The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-14
QUEER OLD SAWS.

| WCll AlkOn II AAtesN tAf VI every 100 SO called proverbs are mere superstitions. For instance, such fol- | lies as these: "If Michaelmas day be fair the summer sun will shine much in the winter, though the wind at northeast will frequently reign long and be sharp and nipping." Or; When three daw are seen on St, Peters vane together
 Then we are sure to have bad weather.
 Although the theory of the moons relation to the weather was exploded years and years ago, the following rarely fails to hold good: The moon with a circle brings water in hor beak,
 When round tho moon there Is hrugh The weather will be cold and rough
 The seeming anomaly of the above statement is explained when 1t is known that the halo is simply the advance strata of the storm itself. This is correctly considered an indica- tion of coming stormy weather, but almost invariably the stripes them selves give the same indication before they rise high enough to produce this phenomenon.
 For instance, the sky being serene and clear, the wind steady and north erly, no change is to be expected until long, hay stripe of cloud appears above the horizon in the southern semi- circle cf the heavens, toward the south, southwest or west. Such a hay, scarcely visible stripe of cloud is the herald of the coming northeast storm, which, in the middle of win ter, will arrive in about two or three days from the appearance of the cloud, and in the spring or autumn about one day.
 If the sun goes pale to bed. Twill rain tomorrow, 1t Is said.
 A red sun has water in his eye.
 When the moon has & white look, or when her outline is not very clear, rain or snow Is looked for.
 There is also a saying which is less reliable as prognostic concerning the moon halo:
 The open side or break in the halo tells the quarter from which the storm may Do OK. pected.
 Here is an excellent adage for rain storm:
 When the flames of the candle flare and snap or burn with an unsteady or dim light, rain and frequently wnd are bound to fol. low.
 This holds true in regard to oil lamps as well.
 Shakespeare has said; Therefore the moon, the governor of the floods, Pale in her anger, washes all the air That rheumatic diseases do abound.
 Remarkable as 1t may seem, 1t would be more than folly to ignore some parts of the human anatomy as nearly in- fallible signal service. For example :
 When rheumatic people complain of more than ordinary pains in the joints, It will rain. than usual rain IS to fall shortly.
 Or this:
 coming storm your shooting corns pressage, And aches will throb your hollow tooth wili rage.
 To anticipate several months, the following is highly recommended
 When the oak comes out before the ash, there will be fine weather in harvest.
 The rhymist has put it thus: If the oaks before the ash, Then you'll only get splash; If the ash precedes the oak, Then you may expect soak.
 The above, no doubt, is based upon the fact that, if the oak comes into leaf before the ash, dry summer may be expected, and wet summer if the ash is first. A wet spring is gener- ally, believe, favorable to the earlier leaves of the ash, which are retarded by dry one.
 Out of forescore proverbs relating to the moon, the following have been culled. They are not in consonance with the latest scientific fathomings, but in the long run come true, per haps, more times than they come false:
 Full moon In April brings frost.
 In the old of the moon a cloudy mornn g bodes fair afternoon. When the moon runs high expect cool or cold weather.
 New moon far in the south indicates dry weather for month.
 When the moon is darkest near the horizon expect rain.
 The following are truisms, and may be relied upon in nearly every case: Evening gray and morning red Sends the traveller wet to bed; Evening red and morning gray Speeds the traveller on his way If it rains before seven twill clear before eleven. An apparent phenomenon which has puzzled many an uninitiated dairy maid is explained scientifically: In- creasing atmospheric electricity exi- dizes ammonia in tbe air and forms nitric acid, which affects milk. This accounts for the souripg of milk by thunder.
 As for foretelling fair weather in the midst of foul, there are no rules infallible. Common instinct will serve frequently. If the moon is seen between the scud and broken clouds during a gale, it is