270 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



Sowed a drill of parsley. Yesterday a beautiful Summer's 

 day. 



Grafted my three Cantaleupe-frames, & raised them 9 

 inches behind, and in proportion before. Hyacinths in 

 bloom in the open air ; & one Narcissus. Early Tulips 

 have been blown above this fortnight. 



25. First Cucumber-blossom fully expanded. 



Still, grey weather, with a very high Barometer. 



Some fruit shows on the first runners of some plants. 

 The lining of grass-mowings gives a great Heat to the 

 Cucumber bed. Hyacinths abroad full as early, as those 

 in y e Glasses. 



26. Work'd-up the 20 loads of dung (brought in on 

 the 14 th ) into a Cantaleupe-bed for the nine large lights. 

 The bed is tucked to six feet & half broad, & 36 in length. 

 Laid some very stiff loam all over about an inch thick ; 

 & put on the boxes, & lights. The bed is about two feet 

 thick. Housed seven more barrows of dorton-loam ; in 

 all 14. 



27. Sawed-down those two espalier-trees in y 6 New- 

 Garden that bore angular apples ; & employed John 

 Lassam to graft the stems with some Cuttings from the 

 Royal-russet in the Orchard. Grafted two of the Golden 

 pippins in the Orchard with Cuttings from a tree of the 

 same sort. 



March 28. Put the male-bloom to three of the first 

 fruit-Cucumber-blossoms, that were just turning-in, in 

 order to set them. 



Sowed three pots more of Miller's, & three pots of 

 Waverley-Cantaleupes, two seeds in a pot ; to supply the 

 hills in Case of any failure. Miller's marked as usual 

 with sticks. Plunged the pots in one of the Cantaleupe- 

 boxes. 



29. Sowed half a Gallon more, four rows of Marrow- 

 fats, in the lower field-garden : the rows are four feet apart ; 

 the former sowing five. 



30. Put a brimful barrow of Dorton-loam into each 

 light of the Cantaleupe-bed. The Hills will require, now 



