The Natural History of Selborne

The poor begin to glean wheat.  The country looks very rich, being finely diversifyed with crops of corn of various sorts, & colours.

Some hop-gardens injured by the wind of yesterday. Arichokes so dried-up that they do not head well.

Plums fail in all gardens.  The sharp wind soon dries the surface of the ground.  The wind damages the flowers, & blows down the apples, & pears.

Saw a nightingale.  Stifling dust.

Pease are hacked: rye is reaping: turnips thrive & are hoing.

Mr Richardson’s garden abounds with all sorts of crops, & with many sorts of fruits.  His sandy soil produces an abundance of every thing; & does not burn in droughts like the clays, which are now bound-up so as to injure the growth of all garden matters.  The watered meadows at Bramshot flourish & ook green, the uplands grass is much scorched.  Mr R. has a pretty good show of Nectarines.

Oaks put-out their midsummer shoots, some of which are red, & some yellow; & those oaks that were stripped by caterpillars begin to be cloathed with verdure.  Many beeches are loaded with mast, so that their boughs become very pendulous, & look brown, I see no acorns.  Selborne down is very rusty: the pond still is one part in three in water.

Gathered & preserved some Rasps.

Rye, & pea-harvest begins.  Several nightingales appear all day long in the broad walk of Baker’s hill.

Made jellies, & jams of red currans.  Gathered broad beans.  Mushrooms begin to come in Mr Edmd White’s avenue, under the Scotch firs.  The cat gets upon the roof, & catches young bats as they come forth from behind the sheet of lead at the bottom of the chimney.