Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-05-06
Aarienltntal department.

Agr1nltnral Department.
WEATHER PROGNOsTICs.
To careful observer everything in time
becomes sort of weather guage. The
clouds, the sky, the sun, the moon, the
stars, the rainbow, the trees, the flowers,
the birds-in fine, almost every insect or
animal with which we are acquainted, be-
comes the instrument of real and useful
knowledge.
Clouds.-Numerous prognostics of the
weather may be gathered from the observa-
tions of clouds they are, as it were, floating
barometers and thermometers in the skies,
and are ever ready to indicate coming wealth
er, if we study them with an adequate knowl-
edge of their causes, the shapes they assume,
the directions they take, and their position
in the sky in word, they are the great
storehouses of rain. :, They have been class
ifed by Mr.. Luke Howard according to
their shapes, to which he gave the names
Cirrus, 'Cumulus, Stratus and MIN
bus. The Cirrus clouds resemble locks Of
hair (Fmares tails) or feathers, sometimes
covering the face of the sky with thin
transparent gauze. If these clouds form
during fine weather, with falling barome-
ter, it is almost sure to rain. The Cumulus
clouds are like huge sugar-loaves, conical
or convex from a horizontal base. If they
form during fine weather they indicate its
continuance, but if they are feecy and sail
against the wind they indicate rain; if their
outline is,very, hard and they come up with
the wind, they foretell fine weather. The
Stratus cloud is what we sometimes see in
the evening-an extensive continuous hori-
zontal sheet of cloud, or creeping mist, al.
ways nearer the earth than any other cloud.
Should itdisappear in the morning We may
expect the finest weather, but should il
combine with the Cirrus clouds, forming
what sailors call ga maokerel sky" wind
and rain will follow hence the saying
"Mackerel scales and mares tails
Make lofty ships carry low sails"
Clouds composed of the Cumulus and STRAIT.
US assume all sorts of gigantic forms, such
ss towers, huge rocks, &c.,. they portend .
change of weather hence the saying
"When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The earth's refreshed by frequent showers"
The Nimbus is the true and immediate rain
cloud, shapeless, but with defined outline,
its ed ge gradually shaped off from the deep,
grey mass into transparency. Just before
rain we may observe small under-clouds,
what the sailors call 'scud, often moving
with much greater velocity than those above
them. AS wind is only air in motion its
first effect is in driving the clouds before
it hence, when clouds float about in Sc
rene sky, from whatever quarter they come,
you may expect wind if they come from
the north east they denote wind, if from
the south great rains; but let them come
from what quarter they will, if you see
them driving about at sun set, they are
sure signs of an approaching tempest. Soft
looking or delicate clouds foretell fine wealth
er-hard edged oily-looking clouds, wind
small inky-looking clouds, rain.
The Sky.-A bright yellow sky at sunset
presages wind-a pale yellow, wet; and a
greenish sickly looking color, wind. and
rain thus, by the prevalence of red, yel-
low, and other tints, the coming weather
may be foretold very nearly. After fine
clear, weather, the first signs in the sky of
a coming change are usually white. streaks
or mottled patches of distant clouds, and
are followed by an ,overcastng of nurky
vapor that finally grows into eleudiness !;
this appearance is an infallible sign of rain,
q light, bright, blue sky indicates fine wealth
era red sky in the morning, bad weather,
grey sky in the morning, fine weather.
a high dawn, wind-low dawn, fair wealth
er. "A high dawn is when the first indi-
cations Of daylight are seen above a bank
of clouds low dawn is when the day
breaks on or near the horizon, the first
streaks of light being very low down. A
red lurking sky at sunrise indicates wet
day; this results from the fact that the
higher regions of the air are laden with
yapor, which is on the point Of condensa-
ton, and which the heat of the rising sun
is insufficient to disperse hence the wealth
er axiom
"If red the sun begins his race
Be sure that rain will fall apace."
Amongst weather prognostics from gene
raj appearances may be mentioned that re-
remarkable clearness of atmosphere near
the horizon distant objects, such as hills,
unusually visible or raised by refraction,
may be mentioned amongst signs of wet.
Inanimate creation also sounds the alarm
of coming wet, for stones seem to sweat,
and wood swells, salt becomes damp, and
strings Of violins shrink and snap against
rain.
The Sum.-A red sunset indicates fine
day tomorrow the vapor is not actually
condensed into clouds, and so it refracts
the red rays of sunlight. A grey sunset
indicates wet; evidently the air on the sur
face of the earth is very damp at the time,
saturated with vapor, so we may expect
wet and hence the SAYING
"Evening red and morning grey
Set the traveller on his way;
Evening grey and morning red
Bring rain in torrents on his head"
A yellow sunset indicates wet; the vapor
of the air being actually condensed into
clouds, presents more resistance to the
rays of light, and so the most refracted
rays, the yellow, are bent to the eye. The
vapors of the air are, therefore, in fit con-
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