BOOK ONE

Of thistles, ferns, the air, etc.

...likewise, they ensure the soil is suitable for all grains. Specifically: wheat-growing land is that where pear trees abound, and rye-growing land is where apple trees thrive; while plum trees grow easily almost everywhere in good ground, whether clayey or sandy. Thistles, which signal pear trees, and ferns, which signal apple trees, also serve as guides: these plants [thistles] support clay, and those [ferns] support sand, according to the different nature of such grains. The air also intervening in such research will resolve for us that a climate more warm than cold favors wheat, and that more cold than warm favors rye.

Of small grasses.

The good and small grasses growing naturally in the fields will help you much in this: for good and fresh herbs, which the animals eat with appetite, never come in abundance in lands of little value. This is a specific guide for open lands having no trees.

Situation of the land, in the mountains.

It remains now to speak of the situation of the lands, a most considerable thing for increasing or decreasing their value. They can only be one of these three: in the Plain, on the Slope, or in the Mountain. The plain and the mountain, because of their extremes, by reason, yield to the slope original: "coustau" (modern: coteau). De Serres argues that hillsides provide the best drainage and light, unlike stagnant plains or harsh mountains., which participating in both situations, holds the much-desired middle ground, and consequently is more suited to produce everything: especially if the climate of the region is temperate and its soil is well-disposed; for that being so, there is no fruit in the earth that the slope does not bear cheerfully. It is also the most pleasant and healthy situation of all others; because the winds and the mud are not too troublesome there, as in the mountains and plains, where these two inconveniences cause much harm. mountain. The Mountain cannot suitably serve for anything but woods and pastures for livestock, for which it is very fit; but to do tillage labourage: the act of plowing and preparing land for crops, or to plant vines and trees requiring cultivation, is very difficult, of great cost, and of short duration; because the richness of the soil flows away with the rains, and moisture is lost too soon, even more so as the ground is cultivated. This has led the good folk to say,

In sloping land

Do not put your money.

original: "En terroir pendant / Ne mets ton argent." A traditional proverb warning that steep slopes lose their fertile topsoil quickly through erosion, making the investment of labor and capital unprofitable.

Plain and slope.

On the contrary, the open country being too flat, retains water too long to the detriment of tillage, which can be neither well done nor advanced with too much moisture—a loss recognized in both the quality and quantity of the fruits. Thus one sees that the Slope, resisting the elements better than either the Plain or the Mountain, is to be preferred above all other situations. For this reason, the region of Brie is much prized, where the great number of beautiful houses of Gentlemen that one sees there, compared to the few in the Beauce Brie and Beauce are two major agricultural regions near Paris. The Beauce is famously flat, while the Brie is more varied with hills and valleys., shows how much more, for a long time, the slopes have been sought after than the plains. These are the general guides for the knowledge of lands.

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CHAPTER II.

Of the choice and selection of lands, and the acquisition of the same.

A decorative woodcut initial letter M features floral motifs and foliage, marking the start of a new chapter.
NOW we must show the father of the family original: "pere de famille." In this era, the head of a household or estate was expected to be a polymath, managing everything from finances to soil chemistry. the order he must follow to choose land well and use it well, understanding himself what he buys, without relying entirely on the judgment of others. These are the two points we have to treat in sequence, before...