258 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



Planted some of Murd : Middleton's 1 white-Cucumber- 

 plants under three hand-glasses. 



July i. Stuck the sticks to the large kidney-beans. 

 Heavy thunder-showers. 



Melons swell apace. The late bed shews fruit. Dwarf 

 kidney-beans in full bloom. 



3 d - Lined -out the two -light melon -bed a yard wide 

 with three loads of dung, & laid -on earth very thick. 

 Prick'd out a good many Sweet Williams. Planted out 

 more annuals : sowed a small spot of Endive. 



July 4. Pricked-out bed of Holy-oaks to put them 

 in less room : pricked - out vast Quantities of Sweet 

 Williams. 



Blowing, wet weather on to the 14 : when there was 

 quite a storm all night, & such quantities of rain as made 

 quite a flood : the trees and flowers were much damaged 

 by the wind. 



15. Found on my return from Dene about thirteen 

 brace of Cantaleupes set ; some very large. Plants in vast 

 vigour with leaves near a foot in Diameter. More fruit 

 setting every day. Those plants in the two-light frames 

 seem to be full late ; hardly any of their fruit blown-out 

 yet. Two plants in new frame have 8 brace of fruit be- 

 tween y m - 



18 : 19 : 20. Showery, black weather. Trenched - out 

 seven rows of Celeri. Planted-out second plot of Endive : 

 first plot about a fortnight" before. Planted large plot with 

 Roman-Broccoli from Waverley. On examination it ap- 

 peared that the Cantaleupe-fibres have run the full extent 

 of the 12 feet bed : laid on some more earth behind to 

 secure their Roots from the Sun. Some of their branches, 

 on which are large fruit, are attacked with mouldiness this 

 wet weather. Raised the frames behind, the thickness of 

 a Brick, to shoot-off the rain, that drips thro', & rots some 

 of the Haulm. 



1 Murdoch Middleton seems to have been a very second-class nurseryman, as 

 his plants appear to have failed on more than one occasion, or they were wrongly 

 named, &c. {R. B. S.] 



