The Natural History of Selborne

Great beech tree at Selborne, blogger included.

• 1792: August 1, 1792 – Floods out in several parts of the kingdom, & much hay & corn destroyed. Young buzzards follow their dams with a piping, wailing noise.
• 1791: August 1, 1791 – Gathered our whole crop of apricots, being one large fine fruit.
• 1790: August 1, 1790 – The circumference of trees in my outlet planted by myself, at one foot from the ground.
  Oak by alcove in 1730: 4′ 5”;
  Ash by Do. in 1730: 4′ 6 1/2”;
  Great fir, bakers hill, 1751: 5′ 0”;
  Greatest beech, 1751: 4′ 0”;
  Elm, 1750: 5′ 3”;
  Lime over at Mr Hale’s planted by me in 1756: 5′ 5”;
  My single great oak in the meadow, age unknown: 10′ 6 1/2”;
  The diameter of it’s boughs three ways is 24 yards, or 72 feet: circumference of it’s boughs 72 yards.
  Mr White’s single great oak at Newton measures at one foot above the ground 12 feet 6 inch: the exact dimensions of that belonging to, & planted by Mr Marsham.  A vast ree must that be at Stratton to have been planted by a person now living!
• 1789: August 1, 1789 – Strong wind in the night which has injured the hops; & particularly farmer Spencer’s in Culver croft.  Trenched out several rows of celeri; but the plants are of a red ugly colour, & seem not to be of a good sort.  The seed came from the gardener at Alton.
• 1787: August 1, 1787 – Several golden-crowned wrens appear in the tall fir-tree at the upper end of Baker’s hill: they were probably bred in that tree.
• 1786: August 1, 1786 – The poor begin to glean wheat.  The country looks very rich, being finely diversifyed with crops of corn of various sorts, & colours.
• 1785: August 1, 1785 – All the way as we drove along, we saw wheat harvest beginning.  The ponds at Privet, where they have been much distressed for water, are nearly full.  The down-wheat, about Meonstroke a poor crop.  Many turnips fail.  The fly-catchers hover over their young to preserve them from the heat of the sun.
• 1783: August 1, 1783 – Much smut in some fields of wheat.  Goody Hampton left the garden to go gleaning.  Barley cut about the forest-side.  We shot in all about 30 blackbirds.  Vast shooting star from E. to N.  My nephew Sam Barker came from Rutland thro’ London by the coaches.
• 1782: August 1, 1782 – Timothy the tortoise weighed seven pounds & three ounces.
• 1781: August 1, 1781 – The honey-bees suck the goose-berries, where the birds have broke the skin.
• 1780: August 1, 1780 – Much latter-grass in delicate order.  Wheat turns very fast.  Old wheat rises in price.
• 1777: August 1, 1777 – Reared the roof of my new building.
  Insert:
  On July 29 such vast rains fell about Iping, Bramshot, Haslemere, &c. that they tore vast holes in the turnpike-roads, covered several meadows with sand, & silt, blowed-up the heads of several ponds, carryed away part of the country-bridge at Iping, & the garden walls of the paper mill, & endangered the mill & house.  A paper-mill near Haselmere was ruined, & many 100 ae damaage sustained.  Much hay was sewpt away down the rivers, & some lives were lost.  A post-boy was drowned near Haselmere, & an other as he was passing from Farnham to Alton: the Gent: in the chaise saved himself by swimming.  These torrents were local; for at Lewes, which lies about the middle of the country of Sussex, they had a very wet time, but experienced none of these devastations.
• 1776: August 1, 1776 – We destroyed a strong wasp’s nest, consisting of many combs: there were young in all gradations, from fresh-laid eggs to young wasps emerging from their aurelia state; many of which came forth after we had kept the combs ’til the next day.  Where a martin’s nest was broken that contained fledge young: the dams immediately repaired the breach, no doubt with a view to a second brood.
• 1775: August 1, 1775 – Small rain, sun, & clouds.
• 1774: August 1, 1774 – Wheat cutting near Whorwel: much lodged.  Swifts flie up to the tower, & cling against the walls: qu: are not those young ones that do so?
• 1773: August 1, 1773 – Turneps thrive at a vast rate; a fine crop.  A prospect of much after-grass.
• 1772: August 1, 1772 – Clouds of dust attend the drags and harrows.  Great rain.  No such rain at this place since June 6th.
• 1770: August 1, 1770 – Hay makes in the afternoon.  Cocked ye hay.  Martins (young) peep out of their nests.  Bulfinches devour all the rasps.  Ricked last load of hay in fine order.
• 1768: August 1, 1768 – Rock-like clouds.  Oats & pease are cutting.