The Profitable Arte of Gardening

The Profitable Arte of Gardening was the first book about gardening published in England, being first published in 1563 under the title A Most Briefe and Pleasaunte Treatise, Teaching How to Dresse, Sowe, and Set a Garden. It was written by Thomas Hill, who went on to write the even more successful work, The Gardener's Labyrinth.[1]

Contents

To protect against hail, the book advised hanging the skin of a crocodile, hyena or seal.[2]

References

1. Julie Coleman (May 2001), The Gardener's Labyrinth, University of Glasgow
2. Barbara Tufty (1987-09-01), 1001 questions answered about hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural air disasters, p. 160, ISBN 978-0-486-25455-5