Agriculture in Virginia, 1607-1699 Part 5

15. Smith, Captain John. _Works._ Edited by Arber, 1884. Also Edinburgh 1910. 2 Vols.

16. Spotswood, Alexander. _Official Letters_, 1710-1722. Ed. by R. A.

Brock. Virginia Historical Society Collections. Richmond, 1882-85. 2 Vols.

17. Strachey, William. _The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Britannia_ ... London. Printed for the Hakluyt Society, 1849.

18. Swem, E. G. _Virginia Historical Index._ Roanoke, Virginia.

1934-36. 2 Vols.

19. _Virginia Company of London. Abstract of the Proceedings of the Company_ ... 1619-1624. By Conway Robinson. Edited by R. A. Brock.

Virginia Historical Society, 1888-89.

20. _Virginia Truly Valued._ In Force's Tracts, Vol. 3.

APPENDIX I

A PLOWMAN'S DAY

This is an extract from Markham's _Farewell to Husbandry, or the Enriching of all Sorts of barren and Steril grounds in our Kingdome_, a well-known book on farming as carried on in England in the early years of the 17th century; it is presented here in order to show what the daily tasks of a farmer were at that time, and what might be expected, according to this standard, of a settler coming to Virginia. The author, Gervase Markham, issued several editions of the work. This extract is from the fourth edition, printed in 1638, of which a t.i.tle-page is reproduced in this booklet, from the copy in the William and Mary College Library. Markham's book has an additional interest, for the reason that in the supplies sent by s.h.i.+p _Supply_ in 1620 to Berkeley Hundred, a copy of the current edition was included.

Having thus generally runne over (in a short computation) the labours of the husbandman, I will now briefly as I can, goe over the particular daies labours of a farmer or plowman, shewing the particular expence of every houre of the day, from his first rising, till his going to bed, as thus for example: We will suppose it to be after Christmas, and about plow-day (which is the first letting out of the plough) and at what time men either begin to fallow, or to break up pease earth, which is to lie to bait, according to the custome of the country; at this time the plough-man shall rise before foure of the clocke in the morning, and after thankes given to G.o.d for his rest, and the successe of his labours he shall go into his stable, or beaste-house, and first he shall fodder his cattell, then cleanse the house, and make the booths cleane, rub downe the cattell, and cleanse their skins of all filth, then he shall curry his horses, rub them with clothes and wisps, and make both them and the stable as cleane as may be, then he shall water both his oxen and horses, and housing them againe, give them more fodder, and to his horse by all meanes provender, as chaffe and dry pease or beanes, or oat-hulls, pease or beanes or cleane oates, or clean garbage (which is the hinder ends of any kinde of graine but rye) with the straw chop'd small amongst it, according as the ability of the husbandman is. And whilst they are eating their meat, he shall make ready his collars, hames, treats, halters, mullens, and plough-geares, seeing everything fit, and in his due place, and to these labours I will also allow full two houres, that is, from foure of the clocke till sixe, then hee shall come in to breakfast, and to that I allow him halfe an houre; and then another halfe houre to the gearing and yoaking of his cattell, so that at seven of the clocke hee may set forward to his labour, and then he shall plow from seven of the clock in the morning, till betwixt two and three in the afternoone, then he shall unyoke, and bring home his cattell, and having rubb'd them, drest them, and cleansed away all durt and filth, he shall fodder them, and give them meate, then shall the servants goe in to their dinner, which allowed halfe an houre; it will then be towards foure of the clocke, at what time hee shall goe to his cattell againe, and rubbing them downe, and cleansing their stalls, give them more fodder, which done, he shall go into the barnes, and provide and make ready fodder of all kinds for the next day, whether it be hay, straw, or blend fodder, according to the ability of the husbandman: this being done, and carried into the stable, oxe-house, or other convenient place, he shall then goe water his cattell, and give them more meate, and to his horse provender, as before shewed; and by this time it will draw past sixe of the clocke, at which time he shall come in to supper, and after supper, he shall either by the fire side, mend shooes both for himselfe and their family, or beat and knock hemp, or flaxe, or picke and stampe apples, or crabs for cider or verdjuce, or else grind malt on the quernes, picke candle rushes, or do some husbandly office within dores, till it be full eight a clocke: then shall he take his lanthorne and candle, and goe to his cattell, and having cleansed the stalls and plankes, litter them downe, looke that they be safely tied, and then fodder and give them meate for all night, then giving G.o.d thankes for benefits received that day, let him and the whole household goe to their rest till the next morning.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

MARKHAMS

Farewell to

HVSBANDRY;

OR,

The Enriching of all sorts of Barren and Steril grounds in our Kingdome, to be as fruitfull in all manner of Graine, Pulse, and Gra.s.se, as the best grounds whatsoever.

Together with the annoyances, and preservation of all Graine and Seed, from one yeare to many yeares.

As also a Husbandly computation of men and Cattels daily labours, their expeences, charges, and utmost profits.

The fourth time, revised, corrected, and amended, together with many new Additions, and cheape experiments:

For the bettering of arable Pasture, and wooddy Grounds. Of making good all grounds againe, spoiled with overflowing of salt water by Sea-breaches: as also, the Enriching of the Hop-garden; and many other things never published before.

_LONDON_, Printed by EDVVARD GRIFFIN for IOHN HARISON, at the signe of the golden Vnicorne in Pater-noster-row. 1638.

Photo by Thomas L. Williams]

Now it may be intended, that there may be in the houshold more servants than one; and so you will demand of mee, what the rest of the servants shall be imployed in before and after the time of plowing: to this I answer, that they may either goe into the barne and thrash, fill or empty the maltfat, load and unload the kilne, or any other good and necessary work that is about the yard, and after they come from plowing, some may goe into the barne and thrash, some hedge, ditch, stop gaps in broken fences, dig in the orchard or garden, or any other out-worke which is needfull to be done, and which about the husbandman is never wanting, especially one must have a care every night to looke to the mending or sharpening of the plough-irons, and the repairing of the plough and plough-geares, if any be out of order, for to deferre them till the morrow, were the losse of a daies worke, and an ill point of husbandry.

APPENDIX II

THE TRANSPORT OF GRAIN

In the early years at Jamestown, much grain was s.h.i.+pped from England for the use of the colonists. The extract, which follows, is from Markham's _Farewell to Husbandry_, 4th edition, 1638. The term "corn"

as used by Markham does not mean maize (Indian corn), but wheat, barley, rye, or oats.

And first for transportation of graine by sea, it is two waies to be done, as either in great quant.i.ties for trade and the victuallyng of other nations, or in smaller quant.i.ty for victualling the men in the s.h.i.+p, prepared for a long and tedious voyage.

For the transporting of graine for trade in great quant.i.ties, it is to be intended the voyage is seldom long, but from neighbor to neighbor, and therefore commonly they make close decks in the s.h.i.+ps to receive the graine, faire and even boorded, yet if such decks be matted and lined both under and on each side, it is much the better, and this matting would be strong and thinne; there bee some which make the decks only of mats, and sure it is sweet, but not so strong as the boord, therefore the best way of transportation is to have strong boorded deckes well matted, and then spreading the corne of a reasonable thicknesse, to cover it with matting againe, and then to lay corne on it againe, and then mats againe, that betweene every reasonable thicknesse of graine a mat may lie, the profit whereof is, that when the corne with his owne heate and the working of the sea shall beginne to sweate, which sweat for want of aire to drie it up, would turne to putrifaction, then the mats thus lying betweene, will not only exhale and sucke up the sweate, but also keep the corne so coole and dry, that no imperfection shall come unto it: and here is to be noted, that these mats should rather be made of dry white bents, than of flagges and bulrush, for the bent is a firme, dry, crispe thing, and will not relent or sweat of it selfe, but the flag or bulrush is a spungy and soft substance which is never empty of his own and other moystures.

Now for transporting of graine, for victualls for the s.h.i.+p, which is in much smaller quant.i.ty, because it is best for the private use of a few within the s.h.i.+p; the only best and safest way, is, to take salt-fish barrells, or any caske in which any salt-fish hath beene piled, as cod, herrings, salmon, sprats, or any other powdred [_i.e._, _salted_] fish; and whilest the vessels are sweet, you shall calke them both, within and without, plaster [and] daubing them all over; then into them put your graine of what kinde soever it be, and head them up close, and then stow them in such convenient dry place of the s.h.i.+p, as you shall thinke fit; and questionlesse, if beliefe may be given to the worthiest authors, which hath writ in this kinde, you may thus keepe your graine sweet, sound and in full perfection from one yeere to an hundred and twenty yeers; but certainly daily experience shows us, that all kind of graine thus put up and kept, will remaine sound and sweet, three, foure, and as some say, seven yeeres, for so far hath lately been try'd; and what here I speake of [on] s.h.i.+p-boord, the like may be done in any town of war or garrison, whether besieged, or not besieged, or in any other place, where any necessity shall compell; the proofe of this manner of piling or putting up of graine, serveth as well for land as sea.