Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-07-19
what Makes the wind BLOW,

what Makes the Wind Blowa
If the question were, "who makes the
wind blow?" all our young friends would
have ready answer; they know that
God controls all the forces of nature
But He uses mean. The sun is His
great wind maker. To understand its
actions think of the air as great ocean
like water, but much lighter, entirely
surrounding the globe. The snn shines
upon this ocean of air, and through it
on the earth, heating them both, and
imparting most heat at the earth's sur
face. But the rays of the sun shine
directly down on some parts more than
others, and therefore heat them more
Thus, it is always hotter in the region
Of the equator, than at the poles. Now
heat expands fluid, making it lighter,
and when part of the air is expanded by
heat it rises, and the cooler, heavier sur
rounding air rushes it to fill its place,
and thus wind is produced. The fol-
lowing simple experiment will show
| just how this works. Fill large tin
pail with water, in which scatter some
bread crumbs. Place burning lamp
under the middle of the pail, and the
crumbs will soon begin to rise, carried
up by the heated columns of waite, and
then making a curve towards the sides,
will sink downwards and pass in II hOr,-
zontal direction along the bottom, just
as the wind drives along the surface of
the earth. In aroom containing a hot
stove, drop into the air in different pa-
ccs bits of light cotton or dry thistle
blossoms, and you will see how the air
is moving at each point.
If the earth were all plane, and
each part received regular unchanging
amount of heat through the year, the
currents of air or winds would always
move in one direction. But many
things prevent this. The land is moro
heated than the water by the suns rays;
some soils also absorb heat more readily
than others; then, at night during cloudy
weather, when the source of heat is cut
off, the heat is radiated or passed out
uncqually from different localities, and
this produces variations in the currents
Mountains and valleys, also change the
courses of the winds, and other causes
such as the varying moisture in the ail
|
still farther operate to cause them to
shift and change, so that no one can
predict with certainty which way the
wind will blow tomorrow, and "tickle
as the wind" has come to hea proverb. -
On the ocean where no mountains inter
vene and where the heat is quite uni
form, currents of mir called trate-wi
steadily blow in one direction. THEN
course in the northern hemisphere from
southeast to north west. These steady
winds are of great service in navigation
or trade, as ships are sometimes enabled
to glide before them for weeks without
changing sail. Now discoveries are
being made almost every year, and per
haps, at some time in the future, men
may be able to foretell the direction of
the wind; ut present we can only try
and make the best of it from whichevel
quarter it comes; though that is little
difficult ON some of the March days
when it seems to blow from all quarters
at once.
The New York correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune writes: Speaking the
other day, to a gentleman well acquaint
ed with public men, on the subject OF
their capacity for and habit of work
he remarked that the hardest worker he
had ever known was Cabel Cushing
Gushing told my informant that, fol
twenty-five years, he had spent seven
teen out of every twenty-four hours in
intellectual notwithstanding, studying
or witiug-giving himself but sever
hours for rest and recreation. Gushing
has IN extraordinary constitution anC
the most vigorous health, and receive,
such pleasure, from absorbing menta
occupation that it has by the long hab
it become second nature to him. He i,
now seventy at least, and of late year
being regularly employed asa sort o
Government lawyer upon internationa
cases in Washington, he has taken lif
more easily, as well he might at hi
advanced age,
During the winter the Germans q
Cincinnati formed an association callc,
the AcclimatiEation Society. They cor
tnbuted money aud sent a man to Er
rope, who has just returned with cary
OF 800 birds. The cost OF importatio
is little over 80 for each bird. The fit
ches are the most numerous in the M
portation. Besides this there are gre,
birds, quais that sing, starlings, lark
biaokbirds, thrushes aud redbreast. Nea
iy oil the birds are better singers ths
our native birds, and they are equal
line in plumage. The society propos
:, to make still larger importation ii
~ year, with q Wow OF getting enouJ