Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-30


set, the appearance of a ring round her is
not so significant as the Dutch rhyme puts
it:
A ring round the moon
May pass away soon;
But ring round the sun
Gives water in the ton.
An old Spanish proverb says the circle of
the moon never flied pond, but the circle
of the sun vets shepherd; while an Eng
fish rhyme pronounces,-
If round the moon a circles seen
OF white, and all the sky's serene,
The following day, you may divine.
VIII surely prove exceeding hne.
And
Whenever, in autumn or in spring,
A mist the moon doth with it bring,
At noon the sun will bright appear,
The evening be serene and clear.
The turning up of the horns of the new
moon is another sign of fair weather.
"There's no likelihood of q drop now, an
the moon lies like boat there" says some
body in "Adam Bede." Southey notices
this notion in one of his letters: "Poor Lit
tledsle has this day explained the cause OF
the rains which have prevailed for the last
five weeks, by theory which will probably
be as new TO you as it is to me. 4 have OBJ
served he says, shat when the moon is
turned upwards we have fine weather after
it, but when it is turned down it holds no
water, like basin, you know, and down it
comesp" 1t is very common belief that
the weather depends upon the moon chang
ing before or after midnight; belief alb
surd on the face of it, since, as has been
well observed, the moon may change before
twelve at Westminster, and after twelve at
st. Paul's. DR.. Adam Clark was oblivious
of this fact when he put forth "a Weather
Prognosticator, through all the lunations
of each year forever; showing the observer
what kind Of weather will most probably
follow the entrance of the moon into any
one of her quarters, and that so near
the truth as to seldom or never be found to
fail" Our readers can easily decide as to
the worth Of the reverend doctors weather
guide; they have only to note the time Of
the moons entrance upon a new quarter,
and compare the actual result with that an
ticipated by the Prognosticater. 1t would
be useless to quote his formulated observa-
tons, for, like all other prophecies concern
ing the lunar phenomena, there Is q total
neglect of the fact that weather is local and
not universal. In other words, the change
in the moon that it is supposed to have
given good weather in the south of Eng
lard has probably been attended with ex-
ceedipgly bad weather in Scotland.
There is til for all things; the diff
Guilty lies in hitting upon the right time.
No such difficulty disturbed the minds of
the farmers Of bygone days, who took my
lady moon as theiI guide. They had only
to ask themselves was she waxing or wan
ing, and they knew what to do, and what
to leave undoue. An increasing moon was
favorable to increase; a waning moon just
the reverse. So, under the first, grain was
cut, gratis inserted, eggs put under the hen,
sheep sheared, and manure spread upon
the land. Seeds were sown under WAN
ing moon, in order that the young plants
| might have the advantage Of growing with
| the moon.
| Sow peason and beans in the wane of the moon,
Who soweth them sooner, he sOweth too sooni
| That they with the planet may rest and arise,
| And flourish with bearing most plentIful-Wise
When the moon was at the full was the
proper time to make bitches, tread out
grapes, and cover up the roots of trees;
| seven DAYS later being the fittest period for
grubbing up such as were to be removed.
| Timber, however, was not to be touched IN
| I'll the emu vi LuS SSCOuu QudlbolJ aA4u bAAC4
| only when the moon was soOB to change.
! The state of the moon, says Pliny, is all
| important when the telling of timber is in
question, the very best time for the operation
being during the mooI's silence, or when
she is in conjunction with the sun. Some,
however, averred she ought to be below
the horizon as well, and if the conjunction
happened to fall upon the day of the winter
/ A. 10, Id ho ~
| lasting duration. Even now, DevOnshire
apple growers prefer gathering their fruit
at the shrinking of the moon, believing
then it does not matter though the apple
get bruised in the ga herring, which is
otherwise fatal to their preservation.
Peat cutters aver that if peat be cut
under waning moon it will remain moist,
and not burn clearly. The Brazilian mat
makers Of Petropolis account for some OF
thei mats wearing out too quickly, Dy rea-
son of the canes having been cut at The
wrong time of the moon. 1t is foolish, &C
cording TO Suffolk notions,to kill pig when
the moon is waning; for If pig be CONVEX
ted into pork at that time, the meat VIII In
yariably waste excessively when it comes to
be cooked.
| In Burray and South Ronalsday they
carry the waxing and waning theory still
further, holding it unlucky to marry except
under growing moon. A skeptieal writer,
sneering at one of those who might have
boosted like Falstaff, owe be men OF good
government, being governed as the sea is,
by our noble and chaste mistress, the
noon.n saws: "When the moon is in Tau
rus, he never can be persuaded to take
pbysic; lest that animal, which chews the
| "a r,notya him aak mn nOafn If at
any time he has a mind to be admitted into
the presence of a prince, he will wait till the
moon is in conjunction with the sun, for
tits then the society of an inferior with 3
superior is salutary and successful"