448 The Natural History of Selborne 



new circumstance, which was a neighbouring farmer's harrowing 

 between the rows of hops with a small triangular harrow, drawn by 

 one horse, and guided by two handles. This occurrence brought 

 to my mind the following passage : 



" ipsa 



Flectere luctantes inter vineta juvencos" GEORG. 



Hops are dioecious plants ; hence perhaps it might be proper, 

 though not practised, to leave purposely some male plants in every 

 garden, that their farina might impregnate the blossoms. The 

 female plants without their male attendants are not in their natural 

 state : hence we may suppose the frequent failure of crop so 

 incident to hop-grounds ; no other growth, cultivated by man, has 

 such frequent and general failures as hops. 



Two hop gardens much injured by a hailstorm, June 5, show 

 now (September 2) a prodigious crop, and larger and fairer hops 

 than any in the parish. The owners seem now to be convinced 

 that the hail, by beating off the tops of the binds, has increased 

 the side-shoots, and improved the crop. Query. Therefore should 

 not the tops of hops be pinched off when the binds are very gross, and 

 strong ? WHITE. 



SEED LYING DORMANT. 



THE naked part of the Hanger is now covered with thistles of 

 various kinds. The seeds of these thistles may have lain probably 

 under the thick shade of the beeches for many years, but could not 

 vegetate till the sun and air were admitted. When old beech-trees 

 are cleared away, the naked ground in a year or two becomes 

 covered with strawberry plants, the seeds of which must have lain 

 in the ground for an age at least. One of the slidders or trenches 

 down the middle of the Hanger, close covered over with lofty 

 beeches near a century old, is still called " strawberry slidder," 

 though no strawberries have grown there in the memory of man. 

 That sort of fruit did once, no doubt, abound there, and will 

 again when the obstruction is removed. WHITE. 



