The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-06
INFLUENCE OF THE Moon ON CROPS
Experiences of "A Washington Corre-
spondent in Testing Various The
nriRs-

cries.
G. M. Bailey. in Dallas News.
Charles A. Hamilton, Washington cor
respondent of the Brooklyn Times and
various other newspapers, and one of the
oldest of Washington correspondents, has
become moonstruck in a way, has ac-
cumulated lot of bother i'm the way of a
New York farm. He has just returned
from a visit to his farm and tells his trou-
bles in this manner. Perhaps they will
be. interesting to the large number of
farmers who read this paper.
Il bought my farm rather late in May
of last year." he said, land 1 promptly
began to read the Rural New Yorker, the
Country Gentleman, and the publications
of the Department of Agriculture. 1 also
took the reading course of Cornell and
absorbed various other kinds of agricul-
tural literature. 1 find that not one of
them pays the slightest attention to the
most important of all subjects namely
he moon. 1t was June before l got my
potatoes planted Ton shares) last year and
when 1 expressed a fear that they were
planted too late the scientific farmer who
was sharing crops with me replied: Not
at all. This is exactly the time to plant
late potatoes-the dark of the moon in
June Last week would have been too
early, as the moon changed only on Sat
urday night We scarcely got our seed
back-but then there was a drought last
year.
"A few weeks ago." continued Hamil-
ton, u went up to the place to see how
things were getting along. My men had
IL CT 1a 10
several rows of peas, among other things,
and they were helping a couple of extra
hands saw supply of summer wood One
of these extras said:
=" It's mighty lucky you got your peas
in the ground to-day. The moon changes
tonight
whats that got to do with pIantin
peas?' l asked, dropping the final "g''
through force of association.
All TO do with it. was the reply.
Plant peas in the new of the moon and
We git posy bed-all flowers and 10
peas
Il waited a few days and then planted
more peas just to test this moon busi-
ness. But l wanted further light on this
important question: so l walked up to
my neighbor and told him what / had
heard about the pea problem.
There ain't nothin in it, said he in
dignantly, but you stick out ingun (on-
ion) sets in the new of the moon and
they'll all come to the top of the ground +:
that's as true as preachin'.'
BY this time l was interested. very
deeply interested in this moon theory. I
hunted through the year books clear
back to the days when they were called
Patent-office reports, but not a word
could find about the connection between
the moons nbaQac nd
Cornell Reading Course the reports Of
the Iowa experiment station, and the crop
bulletins of the Weather Bureau were
scanned without result. Last Monday AL
fred Gilman, one of the best farmers in
the whole country, came down to help
me out for a day.
"'Well Alfred said I. how about this
moon business? Do you think 1t makes
any difference whether peas are sowed in
the new" or the old of the moon?'
wal replied Alfred. I've heered
this Teller up at the burg tellin' tibet kind
of stuff. but l don't take no stock in il .
But say, eff yer want luck with cucum-
bers, now don't plant a hill till the moon
changes. / know what I'm talking about
when IL comes to cukes.'
ALFRED slapped the lines down hard on
the back of the near horse, and stepping
into the furrow continued his blowing.
concluded to consult Tommy Foster. He
lives nearby and always go to him for
real scientific agricultural information
I told him all l had learned about the
moon.
'Pshaw,' he said; my theory is that
the time 10 plant peas, cucumbers or
anything else is when the ground is ready
and the weather fine. Let the moon 60
But say, he added. i believe the moons
got something to do with weaving pigs.
Now. one year had fine litter OF Ches-
ter Whites. / took them all away from
the old SOW when thought they were big
enough. and you never heard such squeal-
ing as they kept up ell night. Next morn
from over by Celeryville who'd raised
hundreds OF pigs. Say Tommy he said
you wait TIL next week. The moon
changes Monday and after that you can
wean en- all right Well. sir. Put them
pigs back with their mother and left 'em
a week. When / took EN- away again
their stayed as peaceful as a healthy baby
with full stomach. / don't take any
stock In the moons influence on crops
but I'll be hanged II the Queen OF the
Night, as the poets call her. don't have
some kind Of influence in the matter OF
weaving pigs
i've come back 10 Washington" SAYS
Hamilton. TO see the Secretary Of ARri-
culture and ask him 10 FIRE q lot OF these
experts and hire helpers who know use
ful things about the moon"