Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-11-21
HOW TO FoRETELL WEATHER.
Signs which Careful Observers May Rely
IIppu.


Upon.
A communication to the Southern Pldn-
ter deals with the subject OF weather prog
nostics. Few intelligent persons can have
sympathy with the so-callcd weather pro
phets who oracularly announce phenom-
ena, giving dates, occasionally making
lucky hits, but rs often firing their random
shots altogether wide of the mark, That
there is, however, something in weather
philosophy. intelligent persons will be
quite ready to COncede, and they Will he
in accord with the views of the writer
when he recommends the habit of obSer
walton of natural phenomena, which has
long been praCtised, its results being hand
ed bOwn to us in the hOmely weather pro
verbs with which all are familiar. There
is no good ground for belief that observd-
tons of this Kind will prove useful, the
more so rs modern science enables us TO
give the reasons, unknown to our lore
fathers, for many phenomena, ana thereby
to determine the value of indications, 10y
the association of causes with effects. IN
stead of following blindly the perhaps er-
roneOus observations of others. An apt
illustration Of this is furnished in the art
icle under notice. Persons really ntclll-
gent and not uniformed have maintained
that the direction of the milky way
changes and indicates the course OF the
wind, when. as every child knows, this
film of white crossing the sky is rcsolNable
by the telescope into myrladS OF stars,
whose position is of course independent
of terrestrial currents. How this deeply
rooted idea originated is Il mystery, since
il could not come from observation. Care
full and intelligent study in the field of
weather phenomena would undoubtedly
establish many facts, while it would dis
pei great many errors and false infer
pnceS the knowledge gained would be
beside of practical interest and benefit to
the observer and to the community, pro
vided the observations were recorded. On
this ground the writer 5 views well de
serve commendation. He says
If one could read the signs, each day
foretells the next to-day is the progenitor
of tomorrow. When the atmosphere is
telescope and distant objects stand out I'M
usually clear and distinct, a storm is near.
We are on the crest of the wave and the
depression follows quick. 1t sometimes
happens that clouds are not so indicative
Of a storm, as their total absence. In this
state of the atmosphere the stars are I'M
usually numerous and bright ut night,
which is also IA bad omen. 1t appears that
the transparency of the air is prOdigiously
increased whena certain quantity of water
is uniformly ditfused through il. Mount
aineers predict a change of weather when.
the air being calm, the Alps covered with
perpetual SNOW, seem on sudden to be
nearer the observer and their outlines are
marked with great distinctness on the
azure sky. This same condition of the at
mosphcre renders distant sounds more
audible.
There is one redness of the east in the
morning that means storm ; another that
indicates wind. The first is broad. deep
and angry the clouds look like an i'm
mense bed of burning Goals the secOud
is softer and more Napory, At the point
where the sun is going to rise, and in few
minutes in advance of his coming there
rises straight upward a rosy column like
shaft of dyed VapOr, blending with and
yet partly separated from the clouds, and
the base of which presently comes to glow
like the sun himself. The day that fol
lows is pretty sure to he windy.
1t is uncertain to what extent birds and
animals can foretell the weather. w hen
swallows are seen hawking very high. ii
is good indications, because the insects
upon winch they feed venture up there
only in the most auspiCious weather
People live in the country all their lives
without making one accurate observation
about nature. ihc good observer of ua-
ture holds his eye long and firmly to the
point and finally gets the facts, not only
because he has patience, but because MS
eyeiS ~hdrpHuu ul, Inference swift. There
are many assertions. tie result az AUSlE
and incomplete observation, such as, Tor
instance, that the way the milky Wds
points at might indicates the direction OF
the wind the next day also, than every
new moon indicates either "a dry or "a wei
month. There are many other stories
about the moon too numerous to mention.
Again, when Il farmer Kills his hogs ia
the fail, if the pork is very hard and soll'y
ne predicts a severe winter, If soft and
loose, the opposite. overlooking the fact
that the kind Of food and the temperature
of the fall makes the pork hard or soft.
Numerous other instances could be cited
to prove that the wOuld-be shreWd farmer
does not interpret nature in the right way
and that his conclusions, being haSty and
incomplete. are wrong and until he stud
les nature understandingly using little
common SENSE, 50 long Will he be more Oh
less under the ban of superstition and ig
nOranCe.
MIR. WHITTIER's OLD HOME.