The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-03-04
The Barometer in Agricul.
ture.

By II. A. Shcllon in Hear Ii " Home.
Some ten years since the agricul-
tural press ot the country published
several articles commenting the use
fuilneSs Of TIN. hl,.n,>A Ill
ing the weather. People became in
terestcdin the subject, inq tries were
made for instruments, and in Il 'ew
months the country swarmed with
travelling agents, selling bafometers.
Most Of the Instruments 50 iisiribu-
ted were very inaccurate, ami com
paratively worthless; and ~ but ieS
o. the purchasers hal any Experience
in making observations. they so,n
found them to bc o! no practical use
and became thoroughly iisgu>ted
" s,sn ane tIfHi;g straignr grass sups, cso>e't III
the top, tiled with qnick>'lver,dr' J.
pin. into y capaclous cislcrn. by
using Il large cistern, the rise oi mer-
curry therein, when the barometer
falls. is greatly diminished ani bus
the apparent anil real rise are nearly
coequal. 1t should be placed in Il
room not subject to exIrem" changes
of Temperature. since heat expands
the mercury to such an extent that,
for accurate scientific purposes, u cor
rectiOn for difference IL temperature
is necessary, to show the height caus
ed by atmospheric pressure alone
The mere fact that the barometer
is high or low, neither indicates fair
weather nor foul; it is OILY by sue
cessive observations, compared with
each other, that the weather may be
predicted. Several years since, an
English observer laid down this gen
eral rule, which subsequen, expe-
rience has confirmed:
After continuance ofdry wealth.
er, if the barometer begins to- fall
slowly and steadily, rain will ensuo'
but if the fine weather has been OF
long durution, the mercury may fall
two or three days before II change
will take place, and the lenger the
time which elapses before the rain
comes, the longer the wet weather is
likely to last"
Again, in u time ct continuous ram.
if the barometer gradually rises, fair
weather is certain to follow, although
it may continue to rain one or two
days before the change will take
place. ;,
OF eighty-siX storms ri snow anu
rain in 1868, fifty-six were preceded
by a tall of the barometer, extending
from six to twenty-tour hours; four
teen, by from twenty-four TO forty
eight hours; ten succeeded rise last,
ing from twelve to twcnty-four
hours, Immediately after previous
depression; two succeeded rise ex-
tending forty. eight hours, and four
were unattended by any di turhance
of atmospheric pressure.
It will be seen from the results
above mentioned, that, by watching
| the barometer carefully. the future
weather may be predicted with u
| probably degree of accuracy. Its
value, therefore, To the farmer, when
cutting grass and grain, can hardly
be over estimated. | vii, relate n
single instance: One morning, carly
| in July, a ncighboling farmer came
INTO town, and said that he had ten
acres Of grass down, and should cut
ten acres more that day, as the
weather was fine, and had every ap-
pearance OF continuing so. | told
him that the barometer had been
falling for two days; advised him Ia
go home aud secure the hay already
cut, as il would certainly rain within
twenty tour hours. lie followed my
advice the next day it commenced
raining, and continued three days
From that time his confidence in tn.
barometer WAS firmly established.
The Rockford Register gets OH thin
u, the expense OF j. Buil
There is Il place on the east sid,
of the river, where, At almost an,
time, a crowd greater or smaller ma,
be seen gazing into 4 show window
We forbear mentioning any name
lor fear this article wiil be taken To
a paid s'putf;" but will simply remari
that IL was not far from certain
shoe store; and We want to chronicl'
+ little conversation overheard ther'
, On Thursday last. The parties wer'
u respectable looking Engishma'
| and his family:
, Little Girl-Ob, mammals is tha
Q q EN-?
Mamma my child, that is