The Natural History of Selborne

Farmer Spencer’s wheat-rick, when it was near finished, parted, & fell down.  Charles, & Betty White came from Fyfield.

Cut 152 cucumbers.  A fine harvest day: much wheat bound, & much gleaning gathered.

Cold & comfortless weather.

Planted out a bed of borecole, & three long rows of curled endive.  Bat comes out before the swallows are gone to roost.

John Hale made a large wheat-rick on a staddle.

There is a covey of partidges in the North field, seventeen in number.

On this day farmer Spencer built a large wheat-rick near his house the contents of which all came from a field near West-croft barn at the full distance of a mile.  Five waggons were going all day.

Mrs Barker & her daughters Mary & Elizabeth, & Mrs Chandler, & her infant daughter and nursemaid went all in a cart to see the great oak in the Holt, which is deemed by Mr Marsham of Stratton to be the biggest on this Island.  Bro. Thos. & Dr Chandler rode on horse-back.  They all dined under the shade of this tree.  At 7 feet from the ground it measures in circumference 34 feet: has in old times lost several boughs, & is tending towards decay.  Mr Marsham computes that at 14 feet length this oak contains 1000 feet of timber.

Cut 43 cucumbers.  Wheat is binding.  Blackstonia perfoliata, yellow centory, blossoms, on the right hand bank up the North field hill.  The Gentiana perfoliata Lannaei.  It is to be found in the marl-dell half way along the N. field lane on the left; on the dry bank of a narrow field between the N. field hill, & the Fore down; & on the banks of the Fore down.

The last gathering of wood-strawberries.  Bull-finches & red-breasts eat the berries of the honey-suckles.