Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-22
"Opcn and she,
A sign of wet"

If the meaning of this seems vague,
It may be said that if the sky is filed
with clouds through which patches OF
blue appear rain may colne at any
time. says the New York Tribune:
Thousands of sailors believe implic~
lily in this Old rhyme:
Rec Mt night. the sailors delight;
Red in tho morning, sailors, take warn-
ing
The same valuable forecast is given
in the old couplct:
"Eveu!ng gray and morning red,
Bring down rain on the travellers head"
Equally trustworthy is the old coup
let:
Rain before seven,
Clear before ~'leven."
Or, the old saying:
a cold, wet May.
\ barn full of hay.'
The cat would no doubt be sur
priscd to know how potcntly it con-
trolls the weather. Many believe that
If q cat mcows OH the doorstep or
scratches wood it Is n "sure sign" Of
rain. Some say that If a cat sits fac
ing the north and washes it's face with
it's left paw, it is a sign that the wind
Is in the northwest. The paw used
by the cat and the position it assumes
are said to indicate the quarter from
which the wind Is blowing.
What c~ountry-bred boy does not
know that if he kills a snake and
hangs its dead body from the branches
of a tree rain will result? Should he
wish to insure fair weather he must
bury the dead reptile.
Should it rain on July Is, which is
st. Swithin's day, certain old farmers
in the East look for forty days of rain
in the next two months. They ais
believe that thick corn husks pOrtend
a cold winter, and that if cattle lie
down at once when turned out to pas
ture in the morning it may be accepted
as proof that it will rain within twen-
ty-four hours. or if chickens come out
while it Is raining the storm will not
last long, but if they keep closely I'M
der cover It Will be 4 long rain. =
There are those who swear by the
old saying that the sun shines every
Saturday but one in the whole year.
No date, however, is given for the sin
gle Saturday on which the u Will
not shine for a,slngle moment.
Birds, dogs, oxen and geese are also
supposed to have some sort Of ocult
faculty Of ~foreseeing the weather and
f%orecasting it by their actions. Even
the tiny ant is believed to possess pro-
phetic powers, and if one finds little
ant hills in the garden or lawn paths
in the morning they are accepted by
some as proof of a fair day. >
The old saying that "all signs fail
in dry weather must be comforting to
many weather prophets, who, In err
ing, want same saying to fall back on.
Rural postmen now carry flags indi-
eating weather conditions, and when
these forecasts do not make good
the weather prophet says with certain
truth: Uncle Sans got a lot to learn
vet about the weather." And yet, al
though the United States Weather Bu-
reau occasionally fails to make good
it's representations, one should not I'M
dervalue it's services on that account.
One cannot inquire into its achieve
ments without discovering that it is a
most valuable government institution
and that it is steadily increasing in
efficiency. 1t unquestionably saves
hundreds of lives and a vast amount
of property. According to n lnsur-
nee company, the United States
Weather Bureau saves no less than
$50, 600 worth of property annual
ly.