246 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



out of the melon-bed. Turned all the melon-earth ; & 

 mixed it with a good proportion of the Dung of the last 

 melon-bed. Dung hardly rotten enough. 



Jan. 20. Hot-bed works very well. Hard frost for 

 two or three days : now ground covered with snow. 



One of the Hyacinths in the glasses seems to promise 

 to blow soon. 



22. On this day which was very bright, the sun shone 

 very warm on the Hot-bed from a quarter before nine, to 

 three quart" after two. Very hard frost. 



24. rSet-up about 20 Yards into the Hanger, in a line 

 with the six Gates, a figure of the Hesperian Hercules, 

 painted on board, eight feet high, on a pedestal of four 

 feet & an half. It looks like a statue, & shows well all 

 over our out-let. 



Cucumber-seeds swelled for sprouting, but not up yet : 

 lined the end of the bed next the screen with two barrows 

 of hot dung. Sort of thaw. 



27. Finding the hot-bed scarce powerful enough to 

 heat the three inches of earth thro', which was full wet 

 when laid-on ; I took-off the mould half the depth, & put 

 the seeds in again. Some of the seeds sprouted. Sowed 

 about 20 more. Earth very warm towards the bottom. 



27. Planted about 40 Ranunculus-roots, given me by 

 M r - Budd, in the Border against Parsons's, to blow after 

 those that were put into the Ground in October. 



29. Cucumber-plants come-up apace. 



29. On this Day the mercury in the weather-glasses, 

 which had been mounting leisurely for many days, was 

 got one full degree above settled-fair in the parlour, & 

 within half a degree of the same in the study. 



My Father 1 who has been a nice observer of that 

 upstairs for full 37 years, is certain that it never has been 

 at that pitch before within that time. Very still, grey, close 

 weather, with the wind at full east, & quite a thaw : tho' 

 there has been somewhat of a frost for more than a 

 fortnight past. 



1 His father, John White, died in October of this year, 1758. {R. B. S.] 



