Tusser
was an English author of the 16th Century. He was
educated as a chorister, attended Cambridge
University, but left because of ill health. He became
a farmer after attaining no financial success as a
chorister. His farming career was also unsuccessful
and he then became a chorister again. Still later he
took up farming again.
For 10 years he had been a retainer at the court
and upon retirement to his farm in Essex he wrote the
poem One Hundreth Pointes of Good Husbandrie
(1557). Sixteen years later after some travel, he
enlarged the book to Five Hundred Pointes. His
precepts in rhymed couplets cover every phase of
country life and work in a practical, simple manner.
He gave an authentic picture of horticulture in Queen
Elizabeth's reign.
Tusser, Thomas, A Hundreth Good Pointes of
Husbandrie, 1557. Subsequent editions - 1561,
1562, 1564,and 1570.
Five Hundreth Pointes of Good Husbandrie,
1573. Eight editions were made before the end of
the 16th Century and 13 subsequently. The last one was
in 1848.
In his books the diction and atmosphere of the text
closely resembles nursery rhymes. He discussed the
content of the farmers' gardens in Tudor days.
