The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-11-20
NATURES0WN BAROMETER
WEATHER CHANGES FoREToLD
TWO DAYS AHEAD.

tibility to Variations in the Wealth
cr-Profcssor Nowack's Discovery.
To know forty eight hours in advance
exactly what sort of weather is coming
would, every one must admit, be q great
convenience, says the London edition of
the New York Herald. A gentleman now
in London, Professor Nowack, by name,
claims to have solved this problem. He
says that he can tell with unerring ac-
curacy not only the weather which will
be experienced in Il given locality, but
that which will prevail within a radius of
fifty miles, or even at much greater dis
tance. His method of doing this differs
entirely from that employed by "Pro-
fessorn Virgins, "Professor" Vennor or
any previous weather prophet, if, indeed,
they had any method, and also is totally
| different from any means utilized by the
Meteorological Office. Professor Nowack
says that nature herself foretells what sort
of weather she is preparing, and that he
has discovered the key of the cipher in
which her revelation is made. In other
words, he relies for the information upon
plant which is peculiarly susceptible to
atmospheric changes.
There are numerous plants, particularly
in the tropics, as is well known, which
are thus affected to greater or less extent
by changes in atmospheric conditions.
Professor Nowack has, he claims, dis
covered Just how one variety of these
plants is affected or, in other words, has
found out how to read, from the changes
the plant exhibits, the kind of impending
weather which causes them. He has
secured a patent on this idea of plant
reading, and on the apparatus he has in
vented for maintaining his weather plants
in a uniform temperature, and otherwise
subject to favorable conditions.
This plant, the botanical name of which
is Abrusprecatorius, belongs to the acacia
family, and is native to Upper Egypt and
India 1t is the plant which produces
''India peas" or ''crabs eyes"-those little
red seeds with black spots on them,
which are often seen in curiosity collec-
tions. Its twigs and leaves are in ap-
pearance not unlike those of the mountain
ash, only they are much smaller and far
more delicate.
at was several years ago." said Pro-
fessor Nowack to a Herald reporter, "that
first got the idea that the changes
which this plant exhibits indicate what
kind of weather is forthcoming began
to keep an accurate record of the plant 5
changes and also of the weather. l kept
this up for many months and constantly
compared the two records. finally dis
covered that like changes exhibited by
the plant were almost invariably followed
by the same sort of weather about forty
eight hours afterward.
~ have found that in order that the
indications may be accurate, such as one
can rely upon the plant should be kept
at uniform temperature of % degrees
Centigrade, be shielded from the sun and
be allowed always to stand in the same
position. The rays of the sun affect the
plant and render the indications of the
atmospheric conditions more or less con-
fusing
at is important to keep the plant in
an unchanged position, because it has the
popularity of growing its twigs toward
the north, south, east and west in twos
and opposite each other. If the plant be
turned partially round the twigs will
gradually bend toward their respective
cardinal points of the compass, and if it
is left so the new twigs viii grow from
the four sides of the stem as named"
Professor Nowack has prepared as
many as fifty diagrams, showing different
positions which the leaves and twigs of
the plant assume at times, and indicated
the atmospheric conditions which, be
says, each one shows. If the leaves
stand upward from the twig making
with each other an angle of forty
degrees, the sky will be cloudless and the
weather beautiful in all respects. If they
stand out straight at an angle of $50 de-
grees changeable weather is indicated. As
the leaves droop below the twig the in
dications range toward rain until
when the leaves hang straight
downward, the water may be
expected to fall almost in torrents. A
local storm is indicated by curling to-
gether of the leaves, and a fog by bend
ing of the twigs. The Professor has
made diagrams of numerous stages inter
mediate to those above named, and
claims to be able to tell from the many
variations of position which his wonder
fully sensitive plant manifests the direc-
tion of storms, winds, fogs, etc, and
their approximate distance. He claims to
have verified his deductions so often that
there can remain no doubt of their cor
rectness.
Professor Nowack has had his plants in
London for nine or ten months, getting
them acclimated, he says. 1t seems that
London weather had at first sort of
paralyzing effect on them, which fact to
many will perhaps be confrmatory of the
claim that they are genuine weather. in
dicators. The Professor says his pets
have now settled down to business, and
not even London weather proves too much
for them, While studying the plant and
making his comparisons and diagrams
Professor Nowack has been in Vienna.
He says that tests of the plants power
have been conducted before the Emperor,
the late Crown Prince Rudolph and many
dignitaries and scientific men, who have
expressed their high appreciation of the
discovery. His ambition is to establish
plant observatories at various points in
London and outside, and furnish regular