IN my former Discourse of Clover, I gave you a short accompt of the per­sons that have writ on this subject, and when this husbandry was first set on foot in England; the repetition of which, for brevity sake I shall omit, and onely give you an accompt of some of their observations and e [...]periments, as I finde them pertinent to the method I intend in this little book. And this I do, because I finde some will not take the pains, others cannot spare the time, which the reading of those books doth require: but whoso­ever pleaseth to read those former writings about Clover, and compare their experi­ence with ours of late, will see much of the [Page 2]reason, why that husbandry seemed to be wholly disused for a time. For though those Gentlemen writ very well, conside­ring it was in the infancy of Clover in Eng­land; yet they came far short of that know­ledge, which men (less ingenious) have of late attained to by practice and experi­ence; so that the first directions from those men were not what now may be given.

Those improvements of Land, which are now much used, and applauded amongst us, were once as much decryed (as ever Clover hath been) before we well under­stood them. And what improvement (e­ven to admiration) have some men made of their Estates, by such ways and means as seemed improbable to such men, who in a short time have followed their examples, when they have seen th [...] successes; where­as, if by any accident [...] miscarriage in the management of it they have seen the first authours in any measure fallen short of that profit propounded to themselves, they would presently have cried out against the whole, and abhorred the thoughts of any further tryal, in stead of inquiring wherein the miscarriage lay, and endeavouring to prevent it in the next essay: such is the [Page 3]unreasonable impatience of some men, not considering that knowledge in all arts, espe­cially in Husbandry, is attained by in­dustry, observation, often practice, and patience. Though we now know much more of the nature of Clover, then we did a few years since, and the whole Country is very much convinced of the extraordinary profit, and usefulness of it; yet a few years practice more, will give us much more light into it.

I remember about two years ago, it was objected by some (of which I hear nothing now in these parts) that some, that did sow this Seed, have left off the sowing of it, not finding that profit in it, which is talked of. It is true; and it is as true, that many men after they have some time used and im­ployed themselves in trades that are very advantagious, and by which others have got great Estates, yet finding no profit to be got by them (as they conceive) have disused the said Trades, and betaken them­selves to other imployments; when indeed the fault was not in the Trade, but in the person or management of it.

About 13 years since, Sir Richard Weston by observation, and discouse with Mer­chants [Page 4]and others in his travels in Flanders and Brabant, and other parts, found that there was very great profit raised out of poor and barren Lands, by sowing it with Clover: whereupon he set on foot that Husbandry herein his own Country, and in a little time it so spread it self, that there was some of it (more or less) sowed in most Counties in England: and as it began, so it continued in some repute for a time, but shortly after some began to be discou­raged, and at last it was in a great measure laid asid: & indeed it was almost impossible it should be otherwise, for it was then un­der these (amongst other) disadvantages.

1. First, it was then a new, and for­raign sort of Husbandry, and therefore suspected; and suspition ever aggravates e­very little inconvenience to the damage, and taketh no notice of what is for the cre­dit of that which is suspected.

2. The Seed was dea [...], worth two shil­lings the pound, so that then it was chargeable trying experiments to finde out the nature of it: and if any man failed, he was exasperated by his loss to speak the worst of it.

3. In all trials there must be many [Page 5]miscarriages, all men (almost) here in England being ignorant how to manage it: and hence it is: First, instead of 12 li. they sow but 5 or 6 li. upon an Acre, so that it was a wonder if any came up, that the natural Grass and Weeds did not choak it all.

Secondly, some sowed upon extream wet, and gawled Land, which retaineth the wet; and others upon extream binding clay Land, which will not bear it, and wherein it could never get any good root­ing.

Thirdly, some buried it all in the sowing and harrowing; and some, lest they should bury it, did not sufficiently cover it; and of this the Birds had more then their share.

Fourthly, some sowed it upon such Land as had not strength enough to bear any thing; for men had a conceit, that it would grow upon any Land, though never so poor; and in this also many times it must fail them: for though it would bring ad­vantage upon such Land, as would scarce yeeld our rent in grass, or pay our charge and rent in tillage; yet we must not expect that profit upon poor Land, which may be [Page 6]raised upon better, until it's brought into a better capacity by good Husbandry: and there is some Land, which will bear no­thing in the condition it is in.

Fifthly, some destroyed it immediately after it came up out of the ground, while it was tender, by the grazing and treading of Cattle. I might mention many more, as mixing the Seed with Sand, sowing upon Land wherein the natural Grass was not sufficienty destroyed by tillage, or upon Land that was not well prepared before, I mean, not mellow and made fine, for it de­lights much in a soft bed.

Sixthly, and some, through ignorance of the danger, put their Oxen and Kine hasti­ly into it, whereby they have sustained loss. Many such disparagements through our ignorance and unskilfulness hath it met with to it's detriment.

Seventhly, especially, the Seed was very bad; where one pound was good (I think I may say) three was either old, mixt, cor­rupted at Sea, or afterwards at Land by bad keeping it; and many men, to save something in the price, bought such Seed as was worth nothing. I am apt to think, that one of the greatest discredits this Hus­bandry [Page 7]hath met with, hath been from the Seed: it were too long to tell you, what en­vious base arts were used in Flanders and other parts (as Kiln-drying, &c.) to pre­vent our having good Seed, lest we should get the perfect art of Clover, as well as they: so that much of the Seed being bad, never came up; and being dear, the loss was great, and the disappointment no less, and in this case, the Country had no remedy, not knowing good Seed from bad, but must take such they could get, or none; which made many (after a few trials) disuse it, rather then run the hazard of such chargeable adventures. Now to pre­vent these or any other obstructions for the future, the following directions are in­tended; and Seed, that is certainly good and new, will be sold at the places hereaf­ter mentioned.

But in regard it hath been objected, that Clover doth improverish the Land (though experience hath fully answered this ob­jection with us) I crave your patience, while I give answer to it; for the sake of such, who have not had Clover amongst them long enough, to make a sufficient tri­al of it, so as to know the truth whether it do or not.

IT is objected, Clover doth improverish the Land.

1. And first, suppose it do, it is beyond all doubt it doth, while it groweth, yeeld such advantage, as doth much more then recompence the damage.

2. Corn doth improverish the Land, yet this shall not discourage me from sow­ing it.

3. If Clover do abate somewhat of the heart of the Land, yet it utterly destroyeth all Weeds, Fern and Broom, which I think is no small disadvantage, and brings the ground into a fresh capacity of tillage; which cannot be done by laying down your Land without Clover, except it lie longer then it need to do; and for the first and se­cond year it yeelds you very little, and ma­ny grounds, if they be not layn down in good heart, yeeld almost nothing for the three first years, all which time Clover yeelds a very great advantage, and by that time [Page 9]is almost ready for a second breaking up, if you desire it.

4. Fourthly, but herein hath been a ve­ry great mistake, and this Husbandry hath unjustly passed under this censure: It doth not impoverish, but improve the Land; for if you graze it altogether as some do, the ground maintains so many more Cattle then what it did before, that puts the que­stion out of doubt: if you mow it once a year, and graze the rest; so many Cattle as it will require to keep it down, will suf­ficiently manure your Land: if you mow twice a year, it helps you to keep so many the more Cattle in the house, whose dung if it were laid upon the same Land would add more heart and vertue to it, they your two crops of Clover took from it. In my former Book I mentioned some other rea­sons, and I am now more fully convinced, that the leaves, which will unavoydably fall from it, do very much inrich the Land; you may many times see the ground black over with them; and it is very observable, how the ground in the absence of these leaves is covered over with some lower branches of the Clover, which spread them­selves, and rot upon the ground, whilst [Page 10]the top or upper branches flourish; and the Clover is much inriched by this conna­tural food, viz. a corruption of a super­fluous part of the plant: for I perceive the Land doth receive wonderful advan­tage by these leaves and branches; and as the leaves and branches, so the root doth very much contribute towards the inrich­ing of the Land; and the truth is, since our Country by experience hath been convin­ced, that the Land by Clover is much bet­tered, they have for the most part ascribed it to the long and large root which this plant leaves in the Land. But it is Experi­ence, that must resolve us in this case, (and indeed so it hath) though there is reason e­nough against this objection; he that hath sowed Clover, and had the profit of it three or four years, and then hath sowed Corn, till be come to lay down his Land with Clover again, is most like to give the truest answer to this question. I confess, I had a great desire to be resolved in this point, and to that end, I have made all the trials I could for this 5 years, and have observed others Clover Husbandry, and Co [...]n after it, and have put some upon the tryal of it, by sowing Corn just after it: and truly, though [Page 11]at first I was of the objectors opinion, yet by my experience and observation I am convinced of the contrary; and I cannot upon inquiry finde any one judicious per­son (that hath for any competent time used this Husbandry) but he is fully satisfied, that Clover leaves the Land better then it found it. It were too long to tell you, what many men, with whom I have discoursed, have told me, who were once discouraged by this objection, but are now upon trial ful­ly satisfied. If you peruse any writings a­bout Clover, you will finde, that in the first trials of it in England, those Gentlemen that then wrote, found, that it did im­prove the Land. Mr. Walter Blith tells us that Clover hath this property, after 3 or 4 years it doth so frame the earth, that it is much the fitter for Corn, in his Impro­ver improved, pag. 104. Sir Richard Weston saith, the Land being ploughed after Clover, it will yeeld 3 or 4 years together rich crops of Wheat, and after that a crop of Oats; with which you may lay it down again with Clo­ver. These are his own words. I could give you many more answers and experiments that may fully satisfie any that yet doubt, but that I perceive there is no need with [Page 12]us; and therefore I leave you to expe­rience, which hath convinced many, that otherwise would not be satis­fied.

And though I think no reasonable man can object, yet if any should imagine that it would abate our tillage of Corn, it were easie to make it out that it will much increase it: for a third part of that ground you are forced to lay down for grass to maintain your Cattle, wherewith to Till your Land, will maintain them; so that you may Till much more of your Land, then before you could. I can make it appear, six Acres of Land in Clover will keep as ma­ny Cattle, as thirty Acres of natural grass; and besides, your Land need not now lie out of tillage, so long as it was wont to do; but once in four or five years you may break it up, and it shall be as sit for tillage, as though it had lain 20 years with natural grass. The case indeed is so plain, that I need not trouble you with an answer to this conceit.

IN my former Book, you have an ac­count of the fittest Lands for this Hus­bandry; and as they are the Lands most fit, so it is Land that may be best spared, especially at the time when it is to be Clo­vered, viz. when you are to lay it down for grass, for the two first years it yeelds very little profit. I finde upon my observation in general, all garvelly dry Land is good for this purpose; especially, if it be limed well before, and be Land that is not very poor, nor extreamly out of heart; but if it be in good heart, and be worth nine or ten shillings the Acre, the profit of it will be the greater and more certain. It is a con­ceit directly against reason and experience, that the barrenest and poorest Lands are fittest for Clover: for though it will grow upon very poor Land that hath been limed, and will raise very great profit, yea, and poor Land without lime, with a little good Husbandry by Clover, will yeeld good [Page 14]advantage; yet we must not think the poorer the Land is, the fitter it is for Glover: though Clover is the best improvement of barren Land, yet poor and barren Land is not best for Clover. But as for the parti­cular Lands that are fit for this Husbandry, I say,

1. First, it is beyond all doubt, that the best and fittest Land is that which hath been in tillage about six or eight years, that hath been well limed, and is dry and gravelly, and not apt to bear its natural grass the first and second year.

2. A second sort is a broomy and fearny dry Land, that hath been well limed, and hath been in tillage six or eight years.

3. A third sort is mixt Land, that is na­turally dry, that hath been limed, and that lieth dry in the Winter.

4. A fourth sort is Rie-land, which is drie and sandy, which also hath been limed.

I take these four sorts of Land to be fittest for Clover; and though I mention them all as limed, yet in those parts where no lime can be had at reasonable rates, and they have any of these four [Page 15]sorts of Land, Clover will yeeld them a ve­ry great advantage: for these Lands are in their own nature very fit for Clover, and it groweth very well upon it, where there hath been no lime; yet, I advise you to use lime where it is to be had.

I have endeavoured to finde out the reason, why Clover doth so extreamly thrive upon limed Land, rather then upon the same Land when it hath not been limed; which experience doth fully convince us, is true, and for which many reasons are assigned. That it is so, none de­ny: and why it is so, I have given you some account in my other book.

There are two other sorts of Land that bear Clover.

1. Land that is of a mixt nature, and that hath somewhat more of clay in it, then the third sort of Land before mentioned; whose clods are apt to fall in pieces, in a wet time, and is not subject to cling­ing.

2. Secondly, Clay-land that is not sub­ject to retain the wet, and that lieth upon a shut, so that the rain and other water runneth speedily off it; which Land is much the better, if it face to the South. [Page 16]We may be so much the more confident of success upon these two sorts of Land, if they have been well limed, and we have a drie seeding time: and you must be sure to make this Land as fine, light and mellow, as you can; and when you have got Clover upon it, it will by its root and broad leaf make and keep your Land much more lighter and mellow or moustree; which will be a great advantage, when you come to sow corn again.

I have observed upon this sort of mixed and Clay-land excellent good Clover, and I know some that have a very great advan­tage upon it; yet I think the unseasona­bleness or extreamness of the weather hath a greater influence upon Clover to its detriment (in this Land) then they have in the other sorts of Land, upon my own knowledge. I say, this Land will bear it, and that with very much advantage; yet I advise the unexperienced rather to make their first trial upon one of the four sorts of Land before mentioned. I have heard of some, who falling upon this sort of Land in their essays, and either though their un­skilfulness, or some other miscarriage, it hath failed them; they have then made it [Page 17]their business to cry out against Clovering of Land in the general, or at least to per­swade men that that sort of Land will not bear it.

I do believe that there are many secrets about the Nature of Clover yet to be dis­covered, and about the fittest Lands for it; and I do not doubt but in a short time we shall attain to much more kowledge about the management of Clay Lands, so as to raise good Clover upon them: I have heard from good Authors, that in some Clay Lands (where it is not extream binding Clay) they have much success, and have made good progress in the dis­covery. I could heartily wish some inge­nious person would so far befriend the publick, as to give more full directions about Clay Land, then I can upon my own knowledge; not having the opportunity of so many trials upon that Land, as upon other Lands first mentioned.

AS for the profit that may, and usually is made by Clover, I am at a great stand, whether I had not better wholly omit i [...], and say nothing of it: for if I tell you what I have read and heard from o­thers, I shall forfeit my credit with some, and what I affirme will be taken to be im­possible: if I tell you what I have seen, and the whole Country will subscribe to the truth of, yet it will be taken to be very impossible with many, especially those which have not seen it: and if report the advantages to be less, it is a detraction; and though I should then speak the truth, yet it is not all the truth. I am resolved to speak within compass; and if I erre, it shall be on the safer hand, and herein I shall be the sooner pardoned.

The first sort of Land it is dry, gravelly, and limed; supposing it to be in heart, it yeilds to Graze or Mow, at least Three pounds each Acre per annum.

The second sort was broomy or fear­ny Land limed: this Land in Clover is (at [Page 19]least) worth Four mark each Acre per annum.

The third and fourth sorts of Land is mixt Land, naturally dry, and Rye Land; which Clovered, is (at least) worth Forty shillings per Acre.

Many persons have offered to give me a particular account of the money they have raised out of several pieces of Clever, which amounts to more then I have men­tioned: and I know the benefit in some parts will be very great, where Grass is much wanting; especially, in the midst of Summer, when all other Grass is burned up. So far as I can understand the nature of this Plant, it seems to be designed on purpose for those Countries where natu­ral Grass is wanting, and for a supply where the Sun hath burnt up their grass in the midst of Summer: for as the Land in those parts is fittest for Clover; (bearing little natural grass) so Clover is fittest for those Lands; which indeed, is the best improvement can be made of them. There is a Gentleman Sir John Win­ford late high Sheriff. my neighbour, that hath a­bout sixty Acres (and I know of several parcels) sowed with [Page 20] Clover-seed, being very barren gravelly Land; which Land if laid down to bear natural Grass, is not worth above four shillings six pence the Acre at most, here with us; and I know there hath been made of it at least forty five shillings per annum, upon each Acre by Clover. As also, Mr. Thomas Hill a Grazier, can give you an ac­count of the profit of it, whom you may see in most of the Fairs in Worcester-shire, Stafford-shire, or Shrop-shire. I sowed a­bout sixteen Acres with Barley, and after my Barley I had about Michaelmas a great After-math, into which I turned by way of Tack about forty Hoggs, at six pence per the week; and for that time I had about four pound ten shillings for Tack of Swine, which I thought was pretty well for an After-math; and take my Land to be much bettered by the dung of so many Piggs. Had I let this Land lie to bear na­tural Grass, it would not have brought me five pounds in the two first years; and as to bear Corn, it would not any longer to any advantage, being worn out with liming and long tillage. This I mentioned in my Book last year, to which I could adde this years experience: but to give you the [Page 21]particulars of it were too long: in a word, it was answerable to my expectations, and such as you will scarce believe, except you saw it, or had had some experience of this Husbandry your self. If the After-math in the first quarter after the Barley is cut yeild such advantage, you may guess what the next years profit may be. I would not have spent so many words about the ad­vantage of Clover, but that it's more then possible my Book may fall into the hands of some that either have not seen it grow­ing, or have not had that opportunity of knowing the profit of it, as all men have here about us, if they will take any notice of their neighbours Lands.

FOr the time of sowing it, in my for­mer Book I told you that the best sea­son is from the 10th. of March, to the lat­ter end of April; but I hold it best in March, because the seed may have time to root before the drought catch it. Since [Page 22]I wrote my last Book I have made several trials, I have sowed some in every week in August and September, and I do intend to trie a good quantity, to sow it in the middle or rather in the beginning of Au­gust, for I perceive that doth exceeding well which is then sowed: and I begin to think that after a little time, the Country will be much inclined to that season as the best. If any person please to make trial, I advise him to order his ground according to this direction, and I dare almost war­rant it shall thrive. So soon as your Bar­ley or your Pease is taken off your Land, plough it with a narrow round furrow, that so all the pelfe and weeds may be bu­ried; then harrow your Land, and lay it as plain and as fine as may be, and pick off the stones; then sow the seed (with­out any corn in it or before it) according to the following directions. Keep your Land well inclosed, that it may not be trod upon by any cattel till about the middle of April; then Graze it if you will, or keep it a little longer and Mow it. I sowed last year about eight Acres without any Grain, or any thing else upon the ground with it, and it thrives very well; but it [Page 23]was sowed in April, and I conceive if it had been sowed in August it had been much better; and amongst others, one reason why I conceive sowing in August is best, is, because I find one great enemy to Clo­ver is natural Grass: Now if the seed be sowed in August, it will have taken root and be able to bear out the winter; and when the spring cometh it will be so high and forwardly, that it will be able to co­ver all the ground, and shade and keep down that grass which else would be in­jurious to it.

For the quantity of seed I need say but little, for all men are now convinced of the error in sowing six or eight pound upon an Acre; and I cannot hear of any that sow less then twelve pound, some sow fourteen pound, and some sixteen pound: I have my self sowed sixteen pound upon an Acre: but for your directions herein, I shall onely give you the very words of my last Book. The quantity of seed that I do prescribe to sow one Acre, is twelve or thirteen pound: it's true, formerly they did not sow above six pound of seed upon an Acre, but I finde by practice, that no less then twelve pound must be sowed: [Page 24]for when but six pound was used to be sowed, then the natural grass did present­ly abound, and the branches did grow into great stalks, whereby the Clover grass did soon decay, and the grass was course; but now by sowing twelve pound upon an Acre, you do prevent the natural grass, which is a great enemy to the Clover; as al­so, sowing thick doth make the grass the finer, and by consequence sweeter, and it doth also by its thickness and shade, kill all Broom and Fearn, and other weeds; which a good husbandman knows are great ad­vantages to the Land, in order to the next breaking up for Corn: therefore, I de­sire that all would sow twelve pound on each Acre.

As for the manner of sowing it, I do not by any means approve of the mixing it with Sand, or any thing else; I shall not trouble you with reasons against it, because it is now wholly laid aside: the Country is sensible of the great hazard and incon­venience of it: my direction therefore is, if you sow in August, let your ground be ploughed as aforesaid, and made as e­ven, fine and plain, as one plowing and har­rowing will well make it; then sow your [Page 25]Seed thus: put about so much as will sow one Land into a bowl, or some such thing, holding it in your left hand, or un­der your left arm; and with your right hand sow it as you do Corn, taking it be­tween your two forefingers and thumb; and according to your best skill divide your Seed, so as that every place may have its share: wherein you must observe that the wind be not too high, and so to or­der your Seed, that the wind do not drive it together in heaps. If you sow it after Barley, prepare your Land, and make it sowed and well harrowed, sow your Clover Seed either the same day, or two or three days after; then line your Harrows with a Bush, so that they may not go above two inches in the ground; and if good part of the Bush hangs behind the Harrows, it will be much the better. I have sometimes sowed when the Barley hath been two inches above the ground, and onely rolled the Barley, and herein I have had good success; but I approve not this way, except in case of necessity: for if drie weather come immediately upon it, it will not be sufficiently covered. I finde [Page 26]by experience, that it is much better to sow Clover with Barley, when you lay down your Land, rather then with Oats; and if I mistake not, the Clover will be much the better: it will not be labour lost, if you take notice of the birds, lest they devour the Seed so soon as it is sowed.

THe best time to mow Clover-grass, is about the beginning of June, for the first cutting of it; and in August for the se­cond cutting. In making▪ your Hay, do not shake your swathes as you do other Hay, onely turn it with as much tenderness as may be until it is fit to cock, for the leaves of it are too apt to fall, which must be prevented; for such is the vertue of them, your labour will not be lost: and if it should happen to be an extream wet time, so that you cannot make your Clover Hay as it should; if you mix it in the Rick with a little Barley or Oaten-straw, it will [Page 27]tend much to the preservation of your Hay, and in the winter will be excellent fodder: If it so happen that you have a piece of ground that you can float with water in summer, about two or three days after you have taken off your Clover-Hay, let your water run quick over your Land, and you will have speedily a wonderful burthen of Clover-Grass upon the ground. A little rain upon our Clover-Hay while it is withering, doth it no hurt, but maketh it more tough; but too much drought and heat when we out our Clover maketh our Hay too brittle, short, and apt to crumble; and I finde also the roots are much damnified by cutting Clover in a hot time. Some think it is better rick Clo­ver-Hay then house it; but that I leave to your convenience.

CLover-Grass is food for all sorts of Cattle, but you must have a special care when you first put Oxen or Kine into [Page 28]it: I have heard of some Oxen and Kine that have been put in well, and have been dead in four or five hours: but a little care doth prevent the danger. When you put them in, for the first day let them be in a­bout a quarter of an hour, the second day half an hour, the third day an hour, the fourth day an hour and a half, the fifth day about two houres, and the sixth day three hours, and the seventh day you may let them stay in without danger: you must also have a care that your Kine or Oxen drink not of two hours after they come out of the Clover: for this Grass is so sweet a feeding for them, that drinking immediately after it, they are in danger of swelling. It is excellent feeding for Oxen and Kine; and it is observed, that Kine do give more and better Milk in Clover-Grass then they do in any other; and the Butter and Cheese is much better then that which is raised upon ordinary Grass.

Horses you may put into it at any time without any danger, and it doth feed, and cure them of many diseases. Sheep may be put in without danger, and indeed it is a very expeditious way of fatting Sheep. Clover-Grass will be ready for [Page 29]them in the beginning of March, and you will finde them fat in ten weeks: some men have made good profit by this way of feeding them.

Swine you may put in at any time with­out danger, who feed and grow wonder­fully in it. To those persons who want meat for their Swine, this food will be ve­ry acceptable: and as it is a certain, cheap and speedy way of feeding Swine; so it is observed, that Swine do very much im­prove the Land, their dung being an ex­cellent manure. As for the Hay of Clover in the winter, we see that our Cattle will forsake our meadow-Hay for it, and it is with us accounted as good for a horse as ordinary Hay and Provender. I do not approve of grazing Clover in the winter, for I know it doth it much hurt; and cutting it in a very dry time is injurious to it.

To conclude this point of feeding. Reader, let me tell thee, if thou hast a good parcel of Land that is fit for Clover, and hast money to stock it as it ought to be, a better opportunity of increasing thy estate thy heart cannot desire. I know ma­ny men that have made great advantage by [Page 30] Clover, yet have not made that profit by it, which they might have done, for want of a sufficient stock to put upon it; and some men that upon very good Farms could not keep so many Cattle as their tillage did require (not having meadow-grounds) that can now keep with Clover many more, though they have much more of their ground in tillage, then they had be­fore.

I might tell you how it feeds Geese and Turkeys; but if any of it grow neer your houses, you will soon be sensible of it: and I am sure it will save much of that Corn, which is given to that sort of Poultry.

IN my last, I told you that if any Gentle­man or other person desire to be fur­ther satisfied in any thing relating to this Husbandry, I should be ready to contri­bute my best assistance in order thereunto; if they please to come to my house at [Page 31] Ashley, in the Country of Worcester, there I shall be ready to shew them what experi­ments I have made, and to give them such visible arguments of the truth of what I have printed, that may convince the most incredulous. This my offer I shall God willing make good: and in my absence, Mr. Robert Vicaris my next Neighbour will be ready to perform what I have here promised.

I would have given you an account in this book of many more experiments and observations, but that it would too much enlarge this second Edition; and in that I designed this also, chiefly for Worcester-shire, Stafford-shire, Shrop-shire, and some parts of Hereford-shire; such quotations are the less necessary: for great part of the Lands in these Counties are so fit for this Husbandry, that the management of it is the less difficult; and men generally begin to be expert in it: yet such hath been the importunity of some, for my first Book (of which I have none left) that forceth me with this enlargement to reprint it, before I have performed what in it I promised, viz. A second part of the discourse of Clo­ver, and of other Lands that are fit for it; [Page 32]the delay of which I hope will be recom­penced by those trials that are now on foot upon such Lands: for if there were none of those four sorts of Land before mentioned in England, I should yet make no doubt of raising a very great profit by Clover upon many sorts of Clay, or clayish Land; and this I hope in a short time to make appear, though this Land requires somewhat more of art and patience, and may in our first essayes give us more dis­couragements then those Lands that are every way fitted for this husbandry. But my present business is to give my Country­men a remedy for his Gravelly, Dry, Sandy, or Rie Land which is worn out with tillage and liming: I know it is a common disease in these parts where lime is cheap, and the common cure is as bad as the disease it self. But Clover you will finde to be a certain, speedy, profitable cure for such Lands, for it yeelds you a great advan­tage in the interim, that is, for three or four years, and in the fifth year after is as fit for Corn as though it had lain in Grass twen­ty years. And as Clover is fittest for Land that is thus become useless, and almost un­capable of any other Husbandry with pro­fit, [Page 33]so this Land is fittest for Clover; and that which renders it unprofitable to us, viz. that it is unapt to natural Grass the two first years, doth render it most profi­table to us in Clover. And as lime by its speedy working downward, doth soon get through the uppermost part of the earth (which longer retaineth our other soyle) so the Clover doth shut its root straight downward and deep in the earth, where­by it partaketh of that vertue, which o­therwise would be lost, being got without the reach of other roots: and this may be one reason, why Land that hath been limed beareth much more Clover, then the same Land, when it hath not had lime upon it: besides, the lime doth much mellow and open our Land, whereby the Clover hath the better advantage of taking root.

I intended here to add a few Letters a­bout this Husbandry; but because they are long, I print only this ensu­ring from an ingenious Gentleman.

ANd whereas I found the Country in these parts frequently disappointed in their expectations, through the badness of the Seed; I did for the last year provide a considerable quantity, of such Seed as I knew to be right good, and new; of which parcel I cannot hear of one pound that failed of coming up, though the last year we had not such seasonable weather for it, as sometimes we have had, and may hereafter expect: and in regard of some other imployment which I have undertaken, effectual care is taken by other persons for the future, to furnish these Cities, Towns, and places hereafter mentioned, with such Seed as is warranted to be good: and if the Husbandman follow the directions I have given, he hath not the least cause to doubt of success (by Gods blessing upon his indeavours) but may assure himself of [Page 45]that or more advantage then here I have propounded.

As for the price of the Seed, the last year it was sold for seven pence the pound, but I hope this year it will be sold cheaper. I have no instructions to set any certain price upon it, because the persons that un­dertake it, are resolved to sell it at the lowest price that may be, and to that end have taken order for a great quantity, by which means they themselves having it at a cheaper rate, will be able to sell it so much the cheaper in the Country. As for the persons who are by these undertakers appointed to sell this Seed, publick notice will be given by Printed papers, who they are in each of the places following, and in some other places herein not mentio­ned.

• At
  • Worcester, Mr. Nicholas Baker
  • Ashley, Mr. Robert Viccaris
  • Beaudley
  • Kederminster
  • Bromsgrove
  • Stourbridge
  • Kinvar
  • Ombersley
  • Dudley
  • Teauxbury
  • Tamworth
  • Liechfield
  • Newport
  • Shrewsbury
  • Bridgenorth
  • Ludlow
  • Tenbury
  • Rosse
  • Dean
  • Newent
  • Sutton-cofield
  • Warsall
  • Woolverhampton
  • Brimingham
  • Hailes-owen
  • Shifnall
  • Wellington
  • Wenlock
  • Clibbery