St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-03-25

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Barometer.
Not dainty affair with silver
or satin trimmings, nor yet with
the credentials of Uncle Sam al
tached; but constant companion,
shifting from the woods and fields
to skies was the weather
bureau of our 1randfathers; and
mingled with the signs and omens
of old there was just enough Of
fact that the old timer sometimes
gets the best of 1t now in foretell.
ing the weather.
'Rainbow at night, sailors delight.
Rainbow In the morning, sailors
take warning;
Rainbow at noon, rain very soon."
Just adapt this couplet the next
time rainbow comes your way,
and see for yourself.
A combination of rain and sun-
shine was also supposed to bring
rain the next day.
Another verse which found favor
was
Evening red and morning gray
Will set the traveller on his way:
Evening gray and morning red
! viii pour down rain upon his head.'
This Is but an adaptation of the
adage that red sunset is a slgn of
clear weather. And if the sun
goes down in cloud ram will
surely come the next day. If
smoke from the chimney settles in
stead of rising there IL q storm at
hand, excepting in dry weather,
when the prophet assures us that
''all signs FAIL"
If it clears off IN the night, look
for rain the next day. When sound
travels long distance there Is also
storm rear. Never expect much
storm in the old of the moon. The
absence Of dew aud an unusually |
heavy dew are alike forcrunners of |
rain.
Not much fros, need be expected
in the light of the moon. An owl
hooting in the hollow is sign of
a cold storm; on the bill it foretells
a thaw.
If the hornets build low, the
winter will be hard. When the
leaves fall early the winter will be
long. When snow falls on hard
road 1t will not last long. The last
spring snow storm never comes un-
til after the .'sugar snow" which
may be recognized BY coming in
unusually large flakes and lasting
only few minutes. If the Logs
melt is found big at the front the
first part of the winter will be most
severe; if the reverse is true, We
may look for hard weather in Feb.
ruary and March. Bright ''north-
ern lights" bring severe cold. If
the sun shines on the second day
of February so as to permit the
woodchuck to see his shadow, 1t
will 20 back into its hole and re.
main six weeks. If March comes
in like lion 1t will go out like
lamb. In other words, one ex.
treme at the beginning promises
the reverse at the end of the mouth.
Sun dogs indicate bad storm.
Distant sounds heard distinctly
forebode no good weather. If the
eun 'sdraws up water" it will ram.
The pitcher sweating and the tea
kettle boiling dry also indicate rain
Cobwebs tblckly spread upon the
grass are an indication OF fair
weather.
Aaimal life seems, according to
the popular notion, to have peculiar
warnings regarding the weather
changes. Some of these are ex-
plainable by natural causes. 1t is
fact recognized by all intelligent
slockmen that cattle have an inti-
nation of an approaching storm
some hours before it is visible to
the human eye. There is certain
restlessness which the cowboy has
learned to interpret at once. When
you see pig pastaring IN the field
build for itself a nest, you may
look for a storm. Chickens take I
extra pains in o,ling their feathers
lust before q rain. Pea fowls seEd