Section 28

iA time wherein Apples are to be gathered that they may laft the longer , biddeth us to do thus. About Auguftj choofe,faith he, the fweeteft Apples , fu'ch as be not over ripe, and they will be kept long. Pliny counfellcth us to gather them a'terthc TEquinodial in Autumne, but nevet before the Moon be fifteen dayes old, nor yet before one of the clock. And Palladim (hews,
What time Tears are to be gathered *>, that they may laft long. In a calm day, when the Moon is in the waining, and that alfo toward the latter end, betwixt the two and twenty and eight and twenty day of the Moon, you muii take them effthe Tree with your hand, at fuch time of the day as the Sun is in fome ftrength of heat, that is, cither betwixt feven and ten in the morning, oc . clfe betwixt two and five of the clock in the after-noon: and the Pears which you fo gather, mult be fomewhat hard and green. Tamphilm an Husband-man ptefcribes
A certain time wherein to gather Cherries jhat they may laft long,
Cherries area kmde of fruit that will foon wither ; and yet if you gatherthem be- fore the tiling of the Sun, and fo lay them up , they will be freCh and good a great while. PalUdiui prefcribes
A certain time wherein to gather Medlar s^that they may laft long. They are to be gathered, faith he, in a fair day about Noon-tide ; and they mud not be thorough ripe. Colttme IU faith, that
The time wherein yon gather Pomegranates to he laid np and preferved, fflaft be a fair day when the air is temperate. Tliny would have ycu to let them be well dr^cd in the Sun, that there be none of the nights dew left upon mem. Dt- dymtu choofeth
A certain time wherein Grapes are to be gatheredythat they may laft long. If you would lay up Grapes that they may laft all the Winter long, yon muft, faith he, gather them after the full of the Moon, when the air is clear and calm, about four of #the clock after-noon, when all the dew is quite dry ed off from thtm : you muft. gath t .hem when they be at the belt, even in their full ftrength, fo thac they be neither raw, nor yet paft their r^peft ftrength. Authors likewife do prescribe
A certain time wherein £orn is to be gathered and laid np.
When you have reaped your Wheat or Barley, ycu muft let it lye abroad in the field cne or two dayes, or at the leaft one wh le night, and carry it away before thcrifa^ of the Sun, that fb k may be throughly cold when it is laid into the barn;
fo*
Of increafmg of Houflmd' fluff e* i
for it is that which will caufc the Corn to laft much the longer. Columella fhews? and he teaches it of his own experience
What time Beans are to be gathered) and layed up to be long preferved, You muft fell your Beans, faich he, when the Moon is in the very laft of her laft quarter, and you mutt fclL them before Day-light ; then, when they are waxed dry upon the floor, prefemly ?'ju muft threfh them out before the Moon is renewed; and when you have hid them on cooling, then carry them into your Gamer to be laid up: for if you deal thm with them, youfhallbe fure to preferve them from the worm., which otherwife will breed in them. The very lame experiment doth Talladw record ouc of the very fame Author. Likewiic
Garden Teafs may be preferred fcr a whole J ear ; if you lay them on drying in the Sun, and when you have fetched fcut all their moi- fture, take them ouc of their (hells, and lay them up s for by this means (hall you prefeivc them from putrefaction.
Chap. V.
Of the minr.tr how to gather fruits • as alfo ho» to help and drejfe the fialh^ that grows into themt whereby we may prevent the firfi original^ and the occafion of thetr putre- faction.
tX^Hereas our Anceftors did perceive that the firft beginning of putrefafUon in fruits did arife from the little Oaik that % rows into them, or from that part of the fruit where the ftalk is entertained into it ; (for it is requifue, that the begin- ning of the fpoil. and d^'truitton of them mould arife in the very fame pare, where* in rhey began fir [1 to live and recceive their nourifhment) they have therefore de- viled lundry means whereby to prevent all fuch milchief and harm, as the talk might bring upon the frui:, Moreover, fruits are very carefully to be gathered, efpecially thofe which we would lay up for ftore,thac they be cot knot ki and hit one againftthe other j for the hitting of them together will caufe their putrefaction. Bcfide?, we muft fee that they be in their beft eftate when we gather them,that they be not perfectly ripe ; for as they mull not be altogether fharp and green when they are gathered, fo neither muft they be come to their full ripenefle. Furthermore,the fruits that yoa would lay up, you muft take a diligent view of them, and fee that they be found, without any bruife, or fpeckedncfle, or worm in them. But let come to examples. Aud firft
How we mttfi gather Apple and how we muft drefs their ftalks, ColnmelU would have fuch Apples to be prefcrved, which have a good relifh, and are gathered when they are realonable ripe : and he would have them to be fo difpofed and placed when they are laid up, that theblcffome-end fhouldftand upward, and the ftalk-end downward, even fo as they grow upon the Tree: but they mult not be laid to touch one another ; neither muft they be thoroughly ripe when they are gathered, but fomewhat (harp and fowre. Befides, you muft fee that every fevcral kind of Apples muft be laid up in a feveral room or cell by themfelves ; for when fun* dry kinds are laid together in one cell, there will be a difagreement amongft them, and fo they will the fooner pmrifie. Experience whereof we have in wine; which if it be made of fundry kinds of grape?, it will not befo durable, as when it is made onelyof onekinde. Palladia faith, If you keep Apples in ftore, you muft gather them very charil -, that they be taken off from the Tree without any blemifhj and you muft drench their ftalks in fcalding pitch, and fo place them upon a boarded loft, with the ftalk*end downward; and you muft take heed that you do not touch them, nor meddle with them till we take them out as being fit for our ufe. P/iny likewife fheweth, that Apples muft be placed upon their (talk-end*. Apulvm the Greek connfelieth us to gather our Apples when they arc in their full ttrength ;
Natural Magick. jBgo^l.
and we mull take fpecial regard, that they be gathered by hand without any bruife j and then laid up in fuch fore that they may not touch one another : but in any cafe they mu'tbc found, and not thoroughly ripe. He faith moreover, that if you be- fmear the tops of the Apples with the juice of green Rag-wort, it will prefcrve them from putrefaction. If you would have
Citrons to lajl long,
Fallaiiw counfelleth you to gather them with their boughs which they grow upon, and lay them up in fcveral , as we (hewed before out of Pontanus. Columella (hews
How Pears mttfi be gathered that they may endure long j
namely, if you gather them before they be thoroughly ripe: and Talkdim faith, that they muft b« gathered charily by hand, that they may not be bruilcd ; and you muft diligently cull out from them, all fuch as have fallen from the Tree, and lay up none but thofe that are very found, andfomewhac hard and green, and fuch as are gathered with their ftalks upon them. Democritu* faith that thofe Pears will keep bed, which arebefmeared with pitch about the ftalk, and fo hung up. We will alfo (hew the manner how to gather*
Cervices ,that they may laft,
Marcus Varro faith that Cervifes are to be gathered even while they are very fowre, and fo to be hung up, that they may ripen but flowly, and that alfo within doors: for if you lay them up when they are grown to fome ripeneffe, they will not laft fo long. Theophrajlus by this means procured Cervices to defer their ripening even until Winter* Columella faith, they muft be charily gathered with your hand. Pliny faith, they muft be hanged up a; they are upon their boughs. Palladwt faith , they mult be gathered when they are hard, and fo hanged up together with their ftalks in fome clofe and dark place. So
Figs are to he laid up a* they are upon their boughs , as Africanm teaches ; but, faith he, they muft be gathered before they be ripe : fot when oace they are come to be ripe, they will hang no longer upon their Tree, as other fruits do, but fall oft prefently. They are alfo to be gathered and laid up with their ftalk or their navel upon them, that is, the part which they hold by, and depend upon their mother : for if they be fo gathered, they will laft the longer found and good. Palladium alfo would have them to be gathered while they be green and unripe, and that with their ftalks upon them, and fo to be laid up. Cato faith, that the boughs of the Fig-tree whereon the figs grow, ate to be prefcrved to- gether with their fruit ; and thofe figs that you would keep, muft be gathered fome- what green and fowre. CohmsUa faith, that Figs, if we would keep them long, muft be gathered, neither when they are very ripe, nor yet when they arc too green. Pal- ladia* faith, that if you would have
Peaches well kepty
you muft fill up the navel of the Peach, that is, that part of the Peach whereby it clofeth with the ftalk , with one drop of fcalding pitch. I for my part have pre-
ferved
Dame fins a great while together,
by hangingthem up with their ftalks, upon the rafters of an houfe • but there is none fo good to be kept, as thofe that are of a purple colour. Palladtus would have them to be gathered while they are unripe, yet he would not have them too raw ; but in any cafe they muft be very found, and without any worm, or bruife, or any oihcc bleoudi. So alfo the fruit called
ZixAphum may bs preferved>
if ic be gathered with the boughs that it grows upon, and io>dcd or wrapt up in his own leave?, and fo hung upon the beams of an houfe, as PaQadttH (facwcib. So
Medlars maybe kept long-, if you gather them when they are but haif-ripe,and hang them up with their boughs infomehouic. Beritim (hews,
How Pomegra»atet are to be gathered and laid up to laft. You muft gather them, faith he, with a very chary hand, left if you touch tbcm fomewhat roughly, they fhould be hurt or bruifed ; and that would be an occauon of their putrefaction. Columella faith, that Pomegranates are to be gathered with their milks, and the ftaik> to be put into an Elder-tree ; becaufe the Elder-tree is fo full of pith, that it may eafily entertain the Pomegranate ftalks. The fame Au- thor rcports-out of Mago the Carthaginian, that all fruits, which you would lay upinftore, muft be gathered with their ftaiks upon themj yea, and if it may be without the fpoil or hurt of the Tree, they mart be gathered with their bonghs -too ; for this will be very helpful to caufe the fruit to laft the longer. Talladiu* &kh, that Pomegranates may be preferred beft, if you gather them found, and lay pitch upon their ftalks, and bang them up in due order: nay, they will keep fo much the better, the longer the boughs are, which are pluckt cfT from the Tree with them ?tt»y faith, that they are to be gathered with their boughs, and the boughs to be Uuck into the Elder pith, andfoto be preferved. Cato thews, how we may preferve
Myrtle twigs with their berries upon them.
They muft be taken from the Tree when the berries are fomewhat fowre, and fo bound up with their leaves about them. Didjmus hath taught us, how we muft gather
Crapes that they may loft long.
We muft take fpecial heed that every gripe be perfect and found ; and for this caufe . we mull have a very fharp knife or hook, to cut of thofe grapes that are unfound eafily and without any ftroke, even with one touch as it were. When you gather your grapes, they muft be in their full ftrength, neither too raw, noryetpaft their belUtvclinefs. Some cut oflf the branches together with the clutters 5 and when they have fo done, they efpy out all the grapes that are either putrified, or dryed away, or unripe, and pluck them off with a pair of nippers, left they ftiould infeft their fellows \ and after this, they take the branches whereon the clutters grow, ,and that end which was cut, they dip into fcaldiog pitch, everyone byitfelf* Ci- thers hold, that grapes muft be hanged up in fome high roof, where the air may have full fcope at them ; but the grapes muft be none of thofe which grow toward the tops of the branches, but they muft be the lower clufters. Palladius (iitb ; If we would have grapes to laft, we muft fee that we gather fuch as are without ble- mi(h; they muft not be too harfti and fowre, neither mnft they be over-ripe, butic muft be a very clear gripe to the eye, and fomewhat foft to be felt, and yet it muft have a reasonable tough skin. If there be any amoagft them that is bruifed, or hath any other blemifh, we mull cut it way ; neither muft we fu^eramongft them any one that h over hard,which the Sun hath not in fome fort overcome with his heat After all this, we muft drench the cut ends of the ftalks in fcalding pitch, and fo hang them up.
T
CHAP.
\%% Natural Magick. ©00^4*
Chap. VI.
In what ground thofefrutts {hould grow and be gathered >which we wculdlayup.
tt/E muft not amit to fpeak of another neceffary obfcrvation in this matter. vv namely, in what ground, in whac air, under what Climate, it is beft thai thofefruit>, which we fhould lay up, fhould grow and be gathered. Wliatfoever fruits do grow ia moift and waterifh, in hollow and low grounds; as alfo thofe which grow in fuch grounds as are much foiled and manured with fat muck ; they are much fubjc& to putrefa&ion ; for, in as much as they grow with great ftore of moifture and heat in them, they have the occafion and original of their own bane within their own bofome. But in wilde fruits, and fuch as grow upon the tops of mountains, in dry grounds, and fuch as are noc manured ac all, and fuch as the Southern heat doth continually beat upon, it falleih out clean otherwife : for the fruits that grow in fuch places, are for the moft part,dry,and very folide, not aboun- ding cither with heat or moifture. Hefiodm in his book of Husbandry , never makes any mention of mnck or foiling, and queftionlefs, he would never have o- mitted fuch a neceffary part of Husbandry as this is, but that he faw the inconveni- ence of it in this refpee't, that it makes the fruit more fubje& to putrefaction, and many infirmities. Fruits that grow in wilde and flony ground?, where the winde hath his full force, will prcferve themfelves without any skill and device pra&ifed upon them: wherefore, if other fleights.be added, which are helpful to their pre- fervation, they will furely laft much the lon°er. But let us fee whether Antiquity hath made any mention of this matter* and firft let us hearken to Theophraftut , who (hews
In what ground there grow the beft Dates or Palms to be preferved [or fiore.
If youpreferve and lay up any Dates or Palms, faith he, you muft make choice of thofe which grow in fandy grounds, as in that Country which is called Syria cava : and there are in all that Country but three fandy places where they do grow, and thefe are excellent good to be preferved ; thofe which grow in other places, are not durable, but prefently wax rotten. Of all thofe Palms which Syria yeelds, k is held by fome,that cone arc good to laft,but thofe only which grow in the Palnae- valley, a place fo called there. But thofe which grow in ./Egypt, and Cyprus, and elfewhere, they are all very foon purrifled. And Pliny reports out of the fame Au- thor, that thofe Palms which grow in fait and fandy grounds, as in Judaea, and Cy- renian Africa, may be preferved : but not thofe which grow in Cyprus , iEgypr, Syria, and Seleucia of Affyria. The fame Theophraftns fpeaking of Beans, mews
In what ground there grow the beft Beans to be preferved for ft ore.
One Country, faith he, differs from another, and one Climate differs alfo from ano- ther,in refpe& of the fruits that grow in them, either to beg»odto lay up, or to be fubjeft to putrefa&ion.And therefore the Beans that grow in Apollonia which is neer to the Ionian Sea,are not fubje& at all to any worms or rottenneffe,fo that they are beft of all other to be preferved- Ukcwife the Beans that grow about Cizicum are very durable.