238 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



13. Earthed-up the melon-hillocks for y e first time 

 with Dorton-earth. 1 The reason that y e first melon-plants 

 that were turned-out did not succeed, seems to be, that the 

 earth in the pots was press'd down too hard, so that the 

 fibres could not push thro'. Laid-on the hillocks upon the 

 new-made melon-bed ; & put-on the paper-house. Earth'd 

 the forward Cucumbers, & water'd them all over. 



May 1 6. Pinch'd, & turned-out two pots of white- 

 seeded Wav : Cantaleupes under the paper-house : the 

 bed very hot. The plants strangely rooted for their age. 

 One of the plants under the two-light-frame has got a 

 runner with two joints. 



18. Mended-out the Artichokes that were decayed with 

 some plants from Johnson's. Very hot, sunny weather : 

 no rain for five weeks ; the ground very much burnt. 



20. Pinched one of the melon-runners at the third 

 Joint. The weather full fierce for hot-beds under Glass. 



May 23. Earth'd melon-hillocks the second time with 

 garden-mould, which had been turn'd & prepared on pur- 

 pose, & is in excellent order. The melon-plants in general 

 weak, & puny : pinch'd some of their runners at the second 

 & some at the third Joint according to their strength. 



Sowed three rows more of large Dutch-Kidney-beans 

 in the field-garden : the sowing of White dwarf D- seems 

 to be rotten in the Ground, notwithstanding the great 

 dryness of the Ground. 



24. Sowed an other Hand-glass with white-Dutch- 

 Cucumbers in the cold Ground. 



26. Planted 200 of Cabbage-plants in the Field-Garden. 



27. Earth'd-up the melons under the paper-house the 

 first time : the plants thriving. 



May 29. Cut first Cucumber. Several more set. Fine 

 soaking shower after six weeks drought. 



June I st Prick'd-out first bed of Celeri : & transplanted 

 from their seedling-bed a large Crop of leeks. Ground 

 thoro'ly moisten'd by a long gentle rain. 



1 " In these days we think the earth from Selborne Hill is preferable to that 

 from Dorton for gardens." [H. M.] 



