The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-07-01
Weather Signs.
From the Kansas City Bulletin.

Every man has some way OF telling the
changes of the weather, or rather having no
WAY of telling what the weather will be. He
fixes on some rule. and agrees within himself
thai Ire with believe the weather is to be thus
or titus arcortfials as his rule demands.
These srsAs' dohOt generally receive from
those who follow them % very critical invcS-
tiyation. Whcrs alnan' says have noticed
for more than iortt gears that always whcn,'
ETC., it may be guietl9 assumed Chat he las
noticed no such thing. He has heard some
one say this or so; he his Il vague idea that
once or twice he had seen tyr sign come true,
but the dozens of times wheD il utterly failed
he paid TO regard to it.
1t is Il common saying that the,swill come
q change of the weather with the change OF
the moon. Now, as the moon charges once
a week, a change Of weather must come
somewhere near change Of the moon. But
tlkG long series of observations, SUCH rs
those made by the agents for the Smithsonian
Institute Observations which give the state
Of che thermometer, direction Of the wind,
character OF the clouds, and fall of rain i'll Il
particular place, Fsoted three times day Tor
years, and b., comparing the changes OF
weather with cfiate3' OF the moon we md
that there is no tTacc;ihlH connection between
the two--thAt sometimes the weather changes
with the moon, and Just as Oqren does not.
The moon changes on the zane day all
over the earth. n change of wcatanr moves
more slowly than the moon, so that It the
moon and weather run together on tSE At
lautic coast they would not be on the Kfrky
Mountains or on the Pacific coast. Again,
when the weather is very wet on the Atlantic
slope it may be very dry in the Mississippi
Valley. If it changes from wet to dry in one
place, it should change from dry to wet in
the other. People forget that the moon
changes elsewhere than in their own town
ship.
Says some old farmer 1T will turn warm
next week. Tuesday, for there II change OF
tue MOON" Turn warm where?' We ask
him. "Why, turn warm here" Bill the
moon will change up in Alaska-wiil ii turn
warm there? And it has already turned
warm down in Texas-has the moon already
changed Thereon does not Texas weather
go 10y the moon!
Says one old observer: 81 have noticed
for more than forty years that the first frost
in the fall comes ut the time of the full of
the moon." But the first frost does not come
al the same time in Montreal, Philadelphia,
and Satahf,ah; and if the first frost in Mon
York could not be before the first full moon,
and Richmond would have TO wait till an
other moon before it could have 4 Frost and
the first frost would not come in Cuba before
the next July.
Oceans should lie planted in the new OF
the moon," says some old fellow who has
had experience" But beans should not be
planted in Missouri at the same time as in
Arkansas or Louisiana, and if each latitude
must wait for a new moon for bcan-planting,
the people up in Dakota or British America
would not get i'll their beans at alf.
"Thc 2Sth of the month";" says another,
"showS what is to be the prevailing weather
for the next month";" But Il while ago the
almanac was changed from old style to new
style. and now the 2Sth comes at different
time by eleven days from what it did before.
Is 1t Just rs reliable TO reckon from az 1t
was before? We reckon it is.
II the new moon is tipped up so that you
can hang Il powdCr-horn on it the month
will be a dry one OF 4 wet one the weather
prophets are not agreed which.
When the sun crosses the line, on the 10th
of March or September, we shall have an
eauinoxal storm, it is said. Now, we are
apt to have storms in March, and one may
come somewhere near the goth, but it may
have us much connection with ST. Patrick'S
day lis with the suns crossing the line.
Let Il man take notes Of the matter for Il
series of years and set them down OH paper.
He will lie able to test these signs. But the
hap-haZard rccolcctions of IN old sailor oran
old farmer are no guide. He thinks he has
observed, when in fact he has paid no strict
attention to the matter ut all.