Smyrna times., 1858-11-11
What Causes Indian Summer

above inquiry. As we look out upon the fac
OF nature, robed IN the cerulean vail that
70 present envelopes the earth, and the balmv a
y playing softly upon ur cheek, we can scarcel
n believe that 1t is the latter end of October, boz
, dering closely on the chilly blasts and darkin
clouds OF November. Yet it is so. Indian sun
! mer Is upon US, the last warm kiss of the wanin
year.
: But whence come these balmy DAYS and thi
; smoky atmosphere! Are they the result ofo
"red brethren" " in the West burning their prai
. rles! To our boyish mind this was a sufficien
explanation, yet We confess that a stray doub
would at times cross our minds when we refec
ted on the vast distance which the heat ant
smoke had to travel, and the vast fires neces
sary to produce such quantities of these mate
rlaIs. Ahd when we grew to ripper years and
learned from Parley-that wonderful man
that the Indians burn the prairies in the sprino
instead Of the fall, we became further skepticaI
on the subject, our fathers ipSe dicit to the con.
trary Notwithstanding. Upon further investi.
CATION, we also learned that the aboriginal
summer-makers were rapidly diss ppearing, and
The pralFIes becoming cultivated grain fields,
"hIch needed no burning; yet the Indian sum-
mer decreased not with these changes. And
now we were fairly puzzled. What caused
Indian summer was set down among the un.
solved problems of our Uranium, till our collere
days (bamy and soft us the personalities real
Indian summer dawned upon US, and then we
asked the Professor of Meteorology, who of
course knew. The result of our inquiry we
Will endeavor to give so far as we remember it,
The name Indian Summer no doubt was
given to this period from the fac that it afforded
the Indians Of our continent, from time i'm
memorial, favorable opportunity for gathering
their corn, which was their harvest. 1t was
therefore their summer in this peculiar sense,
and hence the name. And now for the cause
Two phenomena here meet US which are to
be accounted for; first the mild temperature so
late In the season, and secondly, the unusual
amount OF haze in the atmosphere They both
dePehd upon The same cause, VIZ, the absence
OF aerial currents or winds of any account, and
the consequent calmness of the atmosphere.
And this state of things results from the gradu-
al diminutien Of heat in the surface Of the
earth, which has been going on since the first
OF August. During the spring and early sum-
mer months the earth receives and bsorbs more
neat through the day than she radiales during
The day aud night. The consequence is thai
lhe surface acquires high temperature. About
the last of July, by the shortening OF the DAYS
The amount of heat received has diminish ed so
as TO only equal that amount radiated After
his period the radiation during the lengthen.
ing nights exceeds the absorption through the
day and reduces the elevated temperature of its
surface down TO its medium. This is reached
about the last of October, or the first Of N0vem-
Der. The earth has then become too cool to
give rise TO asceDsional or local horizontal cur
rents, aud as a consequence no cold air from
higher latitudes reach us, in the shape of chill
ing winds, nor are clouds and showers formed
N the atmosphere, by the admxture of cold
and warm air Hence there results period OF
mid days, in which the sun pours down his still
vigorous rays with no cool winds to counteract
their effect, while the moisture which exists |
constantly III the form ofinvsible va por in the |
atmosphere, not being carried up by ascension |
currents to form showers, or swept away by |
gales, to be dlflused elsewhere, be.
comes visible TO the eye, in the form of blush |
gauZe- like haze, such as we see al present.
The popular notion that this haze is smoke, is OF |
course erroneous. No conalgration could pro-
Guce such quantities, nor would it, when pro- |
duced, be carried to US from distance when |
there are no winds. But while we assert that
1t ls not smoke caused by combustion. we admit !
that it partakes ofthe general nature of smoke,
which is nothing more than watery vapof ari-
sing from burning wood and made visible BY
passing into cool air. We also admit that the
smoke from chimneys, etc ,interminges with
he haze of this season, aud being of the same
specific gravity, instead of rising comes to the
earth, as in damp, foggy weather, thus bringing
10 our senses the odor Of burning We od. IL will
be perceived, therefore, that the smell of smoke
which confirms the unrefectlng in their opinion
that the atmosphere is filled with this substance,
arising from some burning material, admits ofa
-esdy explanation, without the untenabe theory
% which they feel compelled to resort. WsteFy
'apsr is lighter that the air at the earth's sur
ace. Hence when it becomes dfused or
ormed in it, it diminished the specific gravity
If the whole atmosphere. The smoke, there
ore. from chimneyG with its sooty odor, comes
o the surface, not being able to rise 10 an at
nosphere of lis own weight
There are many collateral points connected !
With this subject; some of which may be ne =
essaTy to the proper understanding of the above
xpana ations. But we can not discuss the
whole related ground in a newspaper article +
Hoping that what we have said may throw
ome light OH this harry subject, we remain, a
uNIUs.-G Germantown Telegraph.