The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-20
WEATHER PROPHECIES.
What Farmers Depend Upon to Guide
 Them to their Work.

Them to their Work
 Farmers and those whose living de- pends on the weather are apt to notice when it rains or blows much more than the city inhabitant, and here are a number of signs and sayings pertain ing to the coming of storms which flourish in small villages and farming communities which are both quaint couplet:
 Rain before seven,
 Clear before 'leven,
 is familiar to every one, and many children said it over again as a sort of hope and comfort on rainy Saturday morning. That other saying about there being only one Saturday in the whole year in which the sun will not shine sometime is another one that the school children remember.
 When the sun shines through the clouds so that the rays are distinct, and people say "the sun is drawing water" that is said to be sure, sign of coming rain; this and riley camphor are about infallible. This idea of the camphor foretelling the storm is utilized in the cheap barometers which are offered for sale and advertised as foretelling coming storms. When such barometer breaks it is always found to have been filled with camphor.
 In rural districts much stress is laid upon the setting of the sun to denote the weather for the following day. If it goes down in a cloud rain will be the portion for the morrow hut
 Red at night,
 Sailors delight
 Smoke which ascends means clearing weather, while when it comes down it signifies more rain; should it chance to shower while the sun shines it will bring rain again before the day is over. If it storms on the first Sunday of the month it will rain on all other Sun days during that month. The last Fri day of each month is thought to be an index of the weather for the coming one, that is, if it rains in that special day, the next month will be rainy, and if the day be fair, then look for thirty fair days.
 Some people think that the 12 days immediately following Christmas de-
  months, one day for the month, and ,, many old people chronicle the state of the weather on these days, to see if is followed out during the year. Another idea about thus fortelling the storms is that the day of the month the first snow appears indicates the number of snow storms this winter will bring. It is said if it rains on the first day of the dog days 1t will rain on each of the 39, and in like manner if it be warm on the first day there will be a long dry spell. NE
 Another queer notion is that Fridays weather shows what may be expected on the following Sunday; that is if it rains on Friday noon then it will rain on Sunday, but if Friday be clear then Sunday will be fine, as we'll. l The greater number of these signs depends upon the animal kingdom for their source. For instance Six weeks from the first katydid there will be | frost, while the singing of the locust means hot weather; and in the same manner it has come to mean that a . storm is coming when the owl hoots, or when Bob White" calls More wet, More wet" The cuckoo and the tree toad each foretells a storm. If the cat or dog eats grass it will soon rain; when the swallows fly low, rain will soon come when they fly high, clear ' weather. When the snow flakes are | small a long storm will follow l Flies bite just before rain; and | If the clouds gradually grow greater in size, then rain will come. Storms that clear in the night, will be followed by l others.
 | Another quaint notion is that if the | ice melts on the trees and runs off the rain will come next, while if the wind l cracks off the ice the next storm will be one of snow.
 | It is also said that when the wind whirls the dust around from left to | right then is the time to look out for rain. When the clouds and sun appear l alternately that is the sky seems to | open and shut, rain may be expected, l for that is sure sign of wet. ! When the leaves of the poplar tree l turn up their under sides it will rain, and when in the morning one sees the | tiny moulds of dirt which have been turned over by the ants he may be sure of a fair day. If the rooster crows at night he will get up with wet head, and if water boils away fast in the ket- l tie then it will soon rain. Three foggy l mornings will surely be followed by a ! rainstorm.
 | These are few of the many ways the wise have of foretelling the coming l days; sometimes it all comes true, and again it fails. for as a saving clause, the old people say that 'all signs fail | in dfsv yUaatherD