Chap.VII.
How to preserue all manner of seedes, hearbs, flowers, and fruits, from all manner of noysome and pestilent things which deuoure and hurt them.
Of Thunder and Lightning.
It is not enough to bequeath and giue your séedes vnto the ground, and then immediatly to expect (without any further industrie) the fruit of your labours, no goodnesse seldome commeth with such ease: you must therefore know that when you lay your séedes in the ground, they are like so many good men amongst a world of wicked ones, and as it were inuironed and begirt with maine Armies of enemies, from which if your care and diligence doe not defend them the most, if not all, will doubtlesse perish, and of these enemies the worst and most violentest isThunderandLightning, which in a moment killeth all sorts of flowers, plants, and trées, euen in the height and pride of their flourishing, which to preuent, it hath béene the practise of all the auncient Gardners, to plant against the walles of their Gardens, or in the middest of their quarters, where their choysest flowers grow, theLawrellorBayTrée, which is euer helde a defence against those strikings.
Of Caterpillers.
Next vntoThunderandLightningareCaterpillers, which are a kinde of filthy little wormes, which lye in Cobwebs about the leaues, deuouring them, and poysoning the sap, in such sort, that the Plant dieth spéedily after: the way to kill these, is to take strong Vrine and Ashes mixt together, and with it to dash and sprinkle all the Plants cleane ouer, and it will both preuent their bréeding, or being bred will kill them: the smoake of Brimstone will doe the like, yet if they be excéeding much abundant, the surest way to destroy them, is to take olde, rotten,mouldy Hay, and setting it on fire, with the blaze thereof burne the Cob-webs, and then with the smoake smother and kill the wormes, and they will hardly euer bréede in that place againe.
Of Toades and Frogges.
Next these areToadesandFrogges, which are very poysonous and great destroyers of young Plants, chiefly in their first appearing aboue the ground, and the auncient Gardners haue vsed to destroy them by burning the fat of a Stagge in some part of the Garden beds, from which earth all creatures that haue poyson in them, will flye with all violence: other Gardners will watch where the Kite pearcheth on nights, and gathering vp her dung, scatter it vpon the beds either simply, or mixt with the shauings of an olde Harts horne, and no venemous thing will come néere it.
Of the field Myce.
Next these are fieldMyce, which will roote séedes out of the earth, and deuoure them aboundantly, which to kill you shall takeHenbane seede, and beate it to pouder, and then mixing it with swéete Oyle, fresh Butter, or Grease, make thereof a bayte; and when you finde where they scratch or roote, lay some part of the bayte in that place, and they will gréedily eate it, and it will kill them: there be other Gardners which will take a Wéesell, and burning it to ashes, scatter the ashes on the beds, and then no fieldMousewill come néere them.
Of Flyes.
Next these areFlyes, as flesh-Flyes,Scarabs,Hornets,Dores, and such like, which are great destroyers of Séeds and Plants, when they appeare in their first leafe, and are soft and tender, which to destroy, you shall either takeOrpmentmixt with milke, or the pouder ofAllome, or the ashes of any of theseFlyesburnt, and with it sprinkle your beds and young plants all ouer, and it will kéepeFlyesthat they will not dare to come néere them.
Of the greene Fly.
If the gréeneFly, which of all otherFlyesis most gréedie to hurt Séedes and Plants, doe offend your Garden, you shall takeHenbaneleaues,Houseleeke, andMinte, and beat them in a Morter, then straine forth the iuyce,and then adde thereto as much Vinegar as was of all the rest, and there-with sprinkle your beds all ouer, and the gréeneFlywill neuer come néere them. Some hold opinion, that if you plant the hearbeRocketin your Garden, that it is a safe preseruatiue against these gréeneFlyes, for it is most certaine that the very smell thereof will kill these, and most sorts of all otherFlyeswhatsoeuer, as hath béene found by approued experience, and the sylts of olde auncient Abby Gardens, which a man shall seldome finde without this hearbe planted in them.
Of Gnats.
Next these areGnats, which although it be the smallest of all Flyes, yet it is the greatest, quickest, and sharpest deuourer of tender Plants of all other, for it biteth déeper and more venemously sharpe, then those which are of much bigger substance: the best way to destroy them is morning and euening, to smoake and perfume your beds either with wet Rosemary, or with mouldy Hay: some vse to burneCalamint, and some Oxe dung, and sure all are very good, for the smoakes are very sharpe, and styflle as soone as it is receiued.
Of Pismyers.
Next these arePismyers, which also are very noysome vnto Gardens, for they will digge vp, and carrie away the smaller séedes to their hills, and in short space spoyle and deface a bed of his encrease, and the best way to destroy them, is, if you finde their hill, to poure hot scalding water vpon them: or if vpon your Garden beds you strowe Ashes or Lyme, but especially that which is made of chalk, they will by no meanes come néere them, as you shall finde by experience.
Of Moales.
Next these areMoales, which digging and vndermining the earth, turneth vp Séedes and Plants in a confused fashion, to the vtter destruction and ruine of the Husband-mans labour, the cure whereof is to take them in such sort, as shall be shewed in this Booke, where I speake of Pasture grounds; but if you finde that their encrease and continuance multiply with your labour, it shall be then good for you to plant in diuers places of your Gardenthe hearbe calledPalma christi, in other placesGarlickesand in other placesOnyons, and it is an assured rule that noMoalewill come néere where they grow for the strength and violence of their smell, is poysonous and deadly to those blind vermines.
Of Snailes.
Next there areSnailesof both kindes, blacke and white, which are as much offensiue to Gardens, as any other crawling thing, for they féed of the tender leaues of plants, and of the outmost rindes of the daintiest hearbs or flowers, the way to destroy them, is to sprinkle vpon the beds and other places of their aboad good store of chimney soote, which by no meanes they can endure, because it is mortall and poysonous.
Of Moathes.
Next there areMoathesorMoaghts, which are very pernitious in a Garden, for they destroy both Séeds and Plants, and there is not better or more certaine way to kill them, then by taking olde horse hoofes, and burning them, with the smoake thereof to perfume all the places where they abide, and it will in an instant kill them; with this smoake onely you may kéepe Arras hanging, Tapistrie, Néedle-worke, Cushions, or Carpets, or any woollen cloath or garment whatsoeuer safe fromMoathesas long as you please, neither néede you to vse it aboue once or twice a yéere at the most, as shall be more at large in another place declared.
Of Cankers.
Next these areCankers, which are a kinde of filthie wormes, which deuoure both the great and small leaues of all sorts of swéet Plants, especiallyLettuce,Cabbadge,Colaflours,and such like; and the way to destroy them, is to scatter amongst your Plants, Goose-dung, or to sprinkle the iuyce thereof with a wispe ofRue, or hearbe ofGraceouer all the beds, and though some with a rustie knife vse to scrape them from the leaues, and so kill them on a Tyle-shread, yet for my part I hold this the néerer way, and both more certaine and more easie, as experience will approue.
Of Garden Wormes.
Lastly, are your GardenWormeswhich liuing in thehollowes of the earth féede much vpon your tender Garden séedes, and the soft sprouts which first issue from them, especially from all sorts of kirnels, in which they delight more then in any other séede whatsoeuer, as you may finde by experience, if you please to obserue accidents as they happen, without which obseruation you shall hardly attaine to the perfection of an excellent Gardner:An excellent experiment.for if you please to make this triall, take the kirnels of a faire sound Pippin, and deuide them into two parts, then sowe the one halfe in a Garden bed well drest and trimmed for the purpose, where the worme hath liberty to come and goe at his pleasure, sowe the other halfe in some riuen boule, earthen pot, or halfe Tub, made for the purpose with the same earth or mould that the bed is, and then set the vessell so as no worme may come there-vnto, and you shall finde that all those Séedes will sprout and come forth, when hardly any one of those in the bed of earth will or can prosper, there being no other reason but the extreame gréedinesse of the deuouring worme, which to preuent, you shall take Oxe dung, and burn it to ashes, then mixe them with the earth where-with you couer your Séedes, and it will both kill the wormes, and make the Séedes sprout both sooner and safer. And thus much for the preseruation of Séeds and Plants, from all noysome and pestilent creatures, which being practised with care and diligence, will giue vnto euery honest minde the satisfaction he desireth.
The conclusion of the Kitchen Garden.
Now to conclude this small tract or Treatise of the HusbandmansKitchen Garden, I would haue euery honest Reader vnderstand, that I haue not taken vpon me to modell out any curious shape or proportion, but onely figured out a perfect nourcerie, shewing you how to bréed and bring vp all things fit for health or recreation which being once brought to mature and ripe age, you may dispose into those proper places which may become their worthinesse, in which worke I would haue your owne fancy your ownedirectour, for I may giue preheminence to that you least like, and disestéeme that most which to you may séeme most worthy, therefore let your owne iudgement order your Garden, like your house, and your hearbs like your furniture, placing the best in the best places, & such as are most conspicuous, and the rest according to their dignities in more inferiour roomes, remembring that your galleries, great chambers, and lodgings of state doe deserue Arras, your Hall Wainscote, and your meanest offices someBoscadge, or cleanly painting: from this alligorie if you can draw any wit, you may finde without my further instruction how to frame Gardens of all sorts to your owne contentment.