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LIVE STOCK—FLAX—SAFFRON— THE POTATO

The cattle and sheep of this period have generally been described as poor animals, and no doubt they would seem small to us. To Jacob Rathgib, a traveller, writing in 1592, they seemed worthy of praise: 'England has beautiful oxen and cows, with very large horns, low and heavy and for the most part black; there is abundance of sheep and wethers, which graze by themselves winter and summer without shepherds.' The heaviest wethers, according to him, weighed 60 lb. and had at the most 6 lb. of wool, a much heavier fleece than is generally ascribed to them;. | LIVE STOCK FLAX SAFFRON THE POTATO The cattle and sheep of this period have generally been described as poor animals and no doubt they would seem small to us. To Jacob Rathgib a traveller writing in 1592 they seemed worthy of praise England has beautiful oxen and cows with very large horns low and heavy and for the most part black there is abundance of sheep and wethers which graze by themselves winter and summer without shepherds. The heaviest wethers according to him weighed 60 lb. and had at the most 6 lb. of wool a much heavier fleece than is generally ascribed to them others had 4 or 5 lb. Horses were abundant and though low and small were very fleet the riding horses being geldings and generally excellent. Immense numbers of swine were in the country larger than in any other. Six years later another traveller Hentzner noticed that the soil abounded with cattle and the inhabitants were more inclined to feeding than ploughing. He saw too a Berkshire harvesthome As we were returning to our inn at Windsor we happened to meet some country people celebrating their harvest-home their last load of corn they crown with flowers having besides an image richly dressed by which perhaps they would signify Ceres this they keep moving about while men and women men and maid servants riding through the streets in the cart shout as loud as they can till they arrive at the barn. Harrison 238 tells us no doubt with patriotic bias that our oxen are such as the like are not to be found in any country of Europe both for greatness of body and sweetness of flesh their horns a yard between the tips. Cows had doubled in price in his time from 26s. 8d. to 53s. 4d. Our horses are high but not of such huge greatness as in other places yet remarkable for the easiness of their pace and 5 or 6 cart-horses will draw 30 cwt. a long journey and a pack-horse will carry 4 cwt. without any hurt a statement which is one more proof of the poorness of the roads. The chief horse fairs were at Ripon .