The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-12-12
w Gather Prophets.
muskrats, Hcemen, Raftsmem and Farm-
ers Ssrt dict MILD winter
Port Jeryis Gazette.l

Port Jervis Gazettel
The opinion prevails on the part of MANY
of the weatherwise that the coming winter
will be mild one. Some of their predic-
tions are based on the habits of the wild ami
mails of the fields and woods, noting the
supply the squirrels lay by for their winter
support, the depth of the woodchuck holes.
and the thickness of the fur of fur-bearing
animals. But the animal whose sagacity is
the most accurate, and whose wisdom is
most safe to follow, in the opinion of many,
is the muskrat. The muskrat never makes
mistake. He knows all about the weather,
and when he omits to build his usual nest
near the bank of the stream he frequents, it
is very evident that he regards il as alto
gether unnecessary for him TO be at the care
and toll required to construct it. The musk
rat never expends his labor in folly. If he
don't need house for winter he don't build
1t. He has built none so far this year, SO
report says, and the conclusion is irresisti-
bic that he has omitted the work only be-
cause he foresees that the temperature will
be SO mild and endurable that he can man
age to get along very comfortably without
it.
Some think the weather will be mild be-
cause the husks on the corn were thin.
They say that nature anticipates the kind of
winter she intends to give by the alb undapce
or scantiness of dress she gives the ears
When the winter is to be cold, they say that
the husks that surround the corn are inva-
riably thick and many; when the winter is
to be mild, they are thin and few. They
were thin and few in last falps crop. and
hence the winter will be mild.
The ice men say that the winter will be
mild. Their predictions are based on the
state of the wind and weather when the sun
crossed the line in passing from its summer
to its winter solstice. On the day on which
this event occurred the wind, they say, blew
from the south, and the SIM shone warm.
Observation, continued through long Sc
ries of years have demonstrated, they assert,
that the prevailing winds during the time
the sun sojoGrns in the southern hemis-
phere are of the same character and blow
from the same direction as does the wind on
the day the sun crosses the line.
Quite similar to the icemen's ideas on this
subject are the opinions of the Delaware
river raftsmen. They, too, are close OBJ
servers of the state of the atmosphere, wind
and sun on the day that luminary crosses
the equinoctial line. The Delaware river
raftsrnen's anxiety is for a freshet, and al
the signs and indications by which they NAV
be predicted are carefully remembered and
diligently studied. Their observation. they
say, has established that when heavy rains
and high water occur at the time of the equi-
nox, every succeeding storm will shed less
rain, and the height of water in the river
will continue for months to decrease. On
the contrary, when clear skies and low water
accompany the equinox, the rain storms
which follow will increase in volume in ge-
ometrical progression, SO that by the time
March is reached heavy rain storms, high
water and rafting freshets may be confident
ly anticipated. This year the sky was clear
on the equinoctial day, and the lumbermen
are preparing to get out logs in abundance
for the great freshets Of winter and early
spring. To be rainy the weather must be
warm, and as the signs, in their opinion,
point to an increasing amount of rainfall as
the winter passes, the inference is that the
prevailing temperature will be warm aud
mild.
The farmers--at least, some of them-are
able to make fair predictions as to the
weather. They join with the icemen and
in asserting that the present win
ter will be mild. They base their predic-
lions on the recurrence of seasons of like
character following each other. Eight or
nine years ago, they say, the winters every
year grew milder, until the elimination was
reached in winter of exceptional mildness,
when warm winds prevailed, little snow fell
and scarcely ice enough formed to enable
them to gather even the slimmest store for
summer use. The past two or three years,
they say, have resembled in general charac-
ter and in increasing mildness the years
which preceded the warm winter alluded to,
and the present, they feel certain, will be
very near counterpart of the warm winter
itself. This year the elimination of the
warmth will be reached, and more rigorous
seasons may be anticipated after this one
has passed.