Of the seedes heereof they make both a
kinde of bread and broth.
All the aforesaid commodities for victuall are set or sowed, sometimes
in groundes a part and seuerally by themselues; but for the most part
together in one ground mixtly: the manner thereof with the dressing and
preparing of the groud, because I will note vnto you the fertilitie of
the soile; I thinke good briefly to describe.
The ground they neuer fatten with mucke, dounge or any other thing;
neither plow nor digge it as we in England, but onely prepare it in sort
as followeth. A fewe daies before they sowe or set, the men with wooden
instruments, made almost in forme of mattockes or hoes with long
handles; the women with short peckers or parers, because they vse them
sitting, of a foote long and about fiue inches in breadth: doe onely
breake the vpper part of the ground to rayse vp the weedes, grasse, &
old stubbes of corne stalkes with their rootes. The which after a day or
twoes [drying] drying in the Sunne, being scrapte vp into many small
heapes, to saue them labour for carrying them away; they burne into
ashes. ( And whereas some may thinke that they vse the ashes for to
better the grounde; I say that then they woulde eyther disperse the
ashes abroade; which wee obserued they doe not, except the heapes bee
too great: or els would take speciall care to set their corne where the
ashes lie, which also wee finde they are carelesse of.) And this is all
the husbanding of their ground that they vse.
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