August 3

Posted by sydney on Aug 3rd, 2008
  • 1791: August 3, 1791 – Somewhat of a chilly feel begins to prevail in the mornings and evenings.  Sowed a pint of London prickly spinage seed to stand the winter.  The same quantity last year produced an incredible crop.  Trod & rolled in the seed.  In Mr Hale’s hop garden near Dell are several hills containing male plants, which now shed their farina: the female plants begin to blow.  Men hoe turnips, & hack pease.  Men house hay as black as old thatch.
  • 1789: August 3, 1789 – Wheat reaped at Ropley.  Ripening weather.  Ant-flies begin to come forth on their business of emigration.
  • 1786: August 3, 1786 – The fallows of good husbandmen are in a fine crumbling state, & very clean.  Sowed a crop of prickly-seeded spinage to stand the winter: the ground was very hard & cloddy, & would not rake; so we levelled it down as well as we could with a garden-roller, & sprinkled it over with fine, dustly mould to cover the seeds.
  • 1785: August 3, 1785 – Harvest-bugs are troublesome.  Fly-catcher in Mr Mulso’s garden, that seem to have a nest of young. Tremella nostoch abounds in Mr Mulso’s grass walks.
  • 1783: August 3, 1783 – My white pippins come-in for kitchen uses.  The aphides, of various species, that make many trees & plants appear loathsome, have served their generation, & are gone, no more to be seen this year; perhaps are all dead.  Thistle-down flies.
  • 1781: August 3, 1781 – Now the ants, male, female, & workers, come forth from under my stairs by thousands.
  • 1775: August 3, 1775 – Female viper taken full of young, 15 in number: gaped & menaced as soon as they were out of the belly of their dams.
  • 1774: August 3, 1774 – First apricots: first french-beans.
  • 1772: August 3, 1772 – Red-breast sings.  Hops are perfectly free from distemper, & promise a moderate crop.
  • 1770: August 3, 1770 – Sweet day.  Vast dew.  Somewhat of an autumnal temperament seems to take place.  Young martins come out.  Young swifts seem to be out.
  • 1768: August 3, 1768 – The whame, or barrel-fly of Derham, lays nits or eggs on the legs and sides of horses at grass.  See physicotheology.

Notes: The ‘see physico-theology’ note refers to Physico-theology, Or, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation by William Derham a clergyman/naturalist like White and first person to systematically measure the speed of sound. Click the link for a facsimile of the whame-fly passage.

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