Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-27
The Moon and the Weather.


The Moon and the Weather.
One Of the chief obstacles to harmony ant
mutual appreciation between scientists ant
practical workers in the various industries
especially agriculture, has been spirit o.
superciliousness-often bordering upon con
tempt--with which the time-honored belief,
of the latter have been treatedby the former
The scientist has assumed that he knew
everything and the practical man nothing
that the working man generally was a mere
mass Of ignorant prejudice and conceit
Thi. is an unfortunate attitude for the man
of science to assume, since it conflicts with
his usefulness just in proportion as it
arouses resentment in the minds of those
whom he desires to instruct And it is an
injury TO himself, as well as a mark Of un-
perfect culture, because every truly learned
man is humble in his estimate of his ao-
quirements aud always ready to learn, even
Of the unlearned.
Experience has shown that many, II not
most, popular beliefs which are wide spread
and general, have basis in truth. What
the experience Of generation after genera
ton has more or less confirmed, until it has
become fixed in the popular mind, usually
turns out to have reason in it, II may be
mixed with the assumption of much that is
not and cannot be proved, and it may be al
lied more or less with quackery and absurd
ity; yet, that it has been long and generally
believed, entities it TO respectful consdera-
ton, il no more.
Such is the case with the almost universal
belief of the influence Of the moon over the
weather. Almost all farmers believe in this
are almost compelled to believe in it, from
facts constantly recurring before their eyes !;
yet for one of them to intimate before a
scientific man that he has such belief is
TO incur ridicule and TO lose respect as a
man of good sense. We remember well the
jeers of college professor whom we once
said in his presence, that if the full moon in
September passed without frost, we always
felt safe until the next full moon. Yet this
is rule without single exception, in our
experience.
And now, after all this ridicule, the farm
ers prove TO be right in their opinion and
the scientists come round to it, though by a
path of their own. We cut the following,
in reference to the subject, from recent is.
sue of the Springfield Republican
THE OLD FARM WEATHER THEORIES soIEN-
ILLEGALLY SUSTAINED.
"The theory advocated by Neill Dumont,
the government weather observer, in his last
semi-annual report, that the phases of the
moon are intimately connected with the
variations Of the barometer, was received
with such favor at the signal bureau in
Washington, that he received orders TO pur
sue his investigations in the matter as far a,
practicable, without Interference with hi,
other duties and accordingly he has been de
voting his leisure to the subject, this sum
mer, and the fruit of his labors is embodied
in a couple Of charts, which he has prepared
and is about TO forward TO Washington, EN-
bodying the reports of the observers at East
port, Me, Portland, Boston, Burlington, VT,
New London, Albany and this city, for eight
months, beginning with last November
The movements Of the tide are recorded fol
the sea-coast towns, the rise and fall of the
barometer, the rainfall and degree of cloudi
Less and the phases of the moon, all drawn
in such manner that a single glance show,
the extent of coincidence or diversity. The
charts require close calculation aud much
care in execution, aud go very far to confirm
his theory, showing period of low barome
ter at the full and new moon, and hgl
barometer in the first and last quarters
These periods go together with regularity
that is really surprising, the lines represent
ing the barometer in different places, and
the successive lunar months displaying 0
remarkable similarity Other minor facts
are noted, such as that this influence is en-
tirely Independent Of that OF vapors and
heat, which produces two maximum and two
minimum pressures daily in the barometer
and that in the different periods of the day
the barometer moves in a contrary direction
10 the tide. These main similarities point
to a theory which is utterly at war will
those prevalent among scientific men-
namely, that the moon is responsible in
large degree for the variations of the barome
ter, which, however, is substantially tn,
view of weather-wise old farmers, who viii
not look for rain until the moon changes.
The phenomena are apparently accounted
for by the theory advanced in the letter &C