Green rushes, long and thick, standing up above the edge of the ditch, told the hour of the year as distinctly as the shadow on the dial the hour of the day. Green and thick and sappy to the touch, they felt like summer, soft and elastic, as if full of life, mere rushes though they were. On the fingers they left a green scent; rushes have a separate scent of green, so, too, have ferns, very different to that of grass or leaves. Rising from brown sheaths, the tall stems enlarged a little in the middle, like classical columns ...
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Green rushes, long and thick, standing up above the edge of the ditch, told the hour of the year as distinctly as the shadow on the dial the hour of the day. Green and thick and sappy to the touch, they felt like summer, soft and elastic, as if full of life, mere rushes though they were. On the fingers they left a green scent; rushes have a separate scent of green, so, too, have ferns, very different to that of grass or leaves. Rising from brown sheaths, the tall stems enlarged a little in the middle, like classical columns, and heavy with their sap and freshness, leaned against the hawthorn sprays. From the earth they had drawn its moisture, and made the ditch dry; some of the sweetness of the air had entered into their fibres, and the rushes-the common rushes-were full of beautiful summer. The white pollen of early grasses growing on the edge was dusted from them each time the hawthorn boughs were shaken by a thrush. These lower sprays came down in among the grass, and leaves and grass-blades touched. Smooth round stems of angelica, big as a gun-barrel, hollow and strong, stood on the slope of the mound, their tiers of well-balanced branches rising like those of a tree. Such a sturdy growth pushed back the ranks of hedge parsley in full white flower, which blocked every avenue and winding bird's-path of the bank. But the "gix," or wild parsnip, reached already high above both, and would rear its fluted stalk, joint on joint, till it could face a man. Trees they were to the lesser birds, not even bending if perched on; but though so stout, the birds did not place their nests on or against them. Something in the odour of these umbelliferous plants, perhaps, is not quite liked; if brushed or bruised they give out a bitter greenish scent. Under their cover, well shaded and hidden, birds build, but not against or on the stems, though they will affix their nests to much less certain supports. With the grasses that overhung the edge, with the rushes in the ditch itself, and these great plants on the mound, the whole hedge was wrapped and thickened. No cunning of glance could see through it; it would have needed a ladder to help any one look over.
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Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $11.00, like new condition, Sold by Calliopebooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rockville, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Createspace.
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Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $18.03, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2007 by Giniger Press.
Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $22.19, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Giniger Press.
Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $22.22, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2013 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $25.81, good condition, Sold by Cambridge Rare Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Cambridge, Gloucestershire, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1947 by Lutterworth Press.
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1947. Lutterworth Press. Hardcover. GOOD First Edition. DJ fair. Price clipped. Pages very clean with clear text. Spine sunned. Previous owners name. 8x6.
Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $29.84, fair condition, Sold by Ladylisabooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chester, , UNITED KINGDOM, published 1889 by Chatto & Windus.
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Used: Acceptable. Size: 20.3 x 0.6 x 25.4 cm; Hardback no dust jacket in reasonable condition for its age. 1889 edition, green cover gold text to spine, black drawings to cover, come bumping to corners, owners name on first and last page, pages clean, can provide photos.
Add this copy of The Life of the Fields to cart. $34.98, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Giniger Pr.
