en by pulling the plough out of the earth, and laying the
shelboard crosse the ridge, you shall fill the ridge in againe with the
same mould which you plowed vp: this done, your seedes-man shall bring
his Barley and sow the land aboue furrow: after the land is sowne, you
shall then Harrow it as small as may be, first with a paire of woodden
Harrowes, and after with a paire of Iron Harrowes, or else with a double
Oxe Harrow, for this earth being somewhat hard and much binding, will
aske great care and dilligence in breaking.

{SN: Of sleighting.}
After your Barley is sowne, you shall about the latter end of Aprill
beginne to smooth and sleight your land, both with the backe Harrowes
and with the rouler, and looke what clots they faile to breake, you
shall with clotting beetles beate them asunder, making your mould as
fine and laying your land as smooth as is possible.

{SN: Of Summer-stirring.}
About the middest of May, you shall, if any wet fall, beginne to
Summer-stirre your land, or if no wet fall, you shall doe your indeauour
to Summer-stirre your land, rather aduenturing to breake two ploughes,
then to loose one day in that labour, knowing this, that one land
Summer-stird in a dry season, is better then three Summer-stird in a wet
or moist weather, both because it giues the earth a better temper, and
kils the weedes with more assurednesse, and as I speake of
Summer-stirring, so I speake of all other Ardors, that the drier they
are done the better they are euer done: and in this season you shall
also gather the stones from your ground.

{SN: Obiection.}
Now it may be obiected, that if it be best to plough in drie seasons, it
is then best to fallow also in a dry season, and by that meanes not to
beginne to fallow vntill the beginning of May, as is prescribed for the
blacke clay, and so to deferre the Summer-stirring till the next month
after, sith of necessitie Ianuary must either be wet or else vnkindely.

{SN: Answere.}
To this I make answere, that most true it is, that the land which is
last fallowed is euer the best and most fruitfull, yet this mixt earth
which is compound of sand and clay, is such a binding earth, that if it
be not taken and fallowed in a moist-time of the yeere, as namely, in
Ianuary or February, but suffered to lye till May, at which time the
drought hath so entered into him, that the greatest part of his moisture
is decaied, then I say, the nature of the ground is such and so hard,
that