A GARDEN KALENDAR 411 



The black-cap, motacilla atricapilla, sings. 



The red-start, motacilla Phoenicurus appears. 



Raised, & earth'd-out the large Cucum r - bed to the 

 full ; & mossed it. 



ii. Cut a very large Cucumber. 



12. Cut five large ones, & sent them to London. 



13. Miller's thumb, Cottus gobio, spawns. 



14. Planted three rows of potatoes in a mellow quarter 

 near the fruit-wall. 



15. Made the melon-bed, for two frames only, with 

 16 loads of hot dung, which had been cast, & turned over 

 twice. The bed is stout, & consists of short, solid dung. 



Put a good layer of cold dung at the top to keep down 

 the steam. 



Cold dry weather ; & the fruit-trees are matted every 

 night. 



April 15. Sowed carrots, parsneps, radishes, onions, 

 leeks, lettuces, savoys, German turneps. 



16. Sowed Baker's hill (which is about an acre & an 

 half of ground, walks, & melon-ground excluded) with 

 seven bushels of Saintfoin along with a crop of barley of 

 dame Knight's. 1 



The field was winter-fallowed, & has had two plowings 

 besides : but by reason of the wet spring is sown in a 

 very rough Condition. 



It has been hand-pick'd of the weeds by women, & is 

 got clean ; & is to be rolled, & harrowed again. 



Made an hand-glass bed for large white Dutch- 

 Cucumbers. 



Cold winds, & sleet. 



The brambling, fringilla montifringilla, appears. 2 The 

 cock is a fine gay bird. 



17. Some snow, with Ice & a fierce cutting wind. 



1 Fifty years ago the old women used to be called Dames. 



2 This is a curious note of Gilbert White's, as it reads as if he looked upon the 

 appearance of the Brambling in the same light as that of the Redstart on the loth. 

 In reality, in such a beech-country as Selborne, the Brambling would be found 

 throughout the winter, and on the i6th of April would be on the point of departing 

 for its Scandinavian breeding-haunts. See note, p. 51. [R. B. S.] 



