The Natural History of Selborne

• 1792: August 22, 1792 – The seeds of the lime begins to fall.  Some wheat under hedges begins to grow.
• 1790: August 22, 1790 – There is a covey of partidges in the North field, seventeen in number.
• 1789: August 22, 1789 – Mr Ben White came to us from Newton.
• 1788: August 22, 1788 – The swallows are very busy skimming & hovering over a fallow that has been penned; probably the dung of the sheep attracts many insects, particularly scarabs.
• 1786: August 22, 1786 – Mushrooms are brought me from Hartley.  I do not meet with one wasp.  Young fern-owls are found, a second brood.
• 1782: August 22, 1782 – Goody Hammond goes off from the garden to glean wheat.  The quantity of rain from Jan. 1st 1782 to Aug 23rd is 40 inc. 52 h.
• 1780: August 22, 1780 – Timothy is sluggish, & scarce moves.
• 1772: August 22, 1772 – Planted-out endive, & trenched some celeri.  Ground strangely hard, & bound: will require much rain to soften it.  Invigorated by this burning season such legions of Chrysomelae oleraceae saltatoriae (vulg: called turnep-flies) swarm in the fields that they destroy every turnep as fast as it springs: they abound also in gardens, & devour not only the tender plants, but the tough outer leaves of cabbages.  When disturbed on the cabbages they leap in such multitueds as to make a pattering noise on the leaves like a shower of rain. They seem to relish the leaves of the horse-radish.
• 1771: August 22, 1771 – Bank-martins bring out their second brood.  Swifts.  No swifts seen after this day.
• 1768: August 22, 1768 – Young gold-finches come forth.  Wheat in very bad condition.

Notes: The ‘turnep-fly’ is now known as Phyllotreta, the flea beetle. No less a personage than Sir Humphrey Davy suggested a mix of lime, soot and urine to deter the turnip-fly– a method still recommended on the small scale (minus the urine).