A GARDEN KALENDAR 375 



like-wood. There is some fruit on each tree. All the trees 

 save one look healthy. The vines promise a great deal 

 of bloom. 



15. A very moderate rain, that just moistened things. 



18. Burning sunshine with a strong drying E. wind. 

 I have sprinkled the peach, & Nect : trees twice a week 

 during this drying weather. Most things want watering. 

 The melons, which have been earthed and watered fre- 

 quently, grow away. There has been rain but once for 

 these three weeks. 



21. No rain yet ; but strong sunshine, & a very drying 

 East wind. The Ground is much parch'd on the surface. 

 The Succades begin to shew the rudiments of bloom. 



May 24. Very harsh winds with some flights of Hail. 

 No rain now, save one little shower, for a month past. 

 The ground bound like Iron. 



Earth'd-out the melons to the full in their frames. 



Put 10 field-crickets in the bank of the terrass : made 

 the Holes with a spit. 



26. Several small showers from the N. 



27. Now dry weather again with a very high Glass. 

 The Succades begin to blow, & to shew some fruit. The 

 Country is in great want of rain. 



June i. No rain yet ; but drying scorching weather. 

 The corn, & Gardens suffer greatly. I do not remember 

 my Garden to be so totally overcome with heat & dryness 

 so soon in the Year. The walks are burnt-up past mowing. 



2. Thunder was heard at a distance. 



3. Drying winds, & fierce sunshine. 



The succades have fruit blown. 



4. No rain yet : scorching, sunny weather. A sinking 

 glass, & some tokens of showers. 



6. Thunder in the evening, & very black clouds to the 

 E. & S.E. a fine rain at Petersfield, but not one drop here. 1 



1 One might think from this that Selborne had a less rain-fall than the 

 surrounding localities, but, owing doubtless to the proximity of the Hanger, 

 we get an average of 32^ inches in the year, while Alton gets 31^ inches. 

 Gilbert White's average for 1780 to 1788 was 36 inches, but the woods were 

 more extensive then than they are now. [H. M.] 



