The Dickinson press., 1888-07-21
CARDINAL POINTS.
HOW FOUND IN THE DAY TIME
WITHOUT A COMPASS.

The sun Often ObScurtd Nv (rOw,s-Thc
Suntlowcr, the Marigold. the Compas
Ilaut, the Tree aud the Rock as Usc-
full Guides.
Thu moSt Natural guide in the day time to
the ~cai'!iiiHi l"ints which would suggest itself
to IL" rii.fl of the average individual would
b. IL" @iTl, So long as the sun shines, lie
wuI;:'l 49, -. iitc wavtari,g man. though u
fo"!, .t,,. ',,: err in the direction lie desires
I" =, ..i whatever situation he may I've
rlr l.
LIS, ii known physical fact, of course,
til ::t'r}!n is continually on the move. The
l"i;,' 90 lie horizon on which it appears in
III" .'oi1:ti, is directly opposite to that
wilcr" ii Naaj>llcs Ill the evening. The direc-
tiol! which 1t is in at any time between two
o. 'li"r hours after sunrise and the same
leash ui time before sunset is not easy ut all
times for 'hc ordinary person to figure out,
unless lr has IL watch or is surrounded with
landmarks with which liz is perfectly famil-
lar.
The average person. if cast airift in u
small boat ~ the ocean or on any of tho
large lakes. would discover it to he very
nearly us difficult to tell which point of tho
horizon WAS north, or east. OF south, or west,
even though the sun was shining. as lie
woull during the night. The same remark
is true nj thr average person travelling on the
l%la!ri" ar the desert.
SrNFl.uwER AND MARIGoLD.
Several species of flowers may I've said to he
grl'lr~. in Il general way, to the points of the
compass. t'lat is To say, they afford "a hint
ast" the direction which the sun is in when
tha; orb may I've hidden from view by any OBJ
,icc,. Among these are the s,ntlow.r and the
m1rigold. These flowers generally keep their
faces toward the sun when it is visible, turn
ing toward ii when it rises, and following its
m"vemelt> as il sweeps across the horizon
until it disappears below the western horizon.
lfth"lire"tion in which these flowers faces
point nc followed by the eye tho sun will
often Ir seen if TIL" time bc during the day
light liour~ TO lie s,irn. that luminary,
when ii is in tho immediate vicinity, usually
makes its presence manifest without the aid
of til" s!ill"wer, the narigold, or any other
m"msor of The vegetable or animal kingdom.
Their" are nrcasions, however, when n kuowl-
clg""f these qualities of the plants named
may possibly be useful in giving a hint as to
III" direction the sun is in from the observer.
The possession Of these attributes certainly
SlN's 'iitSt lHstliNS i'll Interest," uli importance
which they would not otherwise command.
OF course, when the sun is found the dircc-
;l"n may I've traced as before Indicated. To
this extent. therefore. the suntlowcr and the
nmri,ol,l may he fairly included among tho
guides 1" the points of the compass.
Tia" s%unilnwer, the marigold, and plants of
ih'.ir class, it may be said, are, in a negative
:. j4sH only. guides to direction. They simply
lead tho eye L" the point where the sun IL
when that lunlinary may be temporarily
hidden from view 10y an intervening build
ir;s. tree. hill or other object, and the suns
position i"ins known, it becomes possible to
'iislne out" the points. There is a certain
flower. however, which is n positive guide to
Tho cardinal points. This is the compass
plant. Most persons who have Travelled for
i,!iI considerable distance in Illinois. Mis-
souri,. Iowa OF Kansas, have noticed q plant
producing several stems from n single root,
the two or three central stems ranging from
four to six feet i'll height, bearing upon their
upper extremity bright yellow flowers. The
upper leaves of this plant are erect, and usu-
ally stand with their edges pointing north
and south. This PECULIARLY gives it the name
al polar plant, pilot weed, or compass plant.
Locally. however, it is given the less poetical
designation of 'rosin weed,'' on account of
the Juice which cxldes from it. Its botani-
cal name is %silplium laciniatunl. Although
most numerou. i'll the states mentioned. the
compass plant is seen as far east as Ohio and
Michigan, and as far west as the states Dor
tering on the Pacific ocean. Wherever found
it may be relied on as n trustworthy guide in
locating the points of the compass.
TREES y ROCKS AS GUIDES.
Trees and rocks are also useful in indica-
ting the cardinal points. Lichens and moses,
when found on trees or rocks, are densest OH
flie north side. When tree or rock stand so
that the sun strikes them during n larger. part
of the day, neither lichen nor moss. generally
speaking. will he found on the south side.
Tn tendency of these growths to cling to the
south side increases in the proportion with
which the sun is INSTRUCTED from shining on
them. Trees or rocks i'll n dense forest NAV
have moss on all sides of them, but even
there the thickest growth is on the north
side. OF course the principal cause of this
popularity is that the sun rarely strikes the
north side of any large object, and then only
for II short time i'll the morning and evening.
Moses and lichens thrive best inthe shade.
When Il tree stands i'll a position i'll which
the sunlight can reach it through most of tho
day the limbs on one side of it will usually
't Ilutl heavier lnul InOSe on the other,
The side upon which the heavy growth is on
is the south side. a rock in n similar position
will be darker on one side than the other.
The dark side is on the south. In connection
with the rock it should be understood that it
is the rock itself and not any of the growths
npon it, which is considered here. The
MOSES which, as before stated, are thickest
on the north side, may he, when viewed at II
distance, as dark or darker than the bare
face of the south side will he. But the stone
on the north side will be comparatively light
colored. The branches on the south side Of a
tree are heaviest and the south side of u rock
Is darkest for the same reason that moss is
absent oil the same side of both. The sun
shines on that side longer than any other.
This is true of the region north of tho equu-
tor all over the globe, but especially in the
north temperate zone. South of the equator
the opposite conditions prevail.-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.
Cremation Making Headway.
Cremation is making more Roadway on the
continent and in this country than i'm Eng.