The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-13

starting for their home at Salt Lake. Iney
will visit Muncie and Noblesville and prob
ably remain in the State until after the
holidays.
Weather Folklore and Local Weather
Signs" is the title of an interesting volume
just issued at the United States Weather
Bureau. President Edward b. Garriott is
the author of the work. He asserts that
"our first parents acquired weather wisdom
by observing weather sequences and noting
the foreshadowed effects of certain at
mospheric conditions on objects animate
and inanimate." Professor Garriott quotes
many learned men on the weather, includ-
ing Bacon, Isaac. Walton, Captain Hares
and Howard. He also gives the local
weather saying in various sections of the
country. The Scriptures are called upon,
also, to enlarge the work, as follows:
when it is evening. We say it will be
fair weather, for the sky is red; and in the
morning it will be foul weather to-day. for
the sky is red and lowering" Matthew,
xvi. 2, 81
Here is another authoritys quoted by
Professor Garriott:
When oxen or sheep collect together as
If they were seeking shelter a storm may
be expected. Apache Indians.
The movements of the feathered tribe in
changes of weather are described as fol-
lows:
IF the cock goes Growing to bed.
He'll certainly rise with a watery head.
IF the wild geese gang out 10 sea,
Good weather there will surely be-"
When the peacock loudly bawls,
Soon We'll have both rain and squalls.
'The sun sets weeping in the lowly west.
pending weather changes only so far as
their appearance is affected by existing
atmospheric conditions
rThe sun reveals the secrets of the sky.
And who dares to give the source of light
I the lie."
THE sun sets weeping in the lowly West.
rest"
When the stars begin to huddle
The earth will soon become a puddle
1--WE may assume that the knowledge
acquired by first parents" says Pro
lessor GarriOtt, has communicated TO their
descendants and that it was handed down,
with additions and amplifications. from gen
GRAFTON TO generation. We find in the
earliest writings and in the Scriptures ex-
preSsions of weather wisdom, many of which
appear in collections Of the popular weather
deduction we know that man has ever en-
ployed inherited and acquired weather
wisdom in the daily affairs of life. When
fiockS and herds have constituted his earth
ly possessions he has been prompted to
lead his charges to places of safety when
signs of impending storms appeared. AS
of the air has, in innumerable instances
enabled him to adopt measures calculated
to avert disaster to his frail craft As an
husbandman ne has closely scanned the
sky, the air and the earth for signs that
would indicate the weather OF the coming
day and season.
THE wisdom thus acquired has been per-
petuated in the form of trite sayings or
proverbs. Many of these sayings are pol
iShed gems of weather lore, others have lost
their potency by transfer to foreign lands
where dissimilar climatic conditions OBJ
tain and large proportion have been born
Of fancy and superstition"
The magnitude of the agricultural indus
try in the United States is strikingly shown
in the recent report of Secretary Wilson.
Here is what he has to say concerning
farm productions:
THE height to which farm production
has risen to supply the demands of domes-
tic and foreign consumption should not be
| overlooked. Taking the range of recent
years, there is the product of wheat, 600,
900 to 150OO0.OO0 bushels, worth to the
farmer from $3.50 900, COO to $3.50 900, 200. On
more than 100000 acres grow 1000, 900 600 to
/ $50 100000 bushels of corn. with value
which ran up to more than 81, 900 O0O. 900 on
| the farm in 1902 t't
"The oats crop now reaches close TO 10O0.-
| the barley crop overruns 10o,000,OOO bushels,
| worth s50.0O0.00O. and the rice crop in l9Oz
amounted to $50, 600 900 pounds.
'One or the most valuable of all farm
| crops is that of hay, aggregating about
| 100000 to 60000.00O tons, worth $3.50 600 600
to $3.50, eco; ranging between 200 OOO 600 and
| 100000 5000 bushels is the potato crop
The acreage of the cotton crop has dis
played a tendency to increase considerably
| during the last few years, and in 1903 was
about q, 600 acres; the number of bales
produced In recent years ranges from 10,
| 100000 to 100000, while the value of the
entire crop on the plantations has gone as
high as ssh, 900 for the crop of 1900. or. if
| the seed is included, $3.50 100000,
Tobacco is another crop of expanding
proportions, and the prospect now is that
within few years ten figures will be re-
| quired to represent the annual production
| only some of the principal farm products
| have been mentioned, but these are suffi-
| Gent to indicate, in conjunction with infor-
nation concerning the less important prod
| ucts, that the value of all farm products
not fed to live stock for 1903 considerably
| exceeded their value in the census crol
| year 1893, when it was 1914, 100000
| 'Out of their continued abundance dur
| ing the past year, the farmers of the Ma
| ton have contributed food and raw ma
| terials for manufactures TO hundreds OF
millions of people in foreign countries be-
| sides sustaining s0,0o0,000 at home.
"A survey of half a century discovers
| the remarkable character of the movement
in which the farmers OF this country have
| become the chief purveyors of the world
In 1851 our shipments of farm products
were valued at s147,000.O00 while half d
century later. in 1901. they amounted t
/ 100000, an increase of SS05, 000. 900. OF
about $50 per cent. The farmers export
trade for the decade 1S5l-lS60 amounted 4
| 81, S96 100000 and in the following decade In
| spite of the transfer of multitudes of mer
| from productive TO destructive life, tn,
total was s.. i31. 100000 In the decade afte
| that the export trade doubled and amount
| ed to $4,S04, 100000. In the next decade tn,
| amount grew to S. 10000 000 and the tota
for the decade OF 1S9l-l9o0 was 81, 032 600 900 oil
| an average OF over Sos.ooo.ooo a year.
Dynamite Explosion Casualties.
| KENOVA, w Va, Dec. 12.-At a Norfoll
4 Western Railway camp On Big Sandy
| near here. to-day workmen We're thawin,