250 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



18. Earthed -up Cucumber - hillocks the first time. 

 Plants thrive, & many of them shew four leaves. Melons 

 up some in every pot ; they look healthy, & grow 

 apace. 



March 18. Turned-out a large Narcissus, that was 

 intended to blow within, into one of the borders. Planted 

 some bunches of single snow-drops in bloom under my 

 Father's window. 



Sowed about 30 more green Cucumber-seeds in the 

 Hot-bed. Filled-up the box, that contains the leaden pipe, 

 with one more barrow of dung : the dung begins to heat 

 in the box : the nose of the pipe hot in the morning, & 

 cold towards the evening. Very wet afternoon. 



19. Vast heavy rains most part of y e day. 



21. Great snow all the day, & most part of the night ; 

 which went off the next day in a stinking, wet fog. Very 

 trying weather for Hot-beds, more like Jan. than March. 

 No sun for many Days. 



23. Planted among the Holyoaks next the street in y e 

 New-Garden 2 Austrian Briars, i black Belgic-rose, i York 

 & Lancaster D-> i Marbled D> i monthly D- from M r - 

 Budd : & two large roots of the aster-kind in the Border 

 before the roses. A very late-blowing sort. 



25. Planted three more Provence-roses from M r - Budd 

 in the same place. 



Forked Asparagus-beds: dressed Rasberry-bed : sowed 

 the lower plot of the new field Garden with seven rows of 

 marrow-fat pease at four feet asunder. Ground in a cold 

 clammy Condition. 



Tryed an experiment late in y 6 evening with a Candle 

 on the two Cucumber-frames after they had been close 

 covered-up some Hours. On putting the Candle down a 

 few Inches into that frame that has leaded lights & no 

 chimney, the flame was extinguished at once three several 

 times by the foul vapour : while the frame with the tiled 

 lights, & Chimney was so free from vapour that it had no 

 sensible effect on the flame. I then applyed the candle to 

 the top of the Chimney, from whence issued so much 



