22.8.39.

Drizzle in the morning, rest of day fine & hot. The mist is now very thick in the early mornings. Dug some more of the patch for the leeks, gave liquid manure to larkspurs etc. E. planted some more godetias. Only 11/- for ducks weighing 24lb. Complete account is in the egg book, but worth noting here that, putting aside the bread & milk of their first week, 91 lb. of mash (actually more – say 95lb. – as they occasionally had some of the other birds’ food) equals 32lb. of meat, or about (allowing for everything) 31/4lb. of feed for 1lb of meat.
One of the newts is now mature. Its gill formations are gone & it lies on top of the water with its head in the air much of the time. The watersnail was yesterday sucking at the piece of raw meat we put in for the newts.
Marx discovered to be very lousy, ears full of nits, no doubt partly owing to the hot weather. E. treating him with antiseptic soap, flea powder & also vinegar, which loosens the nits, allowing them to be combed out.
11 eggs (4 small). Cwt. Of corn begun today.

21.8.39.

Hot till evening, then heavy thunder & rain. Cut side-shoots out of tomatoes, dug in a little ash from bonfire round their roots, cleared & burnt first lot of dwarf peas & began digging over this patch of ground, which will do for leeks. Planted some of those yellow flowers (sort of summer chrysanthemum) which Mrs Hollingsworth gave us, though do not know whether they will take, as some are already in flower. Gave liquid manure to some of the larkspurs. A good many self-sown antirrhinums about.
Weighed the remaining 5 ducks, which go to market tomorrow. The 5 weigh just on 24 lb., the heaviest about 5 1/4lb. They are just 7 1/2weeks old.
8 eggs (2 small).

21.8.39.

Foreign & General
1. Fresh enquiries by American I.P.O. indicates that the number of people believing U.S.A. would be involved in world war has greatly increased (to about 75%). Number thinking U.S.A. would send troops to Europe still only 25%. Daily Telegraph [a]
2. Japanese preparing blockade of Hong Kong, obviously in order to put pressure on London over silver & currency question. Daily Telegraph [b]
3. £10 m. 2 year trade agreement signed between Germany & U.S.S.R. for exchange of German manufactured goods versus Russian raw materials. Daily Telegraph [c]
4. Strategic bridge from Danzig to E. Prussia completed. Daily Telegraph [d]
Social
1. Railway strike for 50/- minimum wage likely within the next week or two. Daily Telegraph [e]
2. Stated that England can now supply herself with optical glass in case of war. Daily Telegraph [f]

[a] [b] [c] [d] [e] [f]

20.8.39.

Foreign & General
1. Lloyd George predicts the Danzig crisis coming to a head very shortly. Also hints (S.Express puts this in leaded type) that if the Poles deliberately back down we are under no obligation to act. Sunday Express [a]
2. Tokyo conversations suspended, owing to G. Britain declaring necessity of consulting other nations on Chinese currency question. Sunday Times [b]
Social
1. Row over Spender articles still reverberating in Sunday Times. Sunday Times [c]
Party Politics
1. Peter Howard speaks of general election more or less as a certainty & predicts that increased old age pensions will be one of the gov.t’s bribes. Sunday Express [d]
2. In case of general election happening this autumn, a bill will be passed to keep the existing gov.t in being during the election period,[1] owing to the crisis. Sunday Times

[a] [b] [c] [d]
[1] Orwell originally wrote ‘crisis’ for ‘period.’ Peter Davison

20.8.39.

Hot in the morning. Then thunder & heavy showers. Raining hard tonight. Goats greatly terrified by the thunder, & M. managed to break loose from her chain.
Pinched out growing point of pumpkin. Gave onions their final thinning out. First peas about finished. Larkspurs flowering. Side shoots of tomatoes grow so fast that it is impossible to keep pace with them.
8 eggs (4 small – evidently another pullet laying.)

19.8.39.

Foreign & General
1. Germans are buying heavily in copper & rubber for immediate delivery, & price of rubber rising rapidly. Daily Telegraph [a]
2. Indications that difference of some kind has arisen in Moscow staff talks (stated by Tass agency not to be connected with Far East). Daily Telegraph [b]
3. Stated more or less officially in Madrid that Spain will remain neutral. [No reference]
Social
1. Inquiries into the activities of the Bund in U.S.A., rather as into those of “the° Link” here. Evident that i. all these associations have been used for Nazi propaganda & ii. that attempts will be progressively made to break down cultural relations between Germany & the democracies. Daily Telegraph [c]
2. The police are getting wise to the marriage of convenience (as a way of obtaining Brit. Nationality for German women) & are going to recommend deportation in these cases. Daily Telegraph [d]
3. Number of I.R.A. suspects expelled up to date is about 90. Daily Telegraph [e]
4. Numbers of militiamen said to have been found to be completely illiterate. News Chronicle [f]
Miscellaneous
1. Ministry of Agric. Returns for the first of 1/2 1939 indicate following developments: total acreage under crops & grass about 24 3/4 mill., decrease of about 80, 000 acres, but arable land increased by about 50, 000 acres & permanent grass decreased by 130, 000 acres. (Changes said to have taken place before gov.t’s subsidy for ploughing-up took effect.)
Area under wheat decreased by 150, 000 acres, potatoes by about 20, 000 acres, peas & cabbages also decreased, field beans increased & oats & barley increased by 56, 000 & 25, 000 acres resp.
Most stock increased largely, except pigs & work horses, which decreased by about 50, 000 & 14, 000 resp. Fowls increased by 200, 000 head Smallholder

[a] [b] [c] [d] [e] [f]

19.8.39.

Hot. Planted out 1 score each brussels, savoys & purple sprouting broccoli. Paid 3d per score. Not very good plants & very dry, but fairly good roots so they should take. Suspicion of club-root (which we have never had here) in one plant which I got rid of. Some white turnips (sown 28.6.39) ready to pull.
“Smallholder” claims wireworm in carrot beds etc. can be dealt with by 2oz. per sq. yard mixed napthaline & freshly slaked lime.
9 eggs (3 small). Sold 20 @ 2/- score.
Total this week: 68 (19 small).

18.8.39.

Foreign & General
1. M.G. diplomatic correspondent considers Spain will almost certainly remain neutral in case of war. The new cabinet balances the soldiers fairly evenly against the Falangists. Manchester Guardian Weekly [a]
Social
1. Appears now fairly certain that the 4 Chinese alleged terrorists will be handed over to the Japanese, in spite of plea in London for writ of habeas corpus. Manchester Guardian Weekly [b]
2. Details of national register now worked out, but announced that actual registration will not take place except on outbreak of war or possibly at 1941 census. Manchester Guardian Weekly [c]
3. Spanish immigration into Mexico said to be proving very successful. [File S.P.1)

[a] [b] [c]

18.8.39.

Hot. Refitted door to henhouse.
10 eggs (3 small).

17.8.39.

Hot. Some blackberries reddening. Found a few mushrooms. Most of the corn now cut, & everyone working fast to get in the remainder while the good weather lasts. Conveys of partridges are mostly large (8-12 birds) but the young birds seem rather small. Saw a bird which I cannot identify. In size colour & type by flight it resembled a waterhen, but apparently was not a waterhen, as it flew too well & took to the wing too rapidly, & also it was nowhere near water. It got up together with a hen pheasant, but was certainly not a pheasant at any stage of development. When Marx put up a covey of partridges the mother did the well known trick (it is sometimes denied that this really happens) of leading M. off by flying rather slowly & squawking, while the young ones flew away in a different direction. What I believe was a fieldfare, though this seems very early. Cock goldfinch calling to mates makes sound rather like “chee-wa” (less like “cheese” than that of greenfinch).
8 eggs (3 small).