Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-01-17
EagehslA Court House, S. c., january Al, As44.

o. ID
their sylvan retreats when the tempest ap
Proaches and how hushed are their warb
ling notes, as il afraid, 10 provoke the com
ing war of the elements And when ih
rain is over and gone, with what houndin
ecstacy do they agaiuburst forth with thei
joyous songs, apparently joking familiarl.
with ever passer by Foul weather j
sometimes belokened by cocks growing il
the evening, or at unusual hours (; by dnck
and geese flying back and forth, and plum
gins in the waller; by the sea birds has
leniug 10 their hiding places on shore; ant
By the swallow and martin gliding over The
surface of The ground, or lightly skimmins
The liquid plain, as they dar for The insects
which the excessive humidity Of The all
has driven 10 its lowest stratum.
Insects are berometers also. When flies
and gnats sting, and are unusually lroub-
lesome, cold and wet weather may be
looked for; but when they form a vertical
column in The last rays of the setting sun,
fine weather may be expected.
Spiders are, however, probably the sur
est indicators Of weather. When they are
idle and lislIess, negleciing their taltered
web, rain or wind may be certainly anti
cipalcd; or if they lie up their nets. by
strong short ilamen,s. firmly bracing il
against The perls it will have 10 encounter.
On the other hand, if they are seen busily
weaving slender web. even Fit be then
raining, permanently clear weather may
be relied on.
The leech lies siugly coiled at the lot
tom Of the waller in clear, cold weather, but
creeps up 10 the top on the approach of
snow or rain darts about rapidly before
Hind land seems convulsed on an approach.
ing thunderstorm.
Many plants indicate rain aud sunshine
by the contraction or expansion oil their
petals. Among numberles, ones these may
be mentioned, the beautiful gentisnnellai
the germander speed-well. The African
marigold, and especially the poor mans
wea,her-glass, The pimpernah (Anagalhs
arUensi5 j the purple sandwar;, (Arenavia
rubra;l and The chickweed or stichworti
[steLlaria media.
Severe winters are indicated by excess
i've rains during the proceeding summer,
by The migration Of squirrels, and the early
'aigh, Of birds Of passage. A mild, open
winter, is usually followed by a late spring,
and severe winter is preceded by an un-
usually productive aud abundant harvest.
As general rule, there is nearly an equal
amcant OF rain and heat in the annual'sea-
sous. taking them together as constituting
a year, aud the years, taking TWO or.three
together nearly correspond, as 10 The ag-
gregae of wei and dry, cold and heat,
productive and barren. Inded, so Uniform
is this rule, that We seldom have two sue
ccssive years Of similar extremes, and
three such successive seasons would be
phenomenon.
Solomon says, lie that considereth
the wind shall never sow;'' and itmust be
confessed that no one Of The foregoing indl-
cations are invariahle criterions Of weather.
One swallow; does nor made sum-
mer," and we have have often seen even
the wild geese and birds of passage mista-
ken in their observations. 1t is only by
comparing several of these prosnostics that
anything like certainty can be attained: