are more, are apt to Animation or the production of Animals by the power of the same Agent. As moist and fruitful seasons and places yield more Insects than dry and barren. And standing Pools and mature Fruits naturally afford small Animals, which never were generated by others, but only by the Universal Agent. Many in­stances hereof might be given; for almost every Plant produces some Insect or small Animal proper to that Plant: As the Mulbery, the Silkworm, Apples, Pears, Plums, &c. Worms peculiar to these Fruits. Nuts also have Worms within their shells there generated by the same natural heat or spirit that produced the Kernel, and not from any external seed or Egg; for that Worm worketh its own way out of the shell, and then ceaseth to be.

Mr. W. C. (that before gave an account of the Fern-seed) to the admiration of [Page 11] him, and others with him, observed many differing kinds of small living Creatures wholly invisible to the naked Eye, and even through largely magnifying Specta­cles, though some of them were to be seen through a deep convex Glass; but with a Microscope, when the Plant was newly gathered, they might be seen nim­bly running up and down among the seed Vessels. Lampas p. 50.

Perhaps it will be said that these Ani­mals are produced of Eggs reposited there by some small Flyes, as the proper place or Matrix for their production; as Flesh-flyes do the like on putrifying flesh. But why may they not be there engen­dred by the universal Agent as well as Mites in Cheese, or those nimble Fishes in Vineger, which are never observ'd to be transformed into Flyes, and so unca­pable of transporting their Eggs from place to place?

This supposition of the spontaneous Not con­trary to the Scrip­ture. production of Animals out of places and things capable of impregnation from that universal Agent, is not contrary to, but agreeable with that Command, Gen. 1. Let the Earth bring forth the living Crea­ture [Page 12] after his kind, Cattel and creeping thing. To which we will subjoyn the Opinion of the Learned Dr. Stilling fleet in his Origines Sacrae, Book 3. cap. 4. ‘It seems very probable (saith he) that at least those parts of the Earth which were thus divided from each other, did bring forth these several living Crea­tures after their kinds, which did after propagate in those parts without being brought thither by the help of man. If now this supposition be embraced, by it we presently clear our selves of many difficulties concerning the propagation of Animals in the World, and their conversation in the Ark, which many have been so much to seek for satisfacti­on in. As how the unknown kind of Serpents in Brasil, the slow-bellied Creature of the Indies, and all those strange species of Animals seen in the West-Indies, should either come into the Ark of Noah, or be conveyed out of it into those Countries.’ And afterward the same Author adds, ‘Besides, some kind of Animals cannot live out of that particular Clime where­in they are; and there are many sorts of Animals discovered in America, and [Page 13] the adjoyning Islands, which have left no remainders of themselves in these parts of the World.’

Therefore let them that are so confi­dently opinionated, That every thing we discern to have life, proceeds from an Egg; consider from whence these Multitudes of Locusts, Grashoppers, Caterpillars, Frogs, Chaffers, &c. that in some years and in some Countries do appear, although at such remote distances of time, that in case they were produced of Eggs left in the Earth by some former flight of those In­sects, it will prove very difficult to de­monstrate how life could be preserv'd in such Eggs so many years; or else how the Wind could carry them from one Country to another, or out of different Climates; or how the Eggs of Insects could be conveyed into Nuts, Fruits, Woods, Stones, &c. which frequently af­ford those Animals: Nay, Snow it self is said not to be without its proper Inhabi­tants, although there be sometimes two or three years interval between any quantities lying in these parts.

The Bodies of Men and Beasts afford many Examples of Worms bred in the most inward parts, even in the Brain and [Page 14] Marrow of the Bones. But where they lay their Eggs, and how they should be convey'd from one to another, will be difficult to determine. Therefore when I consider of the many instances of this kind that may be produced, and the difficulties on the other hand, I am the more confirm'd in my opinion, That there is scarce any created being that hath any thing of moisture in it, but may be a proper Matrix for the univer­sal Agent or Spiritus Mundi to act upon for the production of some Animal; and according as Plants are (from some superior influence) more corrupted, so do they emit greater numbers of some sorts of Animals or Insects, that they be­come a Scourge to the Husbandman, whose knowledge of these things is not unnecessary, that he may use means to prevent or cure such Plagues. The pre­vention and cure whereof in the Tenth Chapter of the former Treatise is partly treated of.

CHAP. II. Of the great benefit and advantage of Enclosing Lands.

IN the former Treatise in that Chapter of this part of Improvement of Lands, I gave an account of the great advanta­ges Enclosure would produce, and the many Objections raised against it, and Impediments that hindred it, with their Answers and Removals. Since the writ­ing whereof, several worthy and ingeni­ous Men have endeavoured to promote this Piece of Husbandry, which I may truly Stile, The first and principal Point of Agriculture; For unless the Husbandman can at all times and seasons, when he pleaseth, use his Land, and plant and sow in it what he will, and defend it when he hath done, from the common annoyances to good Husbandry; It is in vain for him to use any extraordinary labour, or be at any extraordinary ex­pence, or hope for any advantage from it. So that there would be then no dif­ference [Page 16] between stupidity and Ingenuity, and all Industry would be hereby dis­couraged.

Some have been of Opinion, that En­closing Profits of Enclosing Lands. improves Land to a Ten-fold, others to a twenty-fold advantage; that is, that by the means of Enclosure the Husbandman may by his Industry on such Land, in planting several Hortulanes or Orchard Fruits, raise aswel to the Public as his own advantage, much more than he could on open Land seldom fruitful, and subject to almost all manner of in­conveniencies, as Cicero says, Ager quan­tumvis fertilis, sine cultura fructuosus esse non potest. There is no Country that is celebrated for good Husbandry or Inge­nuity in our temperate Clime, but their Lands are divided into severals, as the rich Provinces of the Netherlands. The most fertile parts of France and Italy, the Gar­den of the World, sufficiently evince. Nor is there any place in this Kingdom flourisheth more than where Enclosures are most. The open Champain Coun­tries and wast Lands producing multi­tudes of poor, ignorant, lazy and impro­vident people, depending so much on the [Page 17] small Priviledges and Advantages they raise out of the large Forests and wast Lands, that Hunger and Cold for the most part of the year, and Ease through­out, are sweeter to them, than Labour or constant exercise in some honest Trade or Husbandry, which might lodge, cloath, and feed them and their Families, after a far better manner than the best of such Borderers ever enjoy'd.

For any Traveller may observe that in the enclosed Countries, the Hedges are all replete with Timber and other Trees, that they are deservedly called The Wood-Lands, and were so called in former Ages: And not only with Timber for building, and Trees for firing, but with plenty of Fruit-Trees in the Hedges and Orchards dispersed throughout, so that these en­closed Countries afford Fruits which are carried far into the Champion, and Cider in such plenty, that they spare great quantities for their ignorant and lazy Neighbours. The Buildings also in these enclosed Countries, where Materials and Artificers are more plentifully to be had, far exceed those in the Champion and Forest-Lands; and Market-Towns well built and populous, standing much nearer [Page 18] here than in the other. All sorts of Me­chanic Trades, on which the General Trade of the Kingdom depends, are in these enclosed Countries principally ma­naged. Here are the industrious Husband­men constantly employed in improving their Lands, and here are Markets where­in they weekly vend the Fruits of their Labours, to the feeding and sustaining the Artificers and Trades, who best sub­sist in such places, where most is to be had at the easiest Rates. Now hear old Tusser;

There is one grand Objection raised by Objection. inconsiderate Men against Enclosures; to wit, That Enclosing of Wasts, Downs, &c. will prove a decay of our Herds of Cat­tel, and Flocks of Sheep, and so by con­sequence, of Wool.

To which I answer, That if 20 Cattel Answer. must have 100 or 200 Acres of good wast Land, or that 2 or 300 Sheep must have 5, 6, or 700 Acres of open Down-Land to depasture on, according to the present use and custom: In case so much thereof be enclosed as lieth convenient for Enclosure, half the quantity of such open Lands being laid up to common Grass, will feed more than the whole did before it was enclosed. And in case that ten Acres thereof so enclosed, were sown with Clover-Grass, Turneps, Cole-Seed, Parsley, or the like, they will feed as many Cattel or Sheep as 100 Acres of the same Land would have done whilst they were wast; and the residue may the Hus­bandman convert to other uses, or mul­tiply his Herds or Flocks therein as he pleaseth, and in his several Enclosures may he raise several Species of Pasturage, some for fatting, some for feeding, and others for preserving his Cattel or Sheep in health, as he finds cause. For the only reason why there is so great a breed of Cattel, and are such great Flocks of Sheep on the Wasts and Downs, is, because they are not convertible to any other [Page 20] use, or else the Husbandman is not suffered so to convert them; it being frequently observed that where the Lords will permit, the Tenants are rea­dy, and do Till and Manure much open Lands; notwithstanding which, neither Cattel, Sheep, nor Wool, are any whit the dearer.

CHAP. III. Of Meadow and Pasture Lands, and the several ways of their Im­provements.

THe ancient Meadow-Lands in many places of this Kingdom have not born the same values within these late years as formerly they did, by reason of the encrease of that excellent and pro­fitable part of Husbandry, the sowing of Clover-Glass, and other such like new Grasses and Hays: Yet are Meadow-Lands in great esteem, and yield greater Rents than Pasture or Arable; because of their producing Grass and Hay, as is known to every Husbandman, and that they yield their encrease spontaneously, without Cost or Labour; and therefore are called Prata, quasi parata. Pliny tells us, Pratorum facilima agricolis cura ac minimi dispendij, That Meadows require the least Care or Costs of any Lands; and there­fore little can be said to their Improve­ments, [Page 22] more than hath been said al­ready.

But as to the great Improvements Improve­ment of Pastrue-Lands a double Im­provement. made on dry Lands, by the sowing and propagating of new Grasses and Hayes, much hath been done, and the advanta­ges that are yet to be made by a farther prosecution of that piece of Husbandry, are very considerable. For the en­creasing of Meadow and Pasture-Lands is not only the Improvement of those very Lands; but by the Country-mans converting of so much Corn-Land into Meadow and Pasture, puts him upon a necessity of a farther improvement of more barren Lands for an encrease of his Corn. So that it proves a double im­provement, as indeed doth all Improve­ments by altering the products of it. As converting of Pasture-Lands into Gar­dens, Orchards, &c. begets a necessity of encreasing our Pasture-Lands on the Arable: And the converting of Arable Lands into Pasture or Meadow begets a farther Improvement, by reducing our naked and wast Lands into fertile Corn-Fields: For where there is good Hus­bandry at the Center, it spreads to the [Page 23] Superficies; Good Tenures, Good Trade, and a good Market, will make Husband­men ingenious.

Amongst the several Grasses, Hays, &c. Sowing of Parsley an Improve­ment. that have been mentioned by former Writers on this Subject, we do not find that Parsly hath been treated of as an Improvement to our Pasture-Lands, al­though some ingenious Men have made trial of several Acres sown with Parsly-Seed to very good effect.

It is observ'd, that some sort of Grasses do alter the tast of Mutton, and that the sweetest Mutton is that which hath been fed on the finest and sweetest Grasses, as is experienced on the Peak in Derby­shire, and on the Plains in Wiltshire, Hampshire, &c. And on the contrary, the coursest Mutton is produced from the grossest Meadows, Marshes, &c. which later rich way of fatting Sheep, is most advantagious to the Husbandman, but doth not humour the Pallat of the Eater, so well as such Beasts that live on the dryest Mountains without water. For Sheep fatted on Clover, and the like rich Nourishment, are not so delicate meat as the Heath-Croppers; such rank feed be­getting [Page 24] too great and sudden a change in the Meat. The like difference is also ob­served in Conies.

Sheep fatten very well on Turneps, Sheep fat­ten on Tur­nips. which prove an excellent Nourishment for them in hard Winters, when Fodder is scarce: For they will not only eat the Greens, but feed on the Roots in the Ground, and scoop them hollow even to the very Skin; The Turnep is of hotter nature than Clover-Grass, and therefore more agreeable to these Cat­tel.

But much more hot and drying is Parsley preventeth the Rot in Sheep. Parsley, even in both, to the second de­gree; and were it throughly experi­mented, doubtless would prove very good Nourishment, and not subject those dry Animals to the Rot, nor vitiate the tast of their Flesh so much as the other colder Food would do.

The Rot being a Disease occasion'd by the Sheep their feeding on too much cold and moist Meat, and is prevented by hot and dry: As their feeding in shady pla­ces in some Grounds, where the Dew lieth long on a certain broad Grass, na­turally [Page 25] enclineth all Sheep feeding there; to the Rot; and by such that have to their Cost made experiment thereof, such Lands have been converted to other uses: When on the contrary, the feeding of Sheep on Salt Marshes and Brackish Grounds preventeth the Rot, and the giving them Salt with their dry Meat, is esteem'd a Cure of that Disease.

Therefore Parsly (being of such a hot, dry, saline, and Anti-Hydropical nature, and as my Relators assure me) so much desired by Sheep (as I am sure it is of Conies, much of the nature of Sheep in respect of their feeding) may very pro­bably be, not only a very good security against the Rot, but may render the Meat rather better tasted than any other food what soever.

And it is a Plant very easily propaga­ted, and the Seed plentifully obtained; few Plants yielding more, and that also easily separated from its Stalks: The Ground the finer it is dressed, the better will the Parsly sown therein grow and prosper; and it will endure the hardest Winters, and continue more than one year; but how many, a careful Improver will quickly discover: And of what par­ticular [Page 26] Uses and Advantages this Piece of Husbandry may prove (besides the gene­ral way of feeding Sheep) an ingenious Husbandman will soon find out.

The sowing of Cole-Seed for the sake Improve­ments by Cole-Seed. of the Seed hath been always esteem'd a great Improvement of strong and moist Lands. But of late it hath been found that the depasturing the green Herbage thereof hath considerably advantaged the Husbandman. A particular Example whereof is related in Mr. Houghton's Col­lection of Letters, for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade, viz. Of one that sowed six Acres of ground which he ploughed and ordered as for Wheat, with Cole-Seed about Midsummer; about the beginning of November he put an hun­dred Ewes into his Coleworts; The Ewes all cast their Lambs before Christmas. The Coleworts so fed these Ewes and Lambs, that he sold them at a great Rate, and when the growth was eaten up close, he plowed and sowed his Lands with Oates, and had eight Quarters grown on every Acre.

To sow Cole-Seed for the Pasture-sake there's no need that the Land be so rich [Page 27] and moist as if it were for Seed, only that it be good Wheat-Land. It maketh a good Lay for other beaten Grain; for un­doubtedly it kills Weeds, and the de­pasturing Sheep on it much meliorates the Land. That which is sown about Mid­summer for Seed, gives you not its en­crease till the next Summer, but this the first Winter. These Improvements of Pastures by Parsley, Turneps, Cole-Seed; nor that by sowing and feeding of Buck-Wheat, mentioned in the Fourth Chap­ter of my former Treatise of this Subject, are not yet brought into publick use; but may prove very advantageous to the skilful and industrious Husbandman, and consequently to the Kingdom in general.

CHAP. IV. Of Arable Land and Tillage, and of the several Grains, Pulses, &c. usually propagated by the Plough.

IT hath been observ'd, that in a warm Mowing of Wheat in the Grass. and showry Spring, Wheat in rich Lands hath grown exceeding Rank, that the Husbandman hath, for the benefit of his Wheat, early in the Spring, depastu­red his Sheep on it to abate its growth and weight, which otherwise would be apt to lodge. But of late some (who have found that expedient too weak, where the Wheat hath grown too fast, or that they have not had Sheep enough proportionable to their large Wheat-fields to feed it down) have mow'n their Wheat, yea as late as the end of May, when it hath been almost ready to Ear, after which the Roots would emit new Stalks more in number, though not so strong and rank as the former, nor so apt to lodge. For the extream weight and rankness of the Corn would have [Page 29] unavoidably made it to lodge, which be­gat a necessity in the Husbandman to try this way, else he might have lost his whole Crop; for Wheat lodging when it first begins to shoot its Ear, rarely ever stands again. Many in the rich Vales of Berk-shire did so mow their Wheat in the Year, 1683. it proving an early and showry Spring: As to the effects I had no account of them; which I question not but that they were answerable to their Intentions: For all Vegetables tend to semination; and the more you depress or take off the first shoots of any Fruit or flower-bearing Plants, the more will they multiply their proper Productions, or at least will emit new Blossoms, Fruits, Flowers, &c. As hath been observ'd in many Hortulanes, as Roses, Strawberries, Beans, &c.

There are divers sorts of Wheat Rath-ripe Barley. which I have mentioned in my said for­mer Treatise, and more are since taken notice of; of which there is one sort that carries divers Ears on one Stalk, but not yet common. But of Barley I hear of few more than two sorts: The com­mon which is universally known in this [Page 30] Kingdom, and that called Patney or Rathripe Barley, which is sometimes sown in Wilt-shire, Berk-shire, Oxford-shire, and some part of Cornwal, and in few places else, notwithstanding the advantage of its early ripening, it having many times been sown and returned to the Barn again in two months time, always in nine or ten weeks time at the farthest; which in wet and backward Springs, and moist Autumns, must needs prove a great advantage to the Husbandman. For in some years a very dry Spring may post­pone the Season for sowing this Grain, or a man may not have time, without a double strength, to sow the common Barley before the Season for that be quite spent; or the former part of the Harvest-time may be fair, when the later is foul; in either of these cases the sowing of this quick growing Barley may be considerably advantagious; or at least that where a man hath much Land in his Occupation fit for this kind of Grain, he may, instead of making his Seed-time and Harvest near about a time, for this common sort, use so much of this Rath­ripe Barley, that his Seed-time may be longer and more easie, and his Harvest [Page 31] the like, and withall more certain. There is a sort of Barley that is reported to be newly discovered, by an ingenious mans accidentally lighting on an Ear that had six Chests or Rows of Corn on it, which he sowed, and thereby raised a quan­tity, all bearing the like Ears, which is likely to prove a considerable advan­tage.

Whilst we are now discoursing of Bar­ley, Making of Malt. it will not be amiss to say somewhat concerning Malt, that being the most considerable Grain used for this purpose. Many Ages since hath Malt, made of Bar­ley, been used for the making of Ale or Beer; else could not Pliny have given so great Commendations of this Drink above 1600 years since. Therefore who­ever he was that first found the Art of making Malt, and (of that) good Ale, shewed himself to be a far greater Philo­sopher, than he that first squeezed the Grape.

Although that making of Malt is be­come a common Trade in most of the principal Towns in this Kingdom, and many are exercised in that Trade, that do not apprehend the Reason why the [Page 32] Malting of Corn should make it yield a Better and more acceptable Drink than the same Corn would have done before it had been malted. It will not there­fore be amiss in this place a little to Phi­losophize on that Subject; For it is most evident, that the Meal or Flower of any Corn or Grain unfermented, being con­cocted in a proportionable quantity of Water, will make a glutinous or mucilagi­nous matter. As Laundresses usually make their stiffening Liquors for their Linnen, of Starch, which is only the Flower of Wheat reduced into that form; and in case there be no more Water added than will make it up into the form of Bread, and such a mass be baked with­out fermentation, it cometh forth like a lump of Clay, ungrateful to the Pallat, hard of digestion and unwholsome; so that neither Bread nor Drink made of Corn, without Fermentation, could satisfie our Ancestors, which excited them to the discovery and use of Fermenting of their Bread-Corn by Leaven, and since that by Yest, which is no other than the scum of Ale or Beer made of malted Corn. Malting being no other than a fermentation of Corn, making it yield [Page 33] to the Brewer its Spirit and Tincture, pleasant to the Palate and wholesome to Humane Bodies; extractions or decoctions of unfermented Grains being pale and not tinged or coloured, as are those of malted or fermented.

The imbibition or steeping of Barley in Water for 2 or 3 days or more, as the Season requires, hath this operation that it relaxeth the viscous matter of the Grain that defendeth and preserveth the life that is in it, from Heat and Cold; for as long as its Viscosity remains; the Grain or Seed is capable of Vegetation; but when by age or other accidents that is decayed, it becomes a dead Body; For such relaxation must be made in all Seeds sown in the ground, by the moisture they find there, before they can vegetate or encrease. When the Barley is in the Ci­stern if it be stirred well, and the light Grains that float be scum'd off, the Malt will be the bet­ter.

Now after the Malster hath steept his Barley its due time in the Cistern, (for it must not lie there too long, lest it lose its vegetating Vertue too much by dissol­ving its whole body into a soft substance,) Then he layeth it on a heap, where it ac­quireth some warmth (as all moist Vege­tables will do, when lying close together, [Page 34] which causeth the Barley to emit its Root which they call Chitting, which the Mal­ster suffereth to grow to a certain degree of length; then spreadeth it abroad, and by his careful turning, stirring and gra­dual drying his now-making-Malt, he pre­vents the overmuch growth of the Roots which now are called the Come, from their hair-like form; for till the Come is out long enough, and the Corn begin to spring, the viscous matter of it is not enough putrified, dissolved, or rather changed; and if they are suffered to grow too much, the Stalk of the Corn will shoot and extract too much of the Vertue of the Grain, leaving nothing but an empty Husk behind it,

As the overmuch comeing and springing of the Stalk of the Malt empoverisheth it; So its not coming or springing enough, leaveth it but in part malted or ferment­ed; and so doth the unequal coming or springing of it, that is, some of the whole Grains throughly malted, and some of them not, which is occasioned sometimes by the unskilfulness or negligence of the Malster by not duly ordering his Heaps, or turning the same, whereby the Corn on the outside of the Heap through [Page 35] drought, comes or springs not enough; and that on the inside through warmth comes and springs too much, and so be­comes Acrospired or Akerspired, by reason that the Stalk (here resembling the Ger­minating of a growing Acorn, and which the Learned Dr. Grew calls the Plume) ex­tracteth the vertue of the Grain; or else from the uneven growth of the Barley, which in some years from the unseason­ablenss of the seed-time becomes Ridge-grown, that is, some part thereof being grown green above the ground before the other part through drought be come up, yet by reason of some Summer Showers all growes to the Harvest, where one part is ripe before the other, from the one of which Causes there is much Malt that is not good.

After the Malster hath thus by his skill and industry, so made this Grain to fer­ment, that by a certain degree of putri­faction the viscous or tenacious matter of it be relaxed; and by his nimble hand hath prevented the expence of its Noble Spirit; He then makes use of the third part of his skill, The calcining or drying of his Malt, which puts a stop to all fur­ther Germination, and makes it capable of [Page 36] being preserv'd for use: But the princi­pal end of it is to make it yield its Spirit and Tincture. This calcination or drying must be gradual, and not hasty; for the longer Malt is drying on the Floor be­fore it be laid on the Kiln, the better will it be; for all hasty Calcinations wast the Spirits more than slow.

It is most certain that every Seed con­tains a great Spirit in it, some more and some less; For it is the Spirit in it that preserveth it, whereby it endure so much Cold, Heat, &c. as most sorts of Seeds usually do: And in this Spirit in the Seed is concentrated, the vertue, form, power and whole Idea of the Plant that pro­duced it; else could it not by being sown in the Earth, present unto you again, ano­ther Plant in every particular like to that from whence it came. And this Spirit in Barley is very great, as may appear by its product; for one Barley Corn sown in the Earth, hath sometime produced 30 or 40 Stalks, and on them 5 or 600 in­crease of Seed; and by some additional improvement, a far greater; when the Seed of many other Plants produce but one Stalk to each Seed: Therefore the fermentation of this Grain by Malting is [Page 37] not an exaltation of its active Principles, as some would have it, but a dissolution or relaxation of that viscous matter that detains them, and puts a cheque or stop to its Vegetation, which would otherwise according to the Laws of Nature neces­sarily follow and exhaust its Spirits; For common Water cannot be supposed to add much to the exaltation of the Spirit, or active Principles of Corn: Nor in­deed can any thing add to the improve­ment of the high vertue that is in Seeds, but what containeth in it much of the Spiritus Mundi, or Universal Agent, As Nitrous Waters, Salts, Dungs, &c. or their being sown in fresh Land that is enriched with it; For Water is but a vehicle to convey such Principles: Water and the Principles being not the same thing.

After the Barley is opened and its ve­getating property prevented by drying it; it is now thereby made capable of yield­ing its Tincture or Vertue; For the Aquo­sity or Phlegme of any thing, especially of a Vegetable, preventeth the extraction of its Tincture or Vertue: Therefore the drying of Hops, Wormwood, Broom, &c. is not only done for the preserving them, [Page 38] but for that the Liquors wherein they are infused, do the better extract their Vertue; As those that have infused the same in their Beer can witness. So Malt, whilst it is green, will not make Ale or Beer of that strength, as it will do when dried; And if it be but easily dried, the Ale will be paler than if it be throughly dried; and in case it be hard dried, or o­ver dried, the deeper will the Tincture of the Ale be: But such over drying usual­ly wasts the Spirits of the Malt, which are now loose, and by this Art made Vo­latile.

The Fermentation of the Meal of any Fermenta­tion of Meal. Corn for Bread by Yest, Leaven or the like addition, openeth its Body and relax­eth the Viscosity that detaineth its Spirit, which is the cause that the Bread of such a fermented Mass is light, grateful to the Palate, easie of digestion, and whole­some; and if not so fermented, it be­comes in every point the contrary.

Hence it is that Ale or Beer made of The cause of roapy and windy Drink. Malt not throughly malted, or of such, that part thereof is well malted, and part not, becomes Roapy, by having not [Page 39] its Viscosity wholly taken away in the first operation, or made by adding Oaten Malt, or Oates mixed with other Malt, whereof is that Drink made which they call Oat-Ale; All which is unwholesome, causing Obstructions and great Windi­ness in the narrow passages of the Blood in Humane Bodies.

The like doth Bread or any other matter made of Wheat unfermented, or that hath undergone some degree of Ger­mination before it hath been at the Mill, whereby a due fermentation is impeded. The reason of this my present discourse on Malt, or fermentation of Corn or Grain, is not only to forewarn all good Husbandmen that they be cautious in eating or drinking any thing made of unfermented Corn or Grain, unless it be otherwise prepared, by due coction, or good additions, according to the Culi­nary Art. But also to excite such that have Art, Skill and opportunity to make use of this Art of fermentation on seve­ral other Grains, Seeds, &c. for the ex­tracting their spirits or better parts; ever varying the method of fermentation ac­cording to the nature of the Grain or Seed to be fermented; for some Seeds [Page 40] require much longer time to be imbi­bed, than doth Barley, ere their Viscous matter be relaxed, and so nevertheless retain their Spirits even to Vegetation; as the Seeds of several Vegetables that have undergone all the operations that Barley hath done in Malting, yet will germinate and encrease when sown, as if they had never been so ordered; the like will some Grains of Barley that have not been fully ripened; and all Barley doth require more or less time and skill to malt, it according to the different Seasons: All which deserve the enquiries into, and considerations of the Ingeni­ous.

Note that the viscous matter that pre­serves the Vegetable Spirit in all Seeds, being relaxed by Fermentation, such Seed tumefy, and are thereby made more easie in parting with their Spirits. For Barley when it is malted, occupieth more room than it did before, although it be di­minished in its weight by the loss of its dust, (the Come:) And Meal when it is fermented for Bread, encreaseth in Bulk; but without addition or diminution of its weight: So that fermentation is no o­ther than a relaxation of those Bonds [Page 41] that preserve the vegetating Seed for production, and that prohibit the ex­pence or wast of its Spirits till those Bonds are relaxed or broken.

I have this to add to what hath been Of Hemp and Flax. already treated on concerning these sub­jects. To wit, That the Seeds of Hemp Benefit of Hemp-seed. being so desirable by Birds, and seeing that Pigeons in the Hemp-Countries a­bout Lincolnshire, &c. are so large and fat. It may probably be a considerable addition to the Improvement of Lands by sowing of Hemp, to convert the use of its Seed to the feeding of Poultry, and other Fowl; for it is a great Crop of Seed that an Acre of Hemp will yield, besides the benefit of the Stalks.

And in case such Seeds should give the Flesh of Fowl fatted therewith, some ill Tast, as hath been reported, yet that would be soon altered by feeding the Fowl 2 or 3 days before they are killed with other Grain; for such a Tast or sa­vour contracted by the Food, is soon al­tered and made connatural by the heat of such quick digesters.

But the great Improvements that are to be made of Hemp and Flax, are by [Page 42] converting the same into Linnen, Paper, or Cordage.

The making of Linnen in this King­dom Of the ma­king of Linnen. would much encourage the sowing of Hemp and Flax, but there are seve­ral Objections raised against it. The one is, That our Hemp and Flax are more hard and stubborn than foreign. To which I answer that, it doth not appear to be so in many places; for in Derby­shire, where much is used and made into Cloath, it is much more soft and easie, than some sorts of foreign Cloath. And if it were so that Hemp and Flax were hard, yet it is easily made soft, either by watering; for the long and often wa­tering of it wasteth that gummy and glutinous matter that occasions the stiff­ness that is in it, aswel as it makes the the stalks or spills within it brittle and more easily broken; Or, it may be made soft by beating: But that being a work requiring great Labour, That it is be­come a punishment inflicted on some sort of Malefactors, and by consequence many hands and great charge are required. I shall here propose a way, that in all probability may accelerate this Work, [Page] [Page]

[Page 43] and very much contract the labour and pains about it; which is thus,

Let there be two upright Posts fixed The descri­ption of the Engine for dressing of Hemp and Flax. as a a a a. at a convenient height and thickness, and about 3 foot apart, more or less as you please; let there be 2 solid Rolls of Beech, Elme, or rather some harder Wood, of about 5 6 or 7 inches diameter, and as long as is the distance between the 2 Posts, as at b b. let these Rolls be toothed with 8, 10 or 12 Teeth, as you please, equidistant, that they may exactly shut the one in the o­ther; as by the Ichnographic discription of the ends of them appears at c c. The lower Roll must run in fixed Sockets with a handle at one end thereof to turn the same as at d. but the upper Roll must run in 2 moveable Sockets made in 2 pieces of Wood that may side up and down, as at e e. within the 2 upright Posts: Then let a Spring be made of Eugh, Ash, or other springing Wood, or of Steel or Iron well tempered, each end to rest on the siding pieces, as at f f. which Spring may receive its pressure from a Skrew at g. By the force of which Spring the upper Roll may be de­pressed [Page 44] on the lower so strongly, that Hemp or Flax may (by being drawn through between them) be far better and easier broken or mollified than by the ordina­ry Heckling. This Engine may be made with Handles at each end for 2 to turn; and then 4, 5 or 6 may feed it, and take it away on the other side to dispose of it in order: And the work may be often repeated as there is cause. And the Spring every time harder depress'd by the Screw; that as in the common way the Flax is heckled three times, and e­very time in a finer Heckle, so here it may be every time harder wrought through the tooth'd Rolls, and often working it through the Rolls, will make it exceeding fine. An Ingenious Workman will soon make this an useful and profita­ble Machine, although at first it may not seem to be so; for any thing that is new requires patience with some damage to make it perfect; as every Mechanic that undertakes a new piece of Work can tell: Therefore this requires a willing, as well as an Ingenious Workman to make it compleat.

Another Objection is, that our Lin­nen is not so white as foreign: Which is [Page 45] answered as the former; That often wa­tering of it will make it whiter, as every Whitster can tell: So that if Hemp or Flax be watered and beaten, it will be­come the more subtile and white. It is observed that in the making of the finest Linnen beyond the Seas, several years are required for the preparing or re­ducing the Flax to such a fineness and whiteness; which here we despair of per­forming, unless we can accelerate the same by the said Engine; For if often washing of Linnen will make it white, and much beating and heckling it make it soft or subtile; Its very probable, that by watering or washing, and often work­ing it in this Engine, it may be made soft, fine and white.

For the difference between corse Lin­nen and fine, seems to be in the softness and fineness of the Hemp or Flax, (which is more easily spun into a small Thread) and the whiteness of it, to which white­ness it ought to be reduced before it be Spun or Woven, else it will be very dif­ficultly whitened after, without prejudice to the Cloath if very fine: For we may observe that ordinary Linnen by often wearing, washing and hanging abroad in [Page 46] the Air, becomes soft and white, but with prejudice to the Cloath, because it can­not undergo those several hardships with­out a sensible loss or decay.

It is observed that frequent washing and wearing of Linnen makes it the whiter and finer, and that in the washing, Ashes of Wood, or other Vegetables are used, either in the Soap, or the Lixivi­um or Lye, wherein such Linnen is wash­ed, which very much conduces to its softning and whitening, which is the true meaning of what Paracelsus affirms in the 7th Book of the Nature of things. That of Flax boiled in sharp Lye, made of the Ashes of Wood, is Silk made; That is to say, It is reduced to the fineness of Silk, and equal to it in price; for there is fine Linnen equal in value, weight for weight to Silk. It is the Alcali of Vege­tables, Alcali. or the Salts of their Ashes that are of such efficacy in this Work, for the Waters which the Whitsters use, are im­pregnated with the like matter, but in so small a measure, that they operate but slowly: But in the elevation of Ashes, those of the Ash, Beech, or other white Woods are to be preferr'd, because some may probably cast a yellowish colour, dis­advantagious to Linnen.

The principal advantage to the King­dom that the making of Linnen here would be, is the prevention of the im­porting of foreign Linnen, some part whereof is already accomplished by our using so little in the burying of our dead; and in the more general wearing of Flannel Shirts, &c. in stead of Linnen, being (by far) more pleasant, healthy and cheap, as many of our Nobility, Gentry and Commons, can by many years expe­rience testifie. It is also another great advantage that would redound to the Husbandman in the improvement of his Lands, by sowing Hemp and Flax, and very necessary in the imployment of many People, in case there be any place where imployment is wanting.

The want of People, I know, is the main impediment to this great design of making our own Linnen; for in Derby­shire the common People are imployed in the Summer-time in washing Lead-oar, and in the Winter, when the other Im­ployment fails, they fall to Spinning, Weaving, &c. which makes our home­made Linnen so plentiful in those parts: Therefore all ways should be promoted that shorten the work, and lessen the [Page 48] pains in dressing and fitting the Hemp and Flax fit for the Spinner; And if any way there be more nimbly to spin the Thread, and then to weave it with more expedition, the same should be discover­ed and encouraged. There have been Looms or Engines made to weave several Ribbons at once, that is, by the same labour, and in the same time as they usually weave one; and such Engines have been broken by such that had no farther prospect than private interest, which makes the Relation of the Dant­zick Invention more credible; It was, as is said, a rare Invention for Weaving of 4 or 5 Webs at a time, without any hu­mane help: It was an Automaton or En­gine that moved of it self, and would work night and day; (being as is to be supposed, kept in motion by Weights or Water.) It was suprest, because it would prejudice the poor People of the Town: And the Artificer made away secretly (as was conceived) as Lancellotti the Italian Abbat relates out of the mouth of Mr. Muller a Polonian, that he had seen the device.

Another use of Hemp and Flax, is for Of the ma­king of Paper. the making of Paper. The first Material that was used to write on, as we read of, was Stone, on which the Law was written. The Sybils Books were said to be written on Leaves of Trees; some­times the Rinds of Trees served for that use: And for many Ages was no o­ther Paper used, than what was made of Reeds, which grew on the Banks of several Rivers, and plentifully on the Banks of the Nile.

But the modern Invention of Paper made of Linnen, surpasseth all in this kind, being so close compacted, so white and durable, that it may be reckoned among the singularities of Art; And it is a vast quantity thereof that is daily used in this Kingdom, in Printing, Writ­ing, &c. That could it be made here, it would be of great advantage to the Na­tion, and in particular to the Husband­man. There are two objections or diffi­culties that lie in the way; The one is, That there is not old Linnen enough in England to be easily had for that purpose; for Paper hath hitherto derived its pe­digree from the Dunghil; and old Lin­nen [Page 50] must come cheap to the Paper-mill, and Linnen being in England a dearer Commodity than Woollen, and the Country colder, Linnen is not so much worn, as in warmer places; and so not so many Rags or refuse Linnen to be ga­thered for the Paper-mills: To remove which there should be encouragement given to some small Agents in Towns, to gather up and buy all refuse fine Lin­nen that can be had; As now in many places there is for corse Linnen, and ends of Ropes, &c. for the making of Brown-paper.

And in case that design take of redu­cing Flax to a certain degree of White­ness and fineness, by the before menti­oned Machine; there will be much Tow or refuse Flax, that may by the Paper-mill Hammers be reduced to the same consistence, as hard seamy Rags of Lin­nen-Cloath usually are.

The second Objection is, That our Waters in England make not so white Paper as some foreign Waters do. For it is observ'd, that in France the whitest Paper is made but at some certain place, where the Water is more fit for it than elsewhere. In answer to which, There [Page 51] are several Springs and Streams in this Kingdom that proceed from Chalk or rocky Mountains, that in the distilling leave a fine white residence in the bot­tom, that may be as fit for this purpose as any foreign Water whatsoever. There­fore Waters may be tryed in several places before the main work is begun. But this old Objection of want of good Water, is now become invalid: For since the French Mechanics have come over into England, they have proved the Water here to be equally as good as in France.

If Lands may be rented, and provi­sions Of the ma­king of Cordage. for the Workmen may be had cheaper here than in other Countries; Then surely may Hemp be propagated, and Cordage made at easier rates, here than abroad; which being done, more might be exported, and less imported, to the great encouragement of Agricul­ture and Mechanic Arts. But an Objecti­on here is also raised by the Ropers, viz. That our Hemp is harder than foreign, and doth not work so fine, nor take Pitch so well, Quaere, whether much wa­tering [Page 52] may not abate its Viscosity, and make it more pliable.

CHAP. V. Of the Manuring, Dunging and Soiling of Lands.

IT is now become a general Improve­ment Denshiring of Land. of Champion or Green-sward Land, to Denshire or Burn-beat it; By which means very plentiful Crops of Corn are raised on poor and barren Lands. But the method now used by cutting or paring off the Turf with a Breast-Plow, is very laborious, tedious and costly, and sometimes very hazar­dous; By reason that in a dripping Sum­mer, this Work is much impeded, the Owner frustrated of his expectation of a great improvement; for that a great part of the Turf is not throughly burnt, and so becomes useless, and the Work­man much damnified, being at a great trouble in often turning his Turfs before [Page 53] he can apply his Fire; and then at the charge of Furze, or the like Ollet, to burn the Turf withal; And the usual ex­pence in Denshiring an Acre in a dry Sum­mer, when at best, is twenty Shillings, or more; which in a bad year the advan­tage made by this Husbandry will not re­pay, although in a good year it will double it.

To make Denshiring therefore more A Denshir­ing Plough easie and cheap: It is not difficult to make an Instrument to pare off the Turf as thin or thick as you please; That in stead of being forced forwards by more than ordinary humane strength, it may be drawn by one or more Horses, but not without the skil or labour of a good Workman to guide it: It must have two Wheels or Trundles; If they are low, then may your paring Plough rest on the Axis; but if larger Wheels be found to be most proper, then may the paring Plough be fixed at some distance under the Axis; and either way it must have a long Stail or Handle, by which the Work­man by elevating or depressing thereof, may cause the Turves to be pared thin­ner or thicker as he pleases, and as the [Page 54] unevenness of the ground requires, so may he thereby regulate the Work. And thus with one Horse and two Men, may two Acres at least be pared in a day, in case the ground be even or smooth; but if uneven, or full of Stumps or Hills, then it requires reiterated operations; yet may two such Men and one Horse, pare an Acre in a day; and the Work every whit as well done, as by the tedi­ous Breast-Plough.

Thus may an Acre be denshired for a fourth part of the expence, and in less than a fourth part of the time, than by the other way. And although there may be but little dry Weather together, yet may you do a great deal whilst it lasts.

There can be no exception made a­gainst such an Instrument, nor difficulty arise in the use of it: But an ingenious and willing Artist, may by altering and amending it, as he finds the Error, an­swer it, and make it practicable: For there is nothing that is newly invented, but may and usually doth meet with rubs, and sometimes not a few in the way, be­fore the Artist brings it to perfection; But this is an Instrument so seasible and [Page 55] beneficial, that I cannot but encourage such that have Lands capable of this way of Improvement, to spend some time and skill in perfecting it: The want of such Lands of my own, preventing me from doing it.

You may also apply to this use, the new Plough hereafter described in the eleventh Chapter.

CHAP. VI. Of the Benefit of Raising, Plant­ing and Propagating of Woods.

MUch hath been written by divers Preserving of Woods, good Hus­bandry. able Pens, in Commendation of Woods, as one of the principal general Improvements that can be made; Yet have some pretended that destruction of Woods in any place, would very much advantage the Trade of such places; by reason that the want of Timber, Wood, &c. for Mechanic Uses, and for Fewel, would necessarily introduce Imployment for many, in bringing all such materials, as must supply these defects that are occasi­oned by the destruction of Woods, which may be true; as well as, that the Burning of any City, Town or House, be­getteth imployment for several Mechanics. But what is this to the benefit or ad­vantage of the whole, which is ever to be weighed and considered of, in the pro­moting of any Improvement, Trade or [Page 57] Imployment? For in case the Timber and Wood, that now serveth any City or Town, with Materials for Building; and for all sorts of Mechanics that Work in Wood; as Joyners, Turners, Wheel-wrights, &c. and all poor and rich for Fewel, should be so devasted, that the Inhabitants of such places, should be constrained at an extraodinary expence to furnish themselves from abroad, with the like necessaries; although the Car­riers of such may in all probability gain very much thereby; yet every Trades­man must pay the more for what he hath occasion for; And by the same Rule must raise the prices of his Com­modity, that is made of it; and in time must remove himself to such places where he may exercise his Trade at a cheaper rate.

To descend to particular Examples of places: The Greatness of the Famous City of London, may partly be imputed to the plenty and cheapness of Timber and Fewel; without which in all pro­bability it could never have encreased to that Magnitude. Nor had the Cities of York, Bristol, and many others grown so great, but from the same cause. And [Page 58] many Towns standing in the more Cham­pion parts of the Kingdom, shew to e­very Traveller, that they are miserable in respect of their Buildings, Trades, and Fewel. All which is sum'd up in a few words, by the Pen of the most ac­complish'd Writer on this Subject, in his discourse of Forest Trees: Since it is certain and demonstrable, (saith he,) That all Arts and Artisans whatsoever, must fail and cease, if there were no Tim­ber and Wood in a Nation; (for he that shall take his Pen, and begin to set down what Art, Mistery, or Trade, belonging any way to humane Life, could be maintain'd and exercis'd without Wood, will quickly find that I speak no Paradox,) I say, when this shall be well considered, it will appear, that we had better be without Gold, than without Timber, Chap. 31.

It is not the defect of any Commo­dity that makes a Trade, nor the dear­ness of Provision; but the natural situ­ation of the Place, the industry of the Inhabitants, and the plenty of Materials and Provisions: For it is the plenty of Provisions, and other Materials, with the industry of the Inhabitants, and si­tuation of the places, that contracted so [Page 59] great a Trade to Barbadoes, Jamaica, &c. and with that, great plenty of Mony; So that to say, Its better to live where your Dinner must cost a Dollar; than where you may Dine for a Groat; is no argument that Provisions are more scarce and dear, where your Dinner must cost a Dollar, than where it may cost but a Groat; but that there is more plenty of Mony: For in the most fer­tile Provinces or Places of Europe, is the greatest plenty of Gold and Silver, which have been extracted out of the most sterile Regions of the Earth. And by that plenty, are the rates and prizes of Commodities and Provisions esteem'd: As the rates and prizes in like manner have been in different Ages in this very Kingdom. For saith Stow, Anno 1288. A Quarter of Wheat was sold in London, where it was dearest, for 3 s. 4. d. in o­ther places at 20 d. 16 d. 12 d. and in the West and North at 8 d. the Quarter; when in our Age, ten times that price, is too cheap to maintain the Husbandman. The rates of Lands, prizes of Cattel, &c. were much after the same rate and pro­portion: Not that there is now a greater scarcity of every thing, or a greater num­ber [Page 60] of People. But the Subterranean Stores, have by the indefatigable Indu­stry of Man been opened, and their Treasures dissipated. And such places that have been most fertile, and abound­ing with Woods, and other necessaries for Trade; well situated, and industri­ously cultivated, have by the interchan­ging of their Commodities, Provisions, and Manufactures, drawn to them the Wealth of the Indies, and other foreign Nations: And by their encreasing, and maintaining their Plantations of Timber, Woods, Corn, Fruits, and all other Til­lage; and encreasing their Fleece-bear­ing Flocks, and other Cattel; do up­hold and encourage the same Trade. But should they either neglect such po­litical and excellent Husbandry; or in­stead thereof, destroy what Nature spon­taneously produceth; instead of con­tracting Wealth from abroad, they may wast their Treasures in buying one of another, till they have nothing left to buy nor sell. Like unto the Ten Ale­house-keepers, (that when their Trade was low) agreed to meet at one of their Houses one day, and at another of their Houses the next; and so round to main­tain [Page 61] a Trade amongst themselves, which they did till they found their Drink all drank out, and neither of them a peny the richer.

On the contrary; There are many Cutting of Woods at a due Season good Hus­bandry. Persons in this Kingdom, that suffer their Woods to grow too long, which is nei­ther profitable to themselves, nor for the publick good. For when Timber or other Wood is at its full growth; it either stands at a stay, or sensibly de­cays, and some years before it hath done growing, it improves scarce one per Cent'. Such Persons being possessed of an opinion, that it is ill Husbandry to cut down their Woods, (as too many have done) and considered not, that the Monies raised by such Wood-falls would bring in a greater advantage to them, than the slow growth of an­cient Woods can be expected to do, in case they are not yet at their full growth; and if they are, then they evidently lose by their standing. And the felling of such well grown Woods, is also very advantagious to the publick: For it fur­nisheth the Markets with necessaries, which otherwise must be supplied from [Page 62] foreign Parts; for the less of the growths of foreign Countries we import, for our exported Goods or Monies, the more of our Monies we save, or else have the more of their Coin or Bullion. The due felling of Woods doth likewise pro­duce an encrease of the same Species; witness the constant felling of Woods in Berk-shire, for the supply of many Mechanic Tradesmen in London, with matter to work on; and a great part of the City with Fewel: And the like in Sussex, for the supply of the Iron­works there. The gain arising from thence, encourageth the Owners of those Woods to propagate and preserve them; For in case any person hath (as I know some that have) an hundred Acres of Wood well grown, and shall every year fell five Acres of that Wood, until the whole be felled; always preserving the same after felling; by that time the whole is felled, the first five Acres will be very well grown again; and the Owner in the mean time hath a con­stant Revenue out of such Woods, and the Markets the better furnished. A notable Example of this Husbandry, hath the most Worthy Mr. Evelin in his [Page 63] Discourse of Forest Trees, given of the Lord Scudamore, his having in less than thirty years after the felling of a decayed Wood, neer a 1000 l. worth of Wood grown on the same Land, not of above the value of 8 l. 10 s. per Annum. Chap. 34. So that the ill Husbandry is not in felling of Woods well grown, but in the not nourishing the growing Woods in the room of them. The same may be said in felling of single Trees in Hedgerowes. If such Feller did but propagate three for every one he fells, as in Biscay by the Law they are obliged to do. None need condemn such for ill Husbands, nor ever dread a scarcity of this Material.

In many parts of the World, the An easie way to e­radicate great Trees. Woods are a great incumbrance, and hinder the tilling or improving their Lands. And in our foreign Plantations on the Western Continent, one of the greatest Expences they are at, is the cleansing their Lands from those cumber­some Woods that annoy them there; be­cause they have but few Hands, and the Labour is great to extirpate them. And as I am informed, there is a Person that hath discovered a more easie way, than [Page 64] hath been formerly made use of, for the eradication of great Trees; And hath obtain'd his Majesties Letters, Pa­tent, for the sole use of the said newly discovered Art, in some foreign Planta­tion. And will (as is said) undertake to cleanse those woody Grounds, at the rate of 6 d. per Tree, which is very rea­sonable in those Countries. The manner of that operation I cannot learn: But this I offer as a very feasible way to do the same thing; although perhaps it be not after the same method, which is on­ly thus: Prepare two large Iron Hooks, with Loops to them; To each of these Hooks, fasten at the Loop a strong, double or treble Block for a Pulley; af­fix one of these Hooks to the Tree you intend to eradicate: Then go to the next, or some other Tree at a conveni­ent distance, and affix the other Hook therto; and with a Cord duly applyed to these Pullies, may one, two or three Persons (as strength is required) so forcibly draw these two Trees together, that a small help at the Root of the Tree design'd for a fall, will soon extir­pate it. The higher the Hooks are fast­ned to the Trees, the easier will those [Page 65] Trees bend to each other: If the Tree to be eradicated, be larger than that you make use of to assist the work; then place the Hook higher on that Tree, and the lower on the other. If the Trees be large you intend to fell, then let your Pullies be with three, four or more Rundles, and you need not question but to master the greatest Trees in the Woods, without any hard labour, or long time spent in doing it: And when they are down in such places where their Wood is not valuable, their Ashes may; for a good Fire will soon rid them out of the way.

CHAP. IX. Of several sorts of Beasts, Fowls and Insects, kept for the advan­tage and use of the Husband­man.

WIthout Horses, the Husbandry Of Horses. of England would be of little Worth, the most laborious parts there­of, being by them perform'd; No other Beast being so fit as these for the Plough, Cart, Travender-Waggons, Packsaddle, or grinding in the Mill: Therefore e­very good Husband ought to be very careful of his Horses, to keep them Sound, and in good Heart; for on them depends much of his Prosperity.

And the great use that hath been made of the more generous and luxuri­ant of these Beasts, for the Saddle, Coach, Chariot, Raceing, and especial­ly for War (for all which Uses no other Beast is comparable to the Horse) hath [Page 68] been very advantagious to the Husband­man, especially to such that have Lands proper, and take delight in propagating the best kinds; There being no greater profit to be made of pasturing Lands, than by breeding of good Horses.

As to the uses of Milk, Butter and Of Cowes. Cheese, they are such, and so well known, that nothing can be more. I have only this to add, That as the various Soils, and the Herbage growing thereon, pro­duce great variety of Butter and Cheese; although the Cowes and the Housewifry too be the same: Yet it is most evident, that tradition and opinion have so far swayed with most Country-People, that here is the best Butter, and worst Cheese; and there the best Cheese, and worst Butter to be made; that therefore they will not be perswaded in the least, to alter their vulgar Method of making the one or the other; although of late years, some inge­nious Huswives have inverted that Course, and made as good Cheese (where formerly the worst only was made,) as hath been usually made in such places, that have been celebrated for good Cheese. The like hath been observ'd in making Butter: For [Page 69] of the same Milk produced in any one sort of Lands, are different sorts of Butter or Cheese usually made, meerly by the dif­ferent method of the Housewifry; as e­very one may observe, if they please. And although I pretend not to trouble the Reader, with the Art of making But­ter and Cheese; nor to have any other insight therein, than bare speculation and hearsay; Yet I may from hence averre, that the Covetousness in some, and Ig­norance in others, is a great occasion that bad Butter and Cheese are made of the same Milk; of which by good handling, very good may be had; for there is the same Philosophy in these transmutations, as is in the fermentations of Beer and Bread: And all Men are sensible of the differences of the strengths and tasts of those things, meerly from the Mechanic operations.

For as I have heard, some out of a To make the best Butter and Cheese. greediness to have a great quantity of Butter, take off too much Milk with their Cream, which makes a poor hun­gry Butter, and a barren Cheese of the remainder; others of a better reputa­tion take only the top Cream, with which [Page 70] they make their best Butter, and with the remaining Milk they make the bet­ter Cheese. All that is to be wish'd, is that the good Housewives understood more of this sort of Philosophy, and less wedded to Tradition and Humour; Then I am confident these Commodities would be very much improved. I will only here add a Receipt which I found in the Annotations on Mr. Samuel Hartlibs Legacy of Husbandry, how to make bet­ter Butter than ordinary, without set­ting the Milk for Cream, viz. The Milk so soon as it is come from the Cow, must be strained, then Churn'd, as usually Cream is done. Also the Cheese made of the Butter-Milk, will be better than the best two-meal Cheeses that ever you did eat; And one pound of this Butter, shall be worth a pound and a half of your best But­ter, which is made of Cream; probatum by a Gentlewoman, a great Housewife dwel­ling in the Isle of Ely; which if it prove on trial what it promises, may be of great advantage. Its probable the great labour which will be required in so great an Agitation, hath deterr'd the always buisie Housewife from prosecuting the Experiment; but the rolling or tumbling [Page 71] Churn, I suppose may effect it with much less labour than the upright.

It is usual for Housewives to set their A new sort of Milk Pans. Milk to cream in broad earthen Pans, or wooden Treys, which take up much room, and are troublesome in many re­spects; the design being to set their Milk as shallow as they can; it yielding the more Cream, or the sooner, which is better. Therefore since the Art of making Lead into thin Lamins, Plates or Sheets, hath been discovered; I have seen broad and shallow Cases of Board, made and lined in the inside with this Lead, with a Tap-hole at the one Corner of each, and a Plug of Wood fitted to it. These Cases were about two Foot in breadth and length, and were placed the one by the other on a Bench; the Tap-hole hanging over, that the Milk after the Cream be scum'd off, may be let out thereat into a Pail, or else the Milk may be thereby drain'd greatly from the Cream; and then the Cream received by it self, as the Housewife pleases. These Pans may be made greater or lesser as the Dairy requires, and may be scalded as they stand with­out [Page 72] removing them; the Hole a little declining to the Tap-hole. These Pans very much resemble the Brewers Coolers, wherein they cool their Worts: Thus may improvements be made even in the ordinary Arts of Housewifry, Cookery, &c.

It hath been found by long experi­ence, Of fatning of Cattel. that the sweetest Food, fatneth Cattel soonest. Therefore the Pastures that lie most open to the Sun, are more desirable by all sorts of Cattel, than the shady, the one being sweet, and the other sower. And Clover, Trefoil, &c. more than common Grass, from the same cause. And all sorts of Cattel be­come Fat sooner on these sweeter Pastures, than on the more sower. Oates, the sweetest of all Grain, are more desirable by the Horse, than any other, and fat­neth him sooner. Barley made sweet by malting, then ground and mixed with Milk, fatneth Fowl, especially Geese sooner than any unfermented Grain. Milk by reason of its innate sweetness, nourisheth and fatneth more than any simple thing whatsoever.

It is observable, that the less Milk any Beast gives, the sweeter it is: Therefore Asses Milk is preferrable to Cowes Milk, and the Red Cowes Milk to the Black: Mares, Ewes, Sowes, &c. give less Milk than Cowes; yet their Colts, Lambs, Pigs, &c. grow faster or fatter in proportion than Calves, and none of them will thrive so well with Cowes Milk, as with their own, by reason that Cowes give so great a quantity, and their Food only Grass and Water; it cannot be supposed that their Milk should be so Rich, as the Milk of those that give less, or feed higher: Therefore some that have nursed up young Pigs with Cowes Milk, have added Sugar to it; by which means, such Pigs have grown much in a little time, and very Fat withal, very much to the advantage of their Feeders; and their Flesh hath been extraodinary white and delicate, much more than if they had fed on Cowes Milk alone; neither would they have thrived so well, in case they had suckt their own Dam: Seeing then, that the sweetest Foods conduce most to the nourishment and fatning of Cattel, espe­cially Swine; in the fatning of which [Page 74] is the greatest advantage to the Hus­bandman; such Foods are to be provi­ded at the easiest Rates: Amongst which, Turnips are the best, which as they come raw from the Ground, may not answer the design: But in case they are boiled, and afterwards pressed, they yield a sweet and pleasant Juice or Liquor: Tur­nips (its known) may be raised in great quantities, at very easie Rates; and in a Furnace or large Kettle, many of them may be boiled together; these may be ground in the Roll-Cider-Mill, described in my Vinetum Britannicum, and there pressed (as Apples usually are for making of Cider:) In this expres­sed Juice, may you add ground Malt, Barley, Oates, or the like; the sweetness of this Liquor, with those nourishing Grains in it, may without doubt fatten any Cattel, especially Swine, sooner and cheaper than their feeding on hard Corn can do, especially in such Years that Grain proves dear. If you boil your Turnips often in the same Liquor, that Liquor also will become sweet.

For it is the liquid parts of any Roots that nourish; the Murc or refuse when the Juice is pressed out, addeth little to [Page 75] the nourishment of any Creature. And this expressed Juice here becomes a Ve­hicle for the Meal that you mix with it, to digest and distribute it, according to the Law of Nature.

It may be objected, that Fat so sud­denly raised, is not so firm as that which is caused from the Cattel, their feeding on harder Meat, which may be true: Yet if I can by this means raise my Cattel or Swine to a good degree of Fatness. I can for some reasonable time after feed them with hard Meat, till their Fat is better digested, and made more firm.

CHAP. X. Of common and known external Injuries, Enemies and Diseases incident to, and usually afflict­ing the Husbandman; and their Preventions and Remedies.

GReat Drought attended with Heat in the Spring, usually de­termines about the Summer Solstice, or soon after: For the advance of the Sun to the Tropic of Cancer, in a very hot Summer inclines the Air to Showers, something like the alteration of the Season, annually begotten by the access of the Sun on the Northern Coast of Africa; where the Rains so follow the Sun, that very soon after it hath pas­sed the most Northern Degree of the Equinoctial-Line, the Egyptian Nilus gives a Testimony of the same: So in this our oblique part of the Sphere; [Page 77] if the Spring be Hot and Dry, the Summer usually proves Wet, as it did in 1681. when we had the driest Spring that had happened within Memory; and soon after the Suns entrance into Cancer, great Rains followed.

In the like case, which sometimes Preventi­on of scar­city of Fodder by Drought. doth happen, where the Husbandman foresees a defect of Pasture or Fodder for the succeeding Winter, by reason of the Heat and Drought of the Spring, or early part of Summer; He may sow a proportionable part of his Farm with Turnips, which may be sown in the greatest Drought, and in the next Rain they will grow; and a showry Autumn (of which he need not despair) will make his Turnips so flourish, that an Acre of them in the succeeding Winter, will stand him in more stead than se­veral Acres of his Meadow Lands.

The Seeds of Turnips are very much To prevent Turnip­seeds from being de­stroyed by Birds and other Ver­min. desired by small Brids, which not only prey upon them when ripe on the Stalk, but when sown on the Ground, and especially when they first begin to aspire, they draw the swoln Seeds out of the [Page 78] Ground by the tender Shoots, and so destroy many, yet leave behind them enough to stock your Field. But that which proves the greatest destruction to your Turnip-seed, are the multitudes of Flies that usually at that Season of the Year by the Suns influence are genera­ted among the Stubble, that remained in the Fields where you now sow your Seeds: For it is observ'd, that an easie ploughing and sudden sowing of these Seeds, makes them more apt to be thus destroyed, than a well dressing, and more leasurely sowing, for this deprives those Vermin of their shelter and suste­nance, that they generally die before the Seeds are come up: However to prevent the worst, take Soot, especially out of Chimnies where Wood is burnt, and steep it in Water; and when the Water is well tinged with the Soot, throughly moisten your Seeds therewith; then spread them abroad on a Table or Floor, and when they are a little dry again, then sow them, and the bit­terness they have attracted from the Soot, is said to be a security against Birds, Flies and Insects.

Choice Seed well limed and sown To prevent smut in Wheat. on good Land, that was not sown with the same Grain the precedent Year, rarely produces smutty Corn: For smut­tiness is a degeneration of the Wheat; caused either by sowing the same Land often with the same Species, or else with Seed that hath been taken from the ad­jacent Land, of the same nature with that on which it is sown; or else by sowing it on very poor Land, where the bulk of the Straw and Corn is raised, either by the force of Dung, or a drippy Summer, rather than from the natural strength of the Land. There­fore if your Land be fit for Wheat once in 2 or 3 years, buy your Seed from another Soil, and see that your change be proper, which the experi­ence of your Neighbours can best in­form you: For although you fetch it a great way, yet the large product will easily defray that expence: And let not your Land be sown often with the same Grain. Then before you lime your Wheat, put it into a large Vessel, fill it with Wheat about half full; then add so much Water as will quite [Page 80] fill the Vessel; then stir it well, and scum off all the light Corn, and so keep it stirring to the bottom of the Vessel, till no more of the Wheat will swim, and them lime it: Thus do to all your Wheat that you sow, and you will not have a smut-producing Seed left; for the light imperfect Corn, it is that produces the smut.

Great care is used in many places to To mow or reek Wheat to prevent Mice. build Reek-stavals, on which they Reek their Wheat to prevent the Mice, which otherwise would devour it: By which Vermin, Mows of Wheat in Barns are very subject to be devour'd: There­fore to prevent Mice from feeding on Wheat-Mows in Barns, after you have lain your Course of Straw to bed the Flower withal, strew sand round on the edges of the Bedding; then lay a Course of Sheaves, and on the ends of the Sheaves, at the outside of the Mow, strew more sand, and so on every Course of Sheaves round the Mow to the very upmost Course; by which means it will be pre­served from the Mice: For when they endeavour to make their way into the Mow, the sand (which will soon be [Page 81] very dry) will fall into their Ears, and so torment them, that they will never attempt to come there again: This hath been many years used by an able Hus­bandman, with the desired success, and without the least inconvenience or da­mage to his Wheat, for the sand will never mix with it.

Snakes, Adders, Blind-Worms, &c. To destroy Snakes, Adders, &c. many times are hurtful to Men and Beasts: To destroy which in such places where they usually haunt; lay a Bed of new Horse-Dung about April or May, and in July and August following, cast your Dung in a Morning to one side, till it be all removed, and you will find their Eggs, and it may be many of the old ones which you may destroy; this may be done twice or thrice in a Sum­mer. Thus have I for several years, destroy'd many in my small Vill; for the warm Dung, attracts them from the several parts of your Ground to lay their Eggs therein, as stinking Flesh doth the Fly, whereas in a Trap you may take them; if your Ground be large, you may place several of these Dung-heaps.

Sheep being Beasts that delight in dry To prevent and cure the Rot in Sheep. Meats, and thrive best on the dryest Lands, Mountains or Hills, and can live throughout the Year without Drink, (except in great Droughts) are subject to the Rot in very wet Years, or in moist Pastures: This Disease being caused by cold and moist Food, filling their Bodies with a superfluous moisture, and decaying their Livers, soon destroys them. The usual preventions therefore of this Disease, have been to feed them on the driest Lands, to keep them late in the Fold in the Forenoons; feed them with Hay, and mixing Salt with it, &c. But where these are not with conveniency to be made use of; it may be considered whether some sorts of Vegetables may not be propagated as proper Remedies, as well to cure, as prevent this Disease, as some have been to cause it. Amongst which pre­venting or curing Vegetables, none seems more efficacious than Parsley, a Plant easily propagated, and hath all the qualifications of such a Medicine or Remedy: Of its Propagation and Vir­tue, [Page 83] see more in the third Chap. of this second Part.

CHAP. XI. Of Instruments, Tools and Engines, incident to this Profession of A­griculture.

THe most principal Instrument used in Husbandry is the Plough, and as it is, so have ingenious Men contri­ved so many ways to make them more useful, and less toilsome; that there is more variety of Ploughs in this King­dom, than of any other Machine what­soever. But that which I am now to add to my former Treatise of this sub­ject, is, That there are divers new sorts of Ploughs invented, and endeavoured to be brought into use, since my pub­lishing the former Tract: As the Steel-Plough, a Model whereof was (not long Of the Steel-Plough. since) curiously made by one Mr. Thomas [Page 84] Llewellin, at the George in Catteaten-street in London; wherewith he pretended, that with one Man and two Horses, or one Man and two Oxen only, might be plowed any sort of Land whatsoever, as would not be performed by the com­mon Ploughs, with less than double the Men and Cattel, which he offered as an infallible and unmatchable improvement. I have seen the Model, and it was well made; and without question such a Plough will far exceed the usual Ploughs, by reason that a well made, true and clean Instrument of any kind or sort whatsoever, will perform its Work for which it is intended, better than an ill shapen, false and rough can do. A Coach, Charriot, or Waggon, made high and true, will be drawn much easier than one that's gross, and ill made. The Cutting parts of the Plough, also being made of well temper'd Steel, and keen, abate a great part of the strength required in the Draught, as a sharp Ax or Saw, will more easily break a Tree, than one that's dull. I know it will be objected that Steel is much deerer than Iron: To which I answer, That in case a Plough cost 20 or 40 s. extroadinary in the [Page 85] Steel and Workmanship, it will soon be repayed, if 1 or 2 s. per diem can be saved (as no doubt but it will) in the use of it; besides the advantage of time, which is of more worth at some seasons, than all the extraordinary expence a­mounts to. As for the other more prin­cipal advantages of this Plough, with the description of the Plough it self, I refer you to the Author Mr. Llewellin.

There is another sort of Plough Of the French Ploughs. brought into use by some French Men, (as I take it) which is very much like the double Plough described by Mr. Blith in his 33th Chapter of his Englands Im­provement, which will carry two Fur­rows at once: As for the description, use, and advantages of this double Plough, I refer you to the Monthly Col­lections of Letters, of Husbandry and Trade, Collected and Published by that publique, spirited and ingenious Mr. John Haughton, Fellow of the Roial Society, where it is at large described, with its uses and advantages.

In light Grounds it is usual for six or The descri­ption of a Trenching Plough. more labouring Men to follow the [Page 86] Plough at some distance; each taking some proportion with their Spades to cast up the Earth from the bottom of the Furrow, on that which was turned over by the Plough; so that an Acre of Ground may thus be Plough-trenched in a day, as well as if the same had had been wholly done by hand; the Plough going before, and turning in the Sward or Turf; and the Spades coming after and covering it with light Earth, makes it capable or fit for various sorts of Tillage to be planted in it: This way saves a great part of the charge of Trenching altogether by the Spade.

But an easier and cheaper way may yet be found to Plough-trench Land, without any help of the Spade; which is by making a Plough that shall under-cut the Earth, and cast it over, instead of the usual way of plowing: For in the usual way, the Plough is made pointing, and is forced under the Sward, and by the spreading of the Plough, and help of the turning Board, the Earth is forced from wards, which requireth much greater strength, than if the Plough were made of a proportionable breadth from the the point of the Share, to its hinder [Page 87] part, and the Earth or Sward carryed from the bottom, and a turning Board cast fromward; and then you may add either a second Coulter and Share, to succeed the former (fixt to the same Beam) about four or five Inches lower, which second Coulter and Share will cut and take up another course in the bot­tom of the Trench, and carry it higher, and then the turning Board will throw it on the first Plowing; or else ano­ther Plough may be made to cast higher than the first to follow it: Each of these Ploughs may be drawn with half the strength of the common forcing Plough, because it cuts, raises, and casts over the Earth without any side-forcing.

This Plough may be made five, six or seven Inches broad or more, accord­ing to the nature of the ground, and strength you intend to use, whether one, two or three Horses to draw it; and will not only serve to plough, and Plough-trench Land; but also to pare off the Turf of ancient Pasture Land, in order to the burning of it; for the Foot on which the fore-end of the Beam rests, may be made to stand higher or lower as you please; that it may cut thinner [Page 88] or thicker, and being as broad, will do that work as well as the breast Plough, and with five-fold more expedition.

The Ingenious may soon make perfect this design, and bring it into use: I have made a Model which answers what I have proposed; and had I an assistant, should soon bring it to perfection: How­ever these hints are sufficient to them, that truly understand the use of the Plough.

CHAP. I. Of Drinks in General.

IN the first Part of this Treatise, I have given an account of such Sub­jects or Materials, out of which Drinks or Liquors are extracted or prepared: As of the Sap of several sorts of Trees therein mentioned; and par­ticularly of the Birch Tree, the Sap whereof hath been in great esteem, not only for its Pleasantness, but its singular medicinal Vertues. It hath been also Sap of Trees. observed, that the Sap of the Sicamor, is a very clear and sweet Liquor; And that several other Trees yield plenty of Sap, which far exceeds common Water, either for the making of Mead or Ale. The Vine, if planted for no other use, would certainly by cutting the Branches in the Spring, yield a great quantity of [Page 102] delicate Liquor. The Saps of the Elder, Elm, Oak, &c. are well esteem'd for their Medicinal Vertues. The Walnut Tree, and the Bramble, yield plenty of Liquor by cutting, which doubtless are not without their Specific Virtues.

Of late it hath been proved that Juices of Fruits and Berries. Quinces yield a delicate Wine, surpassing most Drinks: Peaches also and Apricocks, by some are made to yield pleasant Wines. Of the Whortle-Berries that grow on the smallest of Shrubs, is made a very fine and pleasant Drink.

Some have pressed a Juice out of Of Roots. contused Carrots, and found the same to be a pleasant, sweet Liquor; but this hath need of some farther enquiry into, and experiment to be made of it.

CHAP. II. That the Juices of Fruits, are the best of Drinks, and Ʋniversally Celebrated.

SOme, and but a small part of the known World, please themselves with the excellency of Drinks, made by the Tincture of fermented Grain: But the most part, and those we conclude to be the wisest and most ingenious, extract the long digested, and pure Li­quor, from Fruits proper and natural to the Countries they Live in; esteem­ing it to conduce more to Health, Plea­sure and long Life, than other Drinks. A learned Author of late in his praise of Wine, attributeth these virtues or The excel­lency of Wine. qualities to it, viz. That it nourisheth more than any other Aliment; That it corroborateth human Strength; That it openeth Obstructions, and comforts and exhilerateth the Spirits: That the use of it in all tempers, is most Natural Ali­ment; [Page 104] and in all Distempers, as proper Medicament. The nature and excellen­cy of this Nectar, was so high in the Opinion of Noah, that he made it his first Art of Husbandry after the Deluge, to plant a Vineyard; The vertue and moderate use of the Juice whereof, may be supposed to be the cause why his Age extended twenty years above the Age of Adam; and three hundred and fifty years after the Plantation of his Vineyard. Drinks extracted out of Grain, and other compounded Drinks being then not in use; nor hath the use of them, since their Invention ren­dred their Drinks so Healthy and Long-lived, as the Spirituous Juices of several Fruits, especially of the Vine and the Apple-Tree.

But because these Wines that are en­dowed with these Vertues, must be im­ported from the places of their native growth; and do suffer so sensible a de­privation of their excellency in all re­spects, that they may be compared to the Drugs, transported from Cochin-China to Italy by Barri the Jesuit, which as he relateth were so altered in their Transportation, that without a special [Page 105] Script upon them, he could not have known them to be the same, either in Vertue or Colour: And certainly these Liquors must much more suffer, than those more solid Materials; The fre­quent Fermentations, Boilings, Frettings, &c. of these, in their being moved and tumbled from place to place, and through divers Climates subjected to the variety of Airs, causing an expence of their more spiritual and better parts; and a precipitation of their more solid and delicious, which are the most nu­tritive; so that in effect we have but the Phlegmatic Part deprived of its principal Vertues; And that part too, oftentimes corrupted with the Coopers or Vintners Art, to make it pallatable and durable, that it becomes ungrateful to Nature, and injurious to Health and long Life, which evidently confirms our next Position.

CHAP. III. That Cider and other Juices of our English Fruits, are the best Drinks for this Country.

THat Cider hath been of ancient Use in this Kingdom, and that The Anti­quity of Cider. the name of Wine was attributed to it, I have lately met with a farther Confirmation in a small Tract, en­tituled Fragmenta Antiquitatis, being Ancient Tenures of Land, published by T. B. of the Inner-Temple Esquire, Anno 1679. Wherein there is an account of the Mannor of Runham, in the County of Norfolk; that the Tenant held the same of the King in Capite, by the Ser­vice of two Mues of Wine made of Per­mains, to be paid into the Exchequer, yearly at Michaelmas. This Service was reserved in King Edward the firsts time, about four hundred years past; whence may be noted, That the Permain is an ancient English Apple, and that it al­ways [Page 107] was esteemed one of the best of Apples, and yielded one of the most delicious of Ciders. And its probable that as foreign Wines became here more in use, that Husbandry of propagating Rermains decayed, the Trees being slow of Growth, and small Bearers, which might probably be the cause why this Wine was reserved to the Kings use, more than that of any other Fruit; it being more rare and delicious.

Cider made of Mature-Fruit, regular­ly The excel­lency of Cider. extracted, and naturally prepared, detaineth its corroborating and exhile­rating Spirits, and its nutrimental Sweet­ness, that its Vertues far exceed those of the transported Wines; and may al­most compare with many of those Wines in their proper Countries. Of this mat­ter we have said enough in the first Part of the Treatise of this Subject; and shall therefore hasten to the true and re­gular way of preparing this most inesti­mable Drink from the Soil to the Fruit, and thence to the Liquor in the Glass, fit for the most Curious Palate; together with the several other Drinks, that are most desirable by the ingenious Enquirers into these things.

CHAP. IV. Of the best and most expeditious ways of propagating the several sorts of Fruit-Trees.

AS Fruit-Trees, some of them do Change of Plants an Improve­ment. effect one sort of Land, and some another; and that Judgment is required for the placing of these Trees in their proper Soils wherein they most delight: So do some Species of Trees, grow weary of the Soil wherein they have been long planted, and do after some time degenerate, as several sorts of Grain do, when often sown in, or near the same place; and some Plants do the same, if planted often on the same or the like Ground: The usual remedy in such cases, hath been to change the Seed, fetching it a far off; and by procuring other Plants from another Soil; as in Wheat, Strawberies, &c. is generally observed. After the [Page 109] same manner, in case it be observ'd that Trees that have been planted and propagated in a Soil wherein they have delighted, do by frequent graffing and raising of the same Species in the same Soil, degenerate. Your surest remedy then will be to procure Graffs or Plants of the same Fruits from another Soil; as formerly the Graffs of the Kentish Pepin were brought out of Normandy, and it proving to be a good change of Soil, they prospered exceedingly for many years; yet now it is observ'd that the Trees are more subject to the Canker, and prosper not so well, nor is the Fruit so good as formerly it hath been; Therefore have some ingenious Men, either already obtain'd, or shortly in­tend to procure fresh Graffs from Nor­mandy to renew that Kind, not questi­oning the success to answer their ex­pectations.

It is observ'd that Horses, Sheep, &c. Brackish Land good for Fruit. thrive best on Marshes that lye near the Sea, usually called the Salt Marshes, by reason of their Brackishness. Bees, Pigeons, &c. thrive best also where they can come at the Salt and Fresh-water: [Page 110] Fish are very much improved in a Brackish Water: So are many Vegeta­bles likewise; and in particular Apples growing on brackish Grounds near the Sea, yield a more rich and vinous Cider, than those that grow more remote; and those the poorest of all Ciders that grow on sandy Lands, which attract most of their juicy Substance from the Rains, although they are all of one Species. The Trees on such barren Lands, yield­ing plenty of Fruit in wet Summers, and few in dry, for want of that Nourishment which rich Lands furnish the Trees withal: Therefore those that have Lands lying well near the Sea, may promise themselves better Cider, than those more remote.

Nevertheless Land newly recovered Newly re­covered Lands not good for Fruit. Their re­medy. from the Sea, whilst the Salt remains too much in it, is not good for Apples: But if it be cast in small Hills that the Rains may wash the Salt from it, and this labour often reitrated until the Soil be mo­derately sweetned, and the Trees planted shallow in it; questionless they will then thrive, and if you can bring them to grow, you need not doubt the excel­lency [Page 111] of their Fruit and Liquor; And a better help to such Lands cannot be than a mixture of sweet Earth, fetched from above the taint of the Salt-Water, with your Salt Land: Nor can you better improve the poor sandy Orchards, than by laying near the Roots of your Trees, Salt Clays or Earths, or other sa­line Matters in case the Sea be near.

Besides the Codlin and Gennet-Moil; Sweet Ap­ples raised of Cions. there are several Sweet-Apples that may be propagated by Cions, Slips or Cut­tings, whose use in mixing with other Fruit in making Cider, shall hereafter in this Second Part be trated of. The raising whereof is the more to be en­couraged, by reason the way is easie, and the Fruit coming to maturity a­bout the time of the Redstreak, becomes very useful in mixing with them as hereafter is shewn: There is an other curious Cider-Fruit, that may be easily raised by the same Method as Codlins, which by meer accident I have disco­vered; but I cannot give you the Name of it, unless it be that which is usually called the Spice Apple, being to me a new Species, and came among my Codlin-Slips by accident.

Such hath been the scrutinous Nature The Quince a Vinous Fruit. of Man, that he hath scarce left any Fruit unattempted, to extract its Blood for his use or delight: For the Quince, an austere Fruit, and of ill Savour, hath been found by expression to have yield­ed a very excellent Wine. Therefore in moist and rich Lands, the propa­gating of Quince-Trees ought to be en­couraged: Its said, that in that part of the Western Continent now called Caro­lina, there grow such vast quantities of this Fruit, that they make very much of its Wine.

In the Heathy Parts of Surrey, Hamp-Shire, Whortle­berries yield Wine. Sussex, &c. grow great quanti­ties of Whortleberries, usually called Whorts or Bilberries, of which is made a Wine inferiour to none of all the Artificial Drinks, that are extracted out of Fruits, being delicately tasted, and of an excellent Colour.

If your Ground be shallow, either Planting Trees on shallow Land. Sandy, Chalky, or Stony, Plant your Trees near the Surface, and lay store of Mold or Earth about them, for [Page 113] about five or six Foot round the Tree, that they may seem to be planted Deep; that they may well be defend­ed from Drought, and the Roots will naturally incline downwards, and the Trees thrive as if planted on a deeper Soil.

Many have attempted to raise Vines The most probable way to raise a Vinyard. after the manner of the French in Vin­yards, and have had good success in rai­sing them; but the Fruits (however the Vinyard hath been posited or situate) have not answered the Planters expe­ctation, not being so mature as those that are planted against Houses, Walls, or the like; by reason that the Air moving too and fro, incessantly refri­gerates the Vine in the Spring, pre­venting its early Budding in the Sum­mer, the early Blowing of the Grape; And in the Autumn, the ripening of the Clusters; so that let the Vineyard be planted against any South declining place; yet the cool Air moves through the open interspaces of the Vines, and Leaves, that rarely our Summers are hot enough to qualifie it without somewhat of Art to be used. Therefore if thin, [Page 114] low Walls of Brick, or the like, of a­bout three or four Foot high, were built the length of the Vinyard from East to West at a convenient distance, that they may not shade each other; and the Vines planted against them, at the same distance and height as in Vinyards; it would not only break the cool Breezes, but add to the heat of the Sun; especially if the Ground before them be kept bare: But lest this way may be too chargeable where Bricks are dear, it may be much cheaper to drive in a strong Stake, or two slender Stakes at the back of each Vine, of about four Foot high above the Ground, to which about the time the Vine begins to spring, you may add a thin Board of about twelve Inches broad, or two Boards fixed together, making about eighteen Inches broad; against which you may tack your Vines and prune them, as in the first part of this Treatise is directed, only you need not turn them Archwise. These Boards will break the Winds, and keep the Grapes warm after the Sun hath left them: Then after your Vintage is over, you may lay the Boards on heaps to [Page 115] keep them from Rotting till the Spring: The Stakes may stand for many years if they are of Oaken Spine: The charge and trouble will not be great, if you consider that your arched Props soon decay, and the constant annual Charge and Trouble the Planters of Hops are at, in renewing their Poles, and preserving them in the Winter; much greater than this can be in con­tinuing these Boards, which lie in a little room, and endure many years ere they decay.

If your Ground be so fertile, that your Vines grow too rank, and Weeds encrease too fast; then may you lay Sand near, and before your Vines, thick enough to suppress the Weeds, which will very much add to the heat of the Summers Sun, and thereby acce­lerate the maturation of your Grapes; and also abate the too great fertility which much of our English Soil is sub­ject to; for the meanest dry and warm Land (so that it be not barren) is fit­test for a Vinyard: Bacchus amat colles. The most certain Cure of the Canker in Trees.

Many of our best Fruit-bearing Trees, are subject to that pernicious Disease [Page 116] the Canker, which in many places de­stroys the whole Tree; And notwith­standing all the Cuttings, Parings and Plaistrings that can be used, yet every new Shoot will be tainted with this Disease, as it hath happened to me in many of my best Fruits; and more particularly in one Tree that I most va­lued, which the Canker had yearly so defaced, that for eleven Years together I had cut and pared its Wounds, that it was little the bigger in its growth, and had in all that time born only four Apples. In February 1682, I was willing to try some new experiment towards the Cure of that Disease; and having considered that the Land it grew on, was rich and light; and that in many places I had observed Trees to flourish in Courts and Yards, where the Soil was of the same Nature, and the Ground pitch'd or pav'd with Stone; I therefore caused the Earth to be ta­ken away round my little, but diseasy Tree, about four Foot from the Stem, and about five or six Inches deep, and in the room thereof caused Stones to be set very close and near together in Dirt taken out of the High-ways in­stead [Page 117] of Sand, after the same manner as Yards or Streets are paved.

The Tree thus paved round, in the Summer following emitted many fair Shoots; and in Autumn 1683, yielded above fourscore fair well grown Apples, and increased in clean Branches, more than it had done in seven Years before, without the least touch of its old Disease, and most of the old Sores were also skinned over, having first a little cleansed them. In the Year 1684, this Tree continued in its flourishing and healthy Condition, encreasing as before in its Branches; that to check its too great aspiring and spreading, I was ne­cessarily forced to cut off the Tops of many of the new Shoots: Its Branches were also so laden with Fruit, that to preserve them and the Tree, I caused Props to be set to support several of them; which strange effects were so e­vident, and conspicuous to many, that knew the former state, and after saw the amended condition of the Tree; that they were sufficiently convinced, that the laying of those Stones were the very cause of the cure; and I am the more satisfied in my Opinion that [Page 118] it was so: For that in the Year 1684, in the same manner I abated Earth from several other Trees infected with the like Disease, and applied (for cheap­ness sake) a proportionable quantity of Chalk, and ram'd it fast about the Trees, which hath produced near the like ef­fect, as was from the paving with Stone; but I as yet question whether it will have that duration as Stone, so as to continue solid, it being apt to dissolve, and degenerate into Earth.

For it is the depression or detention of the Spiritus Mundi, or the true fer­tilizing Spirit in the Earth, about the Roots of the Tree, that those Roots may the more plentifully attract it; and the prevention of other Vegetables from ex­tracting and wasting it, that is one prin­cipal cause of the prosperity, and fer­tility of the Tree so paved about: For the more of this true nitrous and ve­getating Spirit there is, and the less of the Crude and common Water, the more fertile and healthy will the Tree be. This Experiment I hope will be of general use and question; not but it will succeed in most places where this Dis­ease is common.

Nevertheless, after all this care, there will remain some Fragments of the old Disease, it being so confirmed in the stock, that it will never be clean out of the Branch; like unto the Lues Venerea in some Annimals: For if a Tree be infected with this Disease the Canker, although you graff a sound Graff of another Fruit on the stock, and leave but a few Inches of the Cankery Tree above the old stock, that small part shall infect the new Graff, and all its Shoots: But however this Method of mine hath had much greater effects in the Cure of that Disease, and is more certain than any other yet pub­lickly known: And the same Tree I so cured, continues in a very flourishing condition to this present Year 1688.

CHAP. V. Of making Cider and other Li­quors, of Apples and other Fruits.

NOtwithstanding many have been so fortunate as to have a fair Plantation of Fruit-Trees, and those al­so very fruitful; yet have they not had Good Cider, (unless sometimes by ac­cident) either for that they have ga­thered their Fruit before it hath attained its due maturity, for the Juices of Fruits are best improved in their own proper Vessels, (their skins) as Grapes the Vigne­rous of all foreign Vinyards, let them hang on the Trees till the stalks begin to strivel next the Branch, that being a sign that the Fruit receives no more nourishment from the Tree: And in the Canaries whence our best Wines come, they let them hang longer. Likewise Normandy Cider is generally sweeter and [Page 121] better coloured than the English, by rea­son of the through maturity of the Fruit. Therefore it is best here to let your Time for gathering Apples. Apples hang as long as conveniently they can: For when they begin to drop naturally, its a sign they receive no more nourishment from the Tree; or if their Kernels be black, their colour change, or their scent be high, they may be ripe enough to gather: But Deux-Ans and other hard Fruit, may be gathered in a dry time, in October, lest the Frosts im­pair them: Notwithstanding they have not those signs of maturity, that other more early Fruit usually have.

Some Apples retain a white colour till they are through ripe, as the White Beling, White Wine Apple, some sorts of Pepins, &c. some also are yellow be­fore they are through ripe, as the Orenge-Apple, Golden-Pepin, Kirton-Pepin, &c. their scent doth not always indicate the time of their maturity, several Winter or late ripe Apples not obtaining such scent or fragrancy, until they have lain some time on Heaps, or in large Vessels, where they perfect their maturity by their acquired heat, more than they could do on the Trees.

The best way therefore is after your Laying them on Heaps. Apples are gathered off the Trees, to lay them on Heaps, or put them in large Vessels in a dry place, and let them there remain two or three Weeks, more or less as the Apples are in maturity, which concocteth their Juice, and very much improveth it, and washeth the more phlegmatic parts of the Fruit by sweet­ing; and also (by a degree of putri­faction) weakneth the Branchery or Veins that unite the Parenchymous parts of Ap­ples, especially the more tough sort of Deux-Ans, Westbury Apples, Leather-Coats, Oaken-Pins, &c. making them to be more easily broken in the Mill, and more freely yield their Juices: For these tough and harder sort of Fruits ought to lie till the end of November, or till December, before their Juices be through­ly mature, and their Parenchymous parts made soluble; and then will these Fruits yield you the finest, strongest and most spirituous Cider of any other: Their Juices having been longer from their first formation on the Tree, to their dissolu­tion in the Mill, in a continued state of digestion and conction, than other softer Fruit.

It is also observable, that the more difficultly Apples part with their Liquor in the Press, the thinner it is, the sooner it becomes fine, and the more it en­creaseth in beauty, colour, and strength: Therefore Apples easily yielding great quantities of Liquor are not always to be desired, by those that affect the best Cider.

Some have pretended an indifferency, Apples o­ver-ripe or rotten, make no good Ci­der. whether their Apples have been rotten or not, supposing that their Cider made of Fruits part sound and part rotten, is of equal goodness to that which is made of all sound Fruit; and others have esteem'd that made of rotten Fruit only, to be the best. But neither of these cer­tainly ever made any very good of sound Fruit, for it they had, they would without doubt have altered their opini­on. For Apples having lain over-long on heaps till they are pulpy, and part rot­ten, will yield a thick Juice from the Press, difficult to be separated from the Murc, which will be long before it be fine, and much of it will be wasted by reason of the great quantity of the pulp of the Apple that will be pressed out [Page 124] with it, and must be separated from it. And then the Cider will not be so good as that made of sound Fruit well ripened. Therefore the middle way is the best, as hath by experience been observ'd.

Next to the gathering and hoarding Of the Ci­der-Mill. of your Fruit, the grinding them is to be considered. No Mill, Engine, Art, or way, having been yet used or discovered, better than the Mill described in my former Treatise of this Subject for the expeditious, easie, and even grinding of Apples, the Mill being easily portable standing in little room, and of small price, considering the quantities of Ap­ples that in a little time may be ground by it. One Man may grind in this Mill of the double Roll, in one day, as many Apples as a Horse can in a Horse-Mill in three days. This Mill costing from 3 l. to 10 l. and a Horse-Mill from 20 l. to 30 l. with the room it is to work in. This taking up no more room than an ordinary Chest, and may be easily re­moved as occasion requires. The other must remain always fixt.

This Mill grinds the Fruit even, bru­sing every part, yet breaketh not the [Page 125] Kernels. The other grindeth it unevenly and breaketh the Kernels which preju­diceth the Cider. These new Mills of both sorts were made of several prizes, as you would have them for dispatch, by Mr. Henry Allen at the Cabinet in Exeter street near the Strand in London, and now by many other ingenious Work-Men.

After the Apples are ground, if they Ordering the Pulp after grinding. were very mellow, it is good to press the pulp the next day, lest the too long stand­ing occasion heat and an ill savour, and the Liquor not so easily separable from the Feces or Murc, which will then strain out with the Liquor.

But if the Apples were tough or hard, the long standing of the Pulp dissolves the more obdurate Particles, weakneth the Branchery or Veins that pass through the whole fleshy part thereof, by a cer­tain and advantagious degree of putre­faction, which makes it yield its Liquor the more freely, and is in some degree a maturation of it, aswell as whilst it was in the whole Apple; also the long standing of the Pulp after it is ground, gives the Cider a better tincture than otherwise it [Page 126] would have, which it attracts from the Pill or Skin of the Apples.

For the redness of the Skin in the Pulp lying long together with it, gives a tin­cture to the Cider, as doth that of Grapes to Wine. For the Grape whereof Claret is made, yieldeth a pale Wine as soon as it is pressed; but suffered to continue some days on the red Husk, obtains the tincture it hath when brought to us.

As to the pressing of Cider, although Of the pressing of Cider. the greater Skrew-Presses make the quickest dispatch, and press the hardest of any, yet for private Families they are chargeable and cumbersome, nor is it necessary to make so hard a pressure as is usually made by them. I have seen a Press made with an Iron-Skrew, that by it the Juice hath been so clean expressed, that it left the Murc almost dry enough to burn. There was at that place Cider made of Redstreaks, Golden-Rennets, Golden-Pepins, Gilliflowers, and other of the best of Cider Fruits, and specifi­cally each by it self, a Hogshead at least of each sort. But by reason of the too fine grinding and extream dry pressure, the most curious Palat could distinguish [Page 127] but little difference in the Tast, which was none of the best in every sort. It was also ill-coloured and very cloudy; the last and much enforced Juice being very poor, and carries with it too much of the lignous part of the Apple, which had been more proper to have been left behind. For as all vinous Fruits have their purest part next the Skin or Pill, so is their richest Juice there contained, the Sun and Air maturating such Juice more perfectly on the extream parts than near the Core. The Pores are also much finer there than towards the middle, as ap­pears in a dissected Apple with the help of a Microscope, which is the reason that Wines proceeding from Grapes without much pressure, are preferr'd to those that are more pressed, and the poorest Wines are those that are with the great­est force extracted. All which consi­dered, it is better to have nine parts of pure rich Cider, than ten of that which hath neither good Tast nor colour. Therefore so great a Press is not ab­solutely necessary in the making of good Cider.

As one of the conveniencies of the A new sort of Press. Mill is to stand in a little room, and to be portable with ease from one place to another; the same is necessary in the Press, which may be made with two woodden Skrews, of about the size of the Skrews which the Apothecaries use in extracting Oils, &c. which have a very great force or power with them, and placed at about 30 or 36 Inches distant, on a Bench or Form of about 20 or 24 Inches in breadth, according to this Figure.

The smallness of the Thread of the Skrew, although it requireth more time to work it, maketh it press the Murc much the harder; but you must remem­ber to fix the lower plank to some Post or Wall, by pieces extending from thence to the Press to keep it steady; with this may you press any quantities, small or great at any time without much trouble; it is easily made, and requires but little room. And after your Vin­tage is over, you may set your Press as well as your Mill, in some by-place, till the next Season requires its use again.

The Principal Cause that there hath Ordering of Cider after it is pressed. been so much bad Cider made in most parts of England, was the too early stopping of it up. It being usually pre­scribed, and as usually practised, that as soon as Cider is pressed, strained and fer­mented, they stop it close, with a very great confidence that unless it be close stopt it will decay, and become of no use. So that when these Ciderists have taken care for the best Fruit, and order­ed them after the best manner they could, yet hath their Cider generally proved pale, sharp, ill tasted, &c. and all from the too early stopping of it. For the stopping of Cider close before it be fine, or with its Feces in it (although precipated) begets reiterated fermenta­tions, which fermentations very much impoverish this Liquor, by precipitating those Particles which enrich it with Tin­cture and Gust.

Whilst its gross Feces or any setling remain in the bottom, every change of Weather causes some motion therein, which is usually termed Fermentation: This doth so attenuate this Liquor, that it easily letteth or suffereth those Parti­cles [Page 130] to subside, and leaveth the Cider thin, jejune, acid, and ill tasted. It is thin and jejune, because it hath lost its substance; acid, because it hath lost its sweetness, those Particles being the Sac­charine substance, or part of the Apple, and of ill savour and gust, because those Particles when precipitated, being mixt with the more gross, do putrifie and heat, infecting the whole mass in the Vessel, all which effects are apparently obvious in Cider made after the Vulgar method. These Feces they are that cause the Corks to fly out of the Bottles, or break the Bottles; or at least the opening of them makes the Cider fly, and mixing with it make the residue unpleasant.

These things being generally taken The vari­ous Arts, used in mending of Cider. notice of, hath set many heads at work to provide remedies. Some have made use of many ways to ferment it, and make it clear by reiterated Fermentations; others by additions, as Ising-glass, &c. have enforced a precipitation; and when they have so done, finding it to be thin, pale, and acid, have by Molasses, Treacle, or course Sugar, given it body, colour, and gust. What delight or pleasure there [Page 131] can be in drinking such Compounds; or how much this must conduce to health or long life, I leave every unprejudiced and ingenious Man to judge.

There are others that when their Cider is thus reduced to a jejune and an un­pleasant Drink, they take one Vessel, and with an Alembick extract its Spirit, and add the same to another under the same circumstances of poverty and unplea­santness, and then edulcorate it with Molasses, Treacle, &c. which also gives it tincture. These and many other Arts are used to sophisticate, corrupt, and debase, this otherwise pleasant and wholsome Drink.

To prevent not only the decay of Rules in making good Cider. Cider, but the extraordinary trouble in curing and amending it. When it is pressed let it stand a day or two, or more, in an open Tun, or covered only with a Cloth or Boards to keep it from the dust, or in a Hogshead or other Ves­sel, not quite full, with an open Bung, till the more gross parts subside: Then draw it into Pails, and fill it up into the Vessels you intend to keep it longer in, leaving about an eighth part empty. Set [Page 132] these Vessels in your coldest Cellars or Repositories, with the Bungs open, or covered only with a loose Cover, that there may be a free perspiration of the volatile Spirit of your Must, which would otherwise force its way; and that your Must may be cool, and not kept warm, lest it ferment too much.

Thus standing open, and the more open the better, it will by degrees let fall its grosser parts, and in time become clear without the loss of any of its true and durable Spirit. For coldness is here the cause of its purifying, warmth occa­sioning the solution and detension of those Particles that spoil the colour and tast of Cider, and which otherwise would precipitate.

As for the time of its standing open in the Vessel, it varies according to the nature of the Fruit; If the fruit were mellow or sweet, the more of the gross particles be pressed out with the Liquor, the longer time will be required for their precipitation: But if the Fruit were hard or sharp, the thinner doth the Li­quor issue out of the Press, and the sooner will your Cider become fine; and you must be sure to observe, that as soon [Page 133] as this Cider of hard Apples is fine, you draw it off from its precipitated Lee, lest it become acid, or acquire some ill tast from it.

This standing open of the Vessel causeth an expence of that wild or volatile Spi­rit, which being pent in, would beget a continual fermentation much prejudi­cing the Cider; and in case it doth not otherwise work its way out, would in time break the Vessel that detains it.

After your Cider hath stood open Ordering of Cider in the first Racking. some reasonable time, till it is become indifferently fine, which it may be in three, four, or five weeks; then will it be convenient to draw it into Bottles, if you have a sufficient stock, or into other Cask, that it may there become more fine. For after it is separated from its gross Feces, it will more easily demit the remaining Particles or flying Lee, than it would have done whilst the grosser parts remained, renewing its fermenta­tion on every change of Air, or other ac­cidental occasion.

Its fineness will sometimes plainly ap­pear, if you move the scum aside with a [Page 134] Spoon, or the like; but to be more exact, you may take a Glass-Pipe of a Foot or more in length, open at both ends, stop the upper end of the Pipe with your Thumb, and let the other end down into the Cider as deep as you think fit, then open the upper end by removing your Thumb, and the Cider will rise in the Pipe: Then stop the up­per end again with your Thumb, and take out the Pipe, and hold it over a Drinking-Glass, remove your Thumb, and you may there discern the state and fineness of your Cider.

If your stock of Cider be not over-great, or that you are willing to pre­serve your choicest sorts of Cider, the best way is to have large Glass-Bottles of one or two Gallons apiece, more or less, enough to receive the same, into which draw off or rack your Cider, and let the Bottles stand open, or but barely cover­ed in your coolest Repository for a month or more, till you observe your Cider, by your interposing it between a Candle and your Eye, to be very trans­parent, which then may be called Super­fine, the remaining Particles or flying [Page 135] Lee being precipitated and setled in the bottom of the Glass-Bottle.

If your quantity of your choicest Cider be too great for your Bottles, you may instead of them make use of Stone-Bottles, or Jarrs, or Stounds of Flanders-Earth, or glazed Earthen Vessels, the larger the better, which may be placed in Rows in your Repositories, Cellars, or Vaults, and covered with Boards, or the like, to preserve your Cider from dust, &c. but not from the Air. But by reason that you cannot so easily discern the fineness of your Cider in these as in the transparent Vessels, you may now make use of your Glass-Pipe before­mentioned.

The reason why Glass-Bottles, or other glazed or stony-Vessels are more fit for this second fining, than those of Wood, is, for that the coolness of the Vessel very much contributes to the precipita­tion of those remaining Particles that would otherwise debase this excellent Liquor.

But if your quantity of Cider be so great, that these Vessels cannot receive it, then may you rack it into other Ves­sels made very clean, dry, and sweet, and [Page 136] suffered to stand slightly covered till it be very fine, before you stop it up. If you find that your Cider doth not fine in wooden-Vessels so soon as you desire, for want of that coldness that is in the glazed-Vessels, you may take Flints or pebble-Stones clean and dry, and put them into your Cask of Cider, this is said (and with great probability) to contri­bute much towards the nimble precipi­tation of the Feces. The like effect hath the applying of a bag of Salt to the out­side of the under part of the Vessel.

When your Cider hath attained its Ordering of Cider after it is super-fine. utmost degree of fineness, which after this way of ordering it will do, if you have but patience to let it stand open long enough, although some will fine in half the time that other requires: Then take your Glass Syphon or Crane and draw it off from its last Feces into smaller Bottles, wherein you intend to keep it for your use: Thus being drawn off, and throughly depurated, you may close­cork all your Bottles, and place them in your cool Conservatory, where after a few weeks standing your Cider will ac­quire a fine briskness, and mantle in the [Page 137] Glass without any manner of feculency, and retain its first sweetness, and change from a pale to a lively Canary or Ma­laga-colour; but if you have occasion to accelerate its maturity, place so many of your Bottles as you think you may have sudden occasion for, in some place warmer than your usual Conservatory, and it will soon answer your expecta­tion.

Sometimes it will happen that the next Summer after it is become so pure, some Raggs or flying Feculencies may appear in your Bottles, which are occa­sioned by the warmth of the season be­getting another fermentation from the fatness of the body of the Cider, made of the sweeter sort of Fruit, which are not apt to appear in the thinner Cider, but in some short time these will subside, and you may draw off the fine from the Feces with your Syphon, without any great prejudice to your Cider: These later fermentations in great quantities of Cider often spoil it for want of a timely prevention, which cannot be so well done in Vessels of Wood as those of Glass, where you may easily perceive [Page 138] the various changes that may happen in these Liqours.

These Syphons are best made of To make Syphons or Cranes. Glass, but because that at the Glass-houses the Workmen will not presently appre­hend how to turn them fit for this use; You may buy at the Glass or Potters-Shops those Tubes or Pipes that are made of white or flint Glass for Barome­ters or Mercurial Weather-Glasses, which may be carried in a long Case to any place in this Kingdom.

Make a fire of Charcoal, or such like clear fire at some distance from the back of the Chimney or Wall, and put the close end of your Glass-Pipe into the fire, and when it is hot, dip about an inch of it in the water, and it will break off, then is your Pipe open throughout.

Then lay the Pipe across the fire (by a gradual access, lest the sudden heat crack it,) that for about five or six inches space near the middle it may be red-hot, yet so that the one end may be two or three inches longer from the hot part than the other: When it is thus hot, hold both ends of the Pipe, in each hand one end, bend it to the Form de­scribed [Page] [Page]

[Page 139] at (g) then cool it (by a gra­dual taking it from the fire, lest the sudden cool Air break it,) and when it is cold enough to handle, put the longest Leg of your Syphon into the fire, and when it is hot turn it into the form as at h; but because the end will be too hot to touch with your hand, you may manage that end with a pair of Tongs.

As for the size of the Pipes let them not be of too small a bore, for then will the Cider be too long in drawing off: And as for the length, you may have of several lengths, that they may suit with your greater and lesser Vessels and Bot­tles, and as near as you can proportion the size of the bore to the length of the Syphon, that your Cider may flow faster out of the larger than out of the lesser Vessels.

The manner of using these Syphons is The use of the Sy­phon. thus described: First place the Bottle or other Vessel out of which you are to ex­tract your fine Cider from the setled Lee, on a Table or Shelf as at a.

Remember before you may use of your Syphon to whip about that Leg that [Page 140] is to be put into the Bottle two or three turns or more of Yarn or Worsted, as at b, which may slide up and down as there is occasion.

Then put that end of the Syphon into the Bottle gently as deep as it will go, and move the Ring of Yarn to the very depth of the Bottle; then raise your Syphon so high as that the lower end of that Leg that is in the Bottle may be somewhat above the Lee that subsided in the Bot­tle, for which the Ring of Yarn will be your guide, as at b. c.

Then hold your Receiver, being the Bottle into which you intend to draw your fine Cider, and to preserve it, with a Funnel on it, as at d. Then whilst one holds the shortest Leg of the Syphon at b. let another suck at the lower end of the outward Leg, till he perceive the Liquor draw towards the end of the Syphon, then let him desist, and apply the Receiver and Funnel, as at d.

Or you may whip about the crooked end of the Syphon with Worsted or Yarn, and procure a short piece of Glass, Laton, or other Metals crooked, as at f. the one end being wide enough to cover the mouth of the longest Leg of the Syphon, [Page 141] which being applied to the Syphon, on the Worsted or Yarn, to prevent the Air from freely passing between, you may suck at the small end of the Pipe f. and when you perceive the Liquor to depend to the end of the Syphon, take away the Pipe f. and apply the Bottle and Funnel.

When you perceive your Receiver to be full, stop the mouth of your Syphon with your Finger, and apply another to it until all that is fine be extracted out of the Vessel from which you draw it, which you may perceive by your Glass Syphon, for you may gently sink the Sy­phon at b. with your Finger, till you perceive some Cloud or foulness to arise, and then keep it a very little higher, that it may come pure, whereby there will be nothing left in the bottom of the Vessel out of which you extract your Cider, but what is meer Feces, with very little wast; however you may pour out all the Feces into some other Bottle or Vessel, and let them stand until they are again setled, and you may then extract the fine as before, so that there may be almost no wast: Thus may great quan­tities of Cider be drawn off in a little [Page 142] time by two persons, when they are once set about it, and you will soon find the benefit of it.

In the first part of this Treatise, I pre­scribed An Error corrected. Fermentation to be a means to purifie Cider; and alledged that warmth was a principal help to provoke the same, as in truth it is: But such Fermen­tation that was at that time by many made use of, did very much prejudice Cider, and therefore to be prevented; There being no other Fermentation re­quired in preparing the choicest Cider, than only exposing it to the open Air, that the volatile Particles may evapo­rate, and the Feces subside, which other­wise would beget a reiterated Fermen­tation, not only to the impoverishing of, but giving an ill Tast to that which otherwise would prove the best Cider. The subsiding Feces having an ill Tast and Smell, easily impart it to the Cider; as lately happened to one that by the advice of an ignorant Ciderist, after he had drawn off his Cider from the Lee or Feces, put the said Feces in a flannel Bag, usually called Hypocrates his Sleeve, through which the Cider finely distilled, [Page 143] and was very pleasant to the Eye, but not drinkable by reason of its ill Tast and Savour which it received from the Feces; so that in case the Cider so drawn off had stood long on those Feces, that Tast and Savour had infected the whole quantity, though not in so high a degree as it did the small part distilled through the Flannel.

Some persons have made great quan­tities Of Vessels for the keeping of Cider. of Ciden, and at the same time have disposed it into several Vessels. But the Cider although alike at the tun­ning it up, yet at the drawing it forth, hath proved of different Tast and other qualities, which very much per­plexed the curious Observators to find out the cause of such variance. At length they did observe that in all those Vessels that were made of the white Oak, the Cider was well coloured, and of a good Tast; but in those that were made of brown or red Oak, it was it contrary, so that they concluded the faults or de­fects of Cider to be from the Vessel. Quaere Whether the upright Vessel whose Ribs are streight, being made of Firre, may not be very proper for the keeping [Page 144] of Cider, it being probable that such tast and colour that may at the first be taken from the Firre, may rather mend than marr the Cider; however it will be sooner extracted from it than from the Oak.

As for Hogsheads or other Vessels Earthern Vessels the best. made of Wood (when new) they are apt to ting the Cider with an ill colour, and give it an ill Tast; and when they have been used, although with the same sort of Liquor, they retain some tarta­rous matter which disturbeth the Cider newly put into it, and sometimes so much that the Cider will hardly ever be clear; therefore the less time that Cider remains in the wooden-Vessels the better it is: But to prevent such ill ef­fects, Experience hath taught me, that open Vessels of Glass, or glazed-Earth are the best, not only for the retaining the natural gust and colour of the Cider, but for the better and more expediti­ous purifying of it, having several times put small quantities of Cider from the Press, formerly in Jar-Glasses, and since that in glazed Earthen-Pots, which in the same manner hath rendred the Cider [Page 145] much exceeding that, which at the same time, and of the same sort, hath been put in wooden-Vessels and narrow-mouth'd Glass Bottels.

Therefore if you take Earthen-Vessels glazed within that will hold four or five Gallons each (more or less) as many of them as will contain the Cider you make, and set them in Rows on the Ground and on Benches in your Cellar or Repository, and fill them with Cider from the Press, and let them stand open, or but slightly covered four or five Weeks, or more, till the Cider be throughly fine, you may then Crane it off into Bottles for use; or you may by emptying one of the Vessels draw it from the next into that which is empty, and so go round till all be drawn off; and then let it stand another month without the Lee till it be Superfine, and then draw it off into Bottles for use. If you live near a Potters you may have these Vessels made with Tap-holes about two inches from the bottom, and so may with a Cane or small Tap draw it off without the use of the Syphon, and leave the Feces be­hind.

These Vessels, all things considered, are cheaper than Barrels or Hogsheads of Wood: First, for that you have more by the Gallon for your mony of the Earthen than of those made of Wood; then will they last longer (with care;) for after the Cider is drawn off, you may scald them, and set them by, with their bottoms uppermost till another year, without danger of growing Musty, or want of hooping.

In the Cellar or Conservatory, they stand as in Figure 11; and when you have drawn off the upper Rows on the Benches, you may then set those on the Ground, and upon the Benches in the room of the other, and so draw them off likewise; you may have also two or three Rows the one above the other.

Besides the observing of the time of Divers Ciders out of the same Apples. gathering and grinding of Apples, which causeth a great Variety of Ciders; there is in the same Apple such a difference in its parts, that the one part produceth a better Cider than the other. In oblong Pears the best part is that which is next the tail, that being the smallest end, the [Page 147] whole substance of the Fruit passing throgh it, is the cause why that part is the best. In Apples the outside is the best, being more maturated by the Sun and Air than next the Core, and there is the richest Juice contained; the Pores are also much finer there than towards the middle, as appears in a dissected Apple by the help of a Microscope. In Grapes the richest Juice is also next the Skin, and most easily expressed, which is the reason that Wines proceeding from Grapes, lying in large Vessels without any other pressure than their own weight, are much more excellent than those that are forcibly expressed, which by all are found to be the poorest.

Therefore if you intend to have a more rich Cider than is ordinarily made out of the same Apples, you may pare the outside of your Apples about the thickness of a Crown-piece of Silver, and grind these thick Rinds very fine (laying by the insides to make a meaner sort of Cider) by which you will soon find the difference, as well in colour as flavour.

But if you will have a rich coloured Diversly coloured also. Cider, take of the reddest sort of through­ripe Gillyflowers in November, and pare about a third or fourth part of them you intend to grind as thin as an old Six-pence, lay these parings by, then grind your Apples and press your Cider; afterwards when your Cider is disposed of into its proper Vessels (of which the Glass or Earthen are the best) add the parings you laid by, and let them re­main in the Cider 14 days more or less at your discretion, and when your Cider is fine, draw it off from those parings; and although your Cider at the first seems not to have much of the colour of the parings, yet will it be so much improved by them, that in a few weeks its colour, gust, and flavour will excel that which shall be made by any other way or me­thod; and the richer will it be if made of the Rinds pared thick, ground and pressed without the insides, as before is directed.

In the first part of this Treatise, I in­timated An Error an making Currant Wine cor­rected. that by letting Currants hang on the Trees six or seven weeks after they [Page 149] are red, would digest and mature their Juice, that it needed not that large ad­dition of Sugar which otherwise it would do; which I concluded to be true, be­cause all or most of other Fruits become sweeter by hanging long on the Trees after they are ripe, as Grapes, Cherries, Plums, Gooseberries, &c. But now I have observed that Currants only by long hanging on the Trees, after they are ripe, become more acid. Therefore they ought to be gathered as soon as they are through ripe, if you intend to make Wine of them. But if you intend them for Vinegar, the longer they hang the better, and this is the best use their ex­pressed Juice can be put unto, it making the best Sauces of any other acid Juices; and its Wine, unless kept till the Sugar and the Liquor are throughly incorpo­rated, is none of the most grateful to the Stomach.

Take a pound and a half of Loaf-Sugar, To make Apricock-Wine. the finer the better, to which put three pints of Spring Water, and so in that proportion for a greater and lesser quantity; set this over the fire until it boil, and after you have clean scum'd it, [Page 150] take a pound of Apricocks through ripe to each pint of Water, pare them thin, and stone them, and put them into the Liquor, and let them be boiled therein until they become tender; then take the Apricocks out, and put a Sprig of floured Clary into it, and after it hath boiled a little take it out, and let the Liquor cool; and when it is through cold put it into large Bottles, and let it stand easily stopt till it be very pure or fine, then Crane it off into quart or pint Bottles as you please, and close stop and keep it for your use.

Note that the Wine is really a Sugar-Wine, and the finer the Sugar is the whiter will your Wine be; and it receives a very fine relish from the Apricocks, which yet remain firm and undissolved, and are fit for your Confectionary. The Clary gives it a Gust like Canary Wine: If you keep this Wine two or three years till the Sugar is perfectly dissolved or digested in it, it becomes one of the best of Artificial Wines. Proba­tum est.

After the same manner may you ting To make Rasberry-Wine. Sugar-Wine with Rasberries, without leaving the juice or substance of the Ras­berry in it, which is apt to corrupt it. Or you may ting it or give it a gust with any other Fruits or Flowers.

I have formerly given you some ac­compt Of Choco­late. of the nature of the Cacao, with the manner of compounding of the Ver­tues of Chocolate: I have little more to add, but that several Authors of the American Histories have at large set forth the great Values that are set on the Cacao Nuts in those parts, being eaten without any preparation, satiating, and not cloy­ing the Stomach. But much more on Chocolate, which the Europeans learned to make of the Indians, which they look­ed upon as the greatest delicacy for their extraordinary Entertainments, and which they offered to the Spanish conquering Generals, as the best Collations they could give them; and is of so common use there, that the Spaniards constantly drink the same in their Churches.

Some esteem that which is made of the Nuts alone, made into a Past and [Page 152] dissolved in Water; others with the Nuts made into a Past with Sugar, and so dissolved in Water, wherewith many Indians and Christians in the American Plantations have been observ'd to live many months without any other Food.

Its Vertues are very eminent in forti­fying the procreative faculty; it preserves Health, and impinguates, causeth a good Digestion, is very Restorative in a Con­sumption, and is good in the Cough of the Lungs, Plague of the Guts, and other Fluxes, the Green-Sickness, Jaundise, and all Inflammations and Opilations, Sweet­ens the Breath, provokes Urine, Cures the Stone and Stangury, expels Poison, and preserves from all Infectious Di­seases.

Coffee is a Drink so generally known, Of Coffee. that I need say little as to the preparing it: The Berry is imported by the Mer­chants from Arabia and other Eastern Countries: The Berry or the Powder is to be bought at most Coffee-Houses in London. Its preparation is to mix an ounce of the Powder with a pint and half of hot Water which hath been boiled half away; after the Mixture it is to [Page 153] boil a while, till the water be well tinged with it.

Its Vertues are that it indisposes the Body to sleep, and so is good for those that affect late Studies: It allayeth the Heats and Fumes that arise from a full or foul Stomach, and so is good after a Debauch in eating or drinking: It is proper in Headaches, Dizziness, Lethar­gies and Catarrhs, where there is a gross habit of Body, and a cold heavy Con­stitution, and very effectual in opening Feminine Obstructions.

But to lean and active Bodies Coffee is not agreeable, nor good for uxorious Men, it incapaciting them for those pleasing Exercises Nature of it self in­clines them to, and often renders the Drinkers thereof Paralitic, it being a kind of Opiat. Its said, the Persians drink it, to allay their Natural heat, that they may avoid the charges and inconvenienes of a fruitful Family. So that taking its good and bad effects together, its good for nothing; but with Tobacco to entertain those that are at leisure to discourse about the Intrigues of the Town, and sometimes of the general Affairs of the World.

Its preparation I have touched upon Of Tea. before: As for the Qualities and Virtues of it, I will add something to what hath been written in the first Part; it hath much of the same Vertue as Coffee, by inabling Men that drink of it, to Lucu­brations or late Studies, by driving off sleep; yet without those ill effects that Coffee commonly produces; it makes Men active and lively, which Coffee doth not; It clears the Head, and opens the Urniary passages; it prevents Drunk­enness, taking it before you drink Wine; for being drank hot, it fills the Veins and other vacancies, which otherwise would attract the Wine. Its a great dryer, and therefore no Enemy to Cha­stity. It removeth the Obstructions of the Spleen and Gall: It is good against Crudities, causeth a good Appetite and Digestion. It vanquisheth Dreams, easeth the Brain, and strengtheneth the Memo­ry. These are the Principal, but there are many more Vertues attributed to this, the best of our small Water-drinks; and certain it is, that many ancient Men since the use of it in England have pre­served themselves very lively, consider­ing [Page 155] their great Age by the constant use of this Drink, which is not to be slighted.

A late Author having written the Of the ex­tract of Juniper-Berries. Natural History of several Leaves and Berries, introduces Juniper-Berries to have many extraordinary Vertues, and directs that an ounce of them well cleans'd, bruis'd and mashed, will be enough for a pint of Water; when they are boil'd together, the Vessel must be carefully stopt; after the boiling is over, add a spoonful of Sugar-Candy; the effects are extraordinary in the Stone and Wind-Collick. The extract of this Berry is also commended in many other Distempers, of which almost every Phy­sical Author Treats, and most of our Country Doctors prescribe the use of it.

Mum is not only become a common Of Mum. Drink in many places of this City, but a very wholsome Drink, and may without doubt be made as well here as in foreign Parts, we having all the same Materials whereof it is compounded. The Re­ceipt is published in the before-men­tioned [Page 156] Natural History, which he saith is recorded in the House of Brunswick: And is to this effect, Take 63 Gallons of Water that hath been boiled to the Con­sumption of a third part, then brew it with seven Bushels of Wheat-Malt, one Bushel of Oat-Malt, and one Bushel of ground-Beans; Tun it, but fill not the Hogshead too full at first; when it be­gins to work, add to it of the inner Rind of the Firre three pounds, of the tops of the Firre and Birch, of each one pound, of Carduus Benedictus dried three handfuls, Flowers of Rosa solis two handfuls, of Burnet, Betony, Mar­jerom, Avery, Penny-Royal, Flowers of Elder, Wild-Thyme, of each one handful and a half, Seeds of Cardamum bruised three ounces, Barberries bruised one ounce, put the Seeds into the Vessel.

When the Liquor hath wrought a while with the Herbs, and after they are added, let the Liquor work over the Vessel as little as may be; fill it up at last, and when it is stopt, put into the Hog­shead ten new laid Eggs, the Shells not crack't or brok'n; stop all close and drink it at two years old; some add Water-Cresses, Brook-Lime and Wild-Par­sley, [Page 157] of each six handfuls, with six hand­fuls of Horse-Radish, rasped in every Hogshead: It was observ'd, that Horse-Radish made the Mum drink more quick than that which had none. If Mum be carried by Water it is the better. Thus far the same Author.

Mum, Ale, Beer, and all such gross bodied Liquors are much refined by carrying them by Sea, and drink much better after such motions than before.

This Liquor thus prepared is very strengthening from the Malt and Beans it is made withall, and is a great cleanser of the Reins, and good against the Stone and Scurvy, from the great quantity of the Firre that is used in it, being of a Terebinthine-Nature, and much more wholsome than Hops: The Eggs pre­serve it from being sour, which other­wise in so long time it may be subject to, by reason many of the Ingredients are put in green; which if it were made of dried Ingredients it may very well keep as long without any acidity. Green Ve­getables being far more apt to flatten and corrupt any Drinks than dry: As those that make compounded Ales, Me­theglin, &c. can testifie: And as to the [Page 158] time of keeping it, nothing is more cer­tain than that such strong compounded Liquors are very much improved by time. All those various and different Ingredients being thereby digested into one substance, not to be distinguished by the most curious Palat, but purified and made a most desirable Drink, far excel­ling that crude Mum that is usually sold to the great disparagement of that which hath been kept its due time, and was at the first duly prepared.

In the first part is a Catalogue of Fruits growing in this Nation, and fit to be planted in your Vineyard, to which I have many to add. But finding that Names signifie little, and the Natures of them are difficult to describe, He that hath a Will to furnish himself with such that are excellent, may have the Trees of Mr. George Rickets of Hoggsden, mention­ed in the first Part, who hath the great­est variety of the choisest Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plums, Apricocks, Peaches, Ma­lacotones, Nectorines, Figgs, Vines, Cur­rans, Gooseberries, Rasberries, Mulberries, Medlars, Walnuts, Nuts, Filberds, Chesnuts, &c. that any Man hath, and can give [Page 159] the best account of their Natures and Excellencies.

To my first Part I added a small Tract, being a Discourse of the Government and Ordering of Bees; and finding that I have here room enough, instead of en­larging that, I will subjoyn a few Pages by way of Essay towards the discovery of the Original of Fountains and Springs, for on such things do our Husbandmen sometimes contemplate, especially when the scorching Sun, great Rains, or dark­some Winter nights forbid their Rural Exercises: All such times are their Minds taken up with thinking how, and from whence Rains are produced, and from what cause Springs so plentifully flow, and Rivers swell to so great a Bulk. To encourage such Enquirers, and furnish them with new matter to whet upon, I have offered the following Essay.