Now dial. Forms: α. 5–6 steche, 8 stech, steach, 8–9 stetch, steatch. β. 7 stich(e, stytch, 6–9 stitch. [Prob. orig. identical or cogn. w. STITCH sb.1 Cf. WFlem. steek, Fris. steke in sense 1.]
† 1. ? The act of cutting or dividing the earth with the share in plowing; the (greater or lesser) depth to which the share is driven in making a furrow. Phr. to take stitch, to drive the share into the soil.
1600. Holland, Livy, XLII. ii. 1117. The clots of earth, that were turned with the plow as it took stitch and made furrow. Ibid. (1601), Pliny, XVII. iv. I. 503. In Syria, the husbandmen goe lightly over with their plough, and take no deep stitch in making their furrowes.
1620. Markham, Farew. Husb., ii. 14. Taking a good stitch (as they call it in Husbandry). Ibid., ix. 65. You shall plow vp the ground againe with somewhat a better and deeper stytch then you did before.
1653. Blithe, Eng. Improver Impr., 101. Plow it … of such a stitch or depth as the Land will bear.
2. A ridge or balk of land; esp. a strip of plowed land between two water-furrows; also, a narrow ridge in which potatoes, etc., are grown.
α. 1493. Will of Hilbrond, Cambridge (Somerset Ho.). ij. stechys of my whete.
1576. Hibaldstow Fine Roll, in N. W. Linc. Gloss. (1889), s.v. Steche, Robert Ponton for his son carrying ij hors tyed together up the steche ijd.
1764. Museum Rust., III. 321. Fourth ploughing, a clean earth; draw it on to the steach.
1780. Lett. & Pap. Bath Soc., I. 15. A whole field was sown, and set, in alternate stetches.
1794. A. Young, Agric. Suffolk, 24. In some districts, six, eight, and ten feet steatches, a little arched, are used.
1852. J. Caird, Eng. Agric., 153. (Suffolk) It is ploughed into ‘stetches’ about 8 feet 2 inches in width.
1910. Essex Rev., April, 59. The field was ploughed … in stetches 161/2 feet wide.
β. 1610. Folkingham, Feudigr., II. i. 48. Small Ridges or Stitches are accomodated to cold and stiffe ground…. These Stitches are common in Norfolke and Suffolke.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, XVIII. 495. Men at plow … that draue earth here and there, And turnd vp stitches orderly.
1664. Spelman, Gloss., Selio,… A stiche of lande.
1763. Museum Rust., I. 21. A method of mowing wheat that grows on high ridges, as [well as] that which grows on stitches and flat lands. Ibid. (1764), II. 4. For coleseed, I lay it in broad lands, the stitches being pretty high in the middle.
1813. A. Young, Agric. Essex, I. 199. On the strong land in the maritime district, eights, as they call them, stitches of eight furrows are general.
1854. Miss Baker, Northampt. Gloss., Stitches, balks, or portions of grass land in arable fields.
1893. in Cozens-Hardy, Broad Norf., 3. Rig, stitch are both used to describe the space between two double furrows.
b. attrib.
1733. W. Ellis, Chiltern & Vale Farm., 324. Broad Land and stitch Ploughings. Ibid. (1750), Mod. Husb., VI. i. 45 (E.D.S.). Wheat lying in the stitch-shape lies too high and dry. Ibid., 48. It lay in the stitch-posture.
