Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-08-11
NATURES COMPASS SIGNS.
Different Methods of Determining the
Cardinal Points.

Different Methods of Determining the
Cardinal Points.
The many different methods to de-
termine the cardinal points while on
the mountains, in both heavy tim
Der and small bush, or upon the
featureless expanse of a great marsh,
are exceedingly numerous and reli-
able enough for all practical pur-
poses during an everyday life in the
bush, unless very long journey is
to be made, which would require a
number Of days, and would make it
necessary to hold on very fine
point while making so long dis
lance.
We will first take notes on the
coniferous trees, pines, frs, spruces,
cedars, hemlocks, etc. The bark of
these is always lighter in color,
harder and dryer on the south side
of the tree, while it is in color much
darker, is also damper and often
covered with mold and moss on the
north side. The gum that oozes out
from wounds, knotholes, etc., is usu-
ally hard and often of beautiful am
Der color on the south side, while on
the northern side it remains sticky
longer and gets covered with insects
and dirt, seldom drying out to more
than dirty gray in color.
On large trees that have rough
bark, especially during the fall and
winter months, the nests and webs
of insects, spiders, etc., will always
be found in the crevices on the south
side. A preponderance of the large
branches will also be found on the
warmest or southern side of the
trees. Also the needles of all the
above mentioned trees are shorter,
dryer and of yellowish green on
the southern side, while they will be
found longer, more slender and phi
able, damper to the touch and dark
er green in color on the north side.
The cedars and hemlocks, as if try
ing to Guido the others, always bend
their slender tops of new growth to.
ward southern sky.
The hard wood trees are equally
communicative and have all the
characteristics, so far as regards
their trunks, as the coniferous trees,
except the absence of gums, but this
is more than made up by the fungous
growth of mold and moses that is
very noticeable on the north side of
these trees.
The lodges of rocks, which may be
part of stupendous mountains or
merely an occasional cropping out
here and there in the woods or per-
haps some great bowlder alone by
itself, a silent witness Of the glacial
period, all alike testify to the effect
of light and shade. The sunny side
will usually be bare or at most only
boast of thin growth of harsh, dry
kinds of MOSES that will only grow
when having the light, while the
northern sides will be found dam1
and moldy and often covered with 8
luxuriant growth of soft, damp
MOSES that love the shade, while
every orevice will bear aloft beauti
full and gracefully waving ferns.
The forest floor on the sunny side
of hills, ridges, clumps of trees,
bushes, big rocks, etc., is more noisy
under the football than on the north.
ern side of such places, where the
dead leaves and litter are soft an6
damp, holding more moisture thar
in places exposed to the light of the
sun.
In an open country, nearly void Of
timber, clumps of small bushes dur
ing summer will furnish all the con
ditions found to exist among the
leaves of the trees, being equally
sensitive to light and shade as are
the monarchs of the woods. The
landscape, green with moving grass
es and beautiful to the eye, which
feasts on the countless numbers Of
wild flowers, representing every
form and hue known in the fowery
kingdom, also furnishes reliable
guide for locating the cardinal
points, as most wild flowers, espe
cially the long stemmed varieties
hide their faces from the north and
like the sunflower, turn toward s
southern sky.-Forest and Stream.
Lewis and the Texan.
De Graffenried of Texas has the