The Country-Mans Recreation

or, The Art of Planting, Graffing, and Gardening in Three Books: The First Declaring Divers Waies of Planting and Graffing, and the Best Times of Year   . . .The Second Theateth of the Hop-Garden, with Necessary Instructions for the Making and the Maintenance Thereof. . . with some Directions for Tabaco: whereunto is added, The Expert Gardener Containing Divers Necessary and Rare Secrets Belonging to that Art. . .: Hereunto is Likewise Added The Art of Angling.

London: Printed by T. Mabb for William Shears, c1654. The Expert Gardener has separate t.p.: The Expert Gardener, or, A Treatise Containing Certaine Necessary, Secret, and Ordinary Knowledges in Grafting and Gardening. . . Faithfully collected out of sundry Dutch and French authors. London: Printed by William Hunt, 1654. The Art of Angling has separate t.p.: The Art of Angling: Wherein are Discovered Many Rare Secrets, Very Necessary to be Knowne by all that Delight in that Recreation. London: [s.n.], Printed in the yeare 1653. References: Hunt 262.

This early gardening book  includes plans for planting a hop garden and growing tobacco. It has a separate section for the Expert Gardener with secrets of successful gardening, including an extensive section on the art of knot gardening, as well as various illustrations showing tools and planting diagrams. The author gives very practical advice on every aspect of gardening, including such things as the treatment of "snayles, andts and wormes" which "marre the trees."   This works has bound-in a treatise on The Art of Angling by Thomas Barker, one of the first works on fishing.

Subjects: Gardening; Fruit-culture; Hops; Fishing.

PAT-7