The Natural History of Selborne

This dry weather enables men to bring in loads of turf, not much damaged: while scores of loads of peat lie rotting in the Forest.

Finished piling my wood: housed the bavins; fallows very wet.

Hired two old labourers to house my cleft billet wood, which is still in a dam, cold condition, & should have been under cover some months ago, had the weather permitted.

The crop of stoneless berberries is prodigious!  Among the many sorts of people that are injured by this very wet summer, the peat-cutters are great sufferers:  for they have not disposed of half the peat & turf which they ave prepared; & the poor have lost their season for laying in their forest fuel.  The brick-burner can get no dry heath to burn his lime, & bricks: nor can I house my cleft wood, which lies drenched in wet.  The brick-burner could never get his last makings of tiles & bricks dry enough for burning the autumn thro’ so they must be destroyed, & worked up again.  He had paid duty for them; but is, I understand, to be reimbursed.

Housed two loads of peat.

Hirundines enjoy the warm season.  Late this evening a storm of thunder arose in the S., which, as usual, divided into two parts, one going to the S.W. & W. & the greater portion to the S.E. and E., & so round to the N.E.  From this latter division proceeded strong, & vivid lightening till late in the night.  At Headleigh there was a very heavy shower, & some hail at E. Tisted.  The lightening, & hail did much damage about the kingdom.  Farmer Spencer’s char-coal making in his orchard almost suffocated us: the poisonous smoke penetrated into our parlor, & bed-chambers, & was very offensive in the night.

Boys bring wasp’s nest.  Codlings, & stewed cucumber come in.  Housed, & piled 8 cords of beechen billet in fine order.  Watered the cucumbers; well very low.

Piled & housed all the cleft wood of eight cords of beech: the proportion of blocks was large.

Housed 8 cords of beech billet, which had taken all the rains of the late wet summer, & autumn, & is therefore of course in but indifferent order.

Got-in forest-fuel in nice order.  Farmer Knight begins wheat harvest.  Lovely weather.