The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-04-29
Before Uncle Sam and His
Staff Of Scientific Men
Took the Matter Up.
Sufficiently Reliable for All
General Purposes and Still
Relied Upon.

the best of it now in foretelling 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
a rainbow comes your way, says the
Scientific American, and see for your
self.
A combination Of rain and sunshine
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
Will pour down rain upon his head.
This is but an adoption of the adage
that red sunset is a sign Of clear
weather, and if the sun goes down in
a cloud rain will surely come the next
day.
If it clears off in the night, look for
rain the next day. If smoke from the
chimney settles instead Of rising there
is storm at hand. When sound travels
long distance there Is also storm
near. Never expect much storm in
the old Of the moon. The absence OF dew
and an unusually heavy dew are alike
forerunners of rain. Not much frost
need be expected in the light of the
moon. An owl hooting in the hol-
low is sign of cold storm; on the
hill it foretells a thaw.
II a hornet builds low the winter
will be hard. When the leaves fall
early the winter will be long. When
snow falls on a. hard road it will not
last long The last spring snowstorm
never comes until after the sugar
snow" which may be recognized by
coming in unusually large flakes and
only lasting a few minutes. If the hogs
melt is found big at the front the first
part Of the winter will be the most Sc
we're; II the reverse is true we may
look for hard weather in February or
in March.
Bright northern lights bring severe
cold. If the sun shines on the second
day Of February so as to permit the
woodchuck to see it's shadow, it will go
back into it's hole and remain six weeks
If March comes in like a lamb 1t will go
out like q lion; If it comes in like a
lion it will go out like lamb. In
other words, one extreme at the be-
ginning promises the reverse at the end
Of the month. Sundays indicate bad
storm.
Distant sounds distinctly heard FORE
bode no good weather. If the sun
draws up water it will rain. The
pitcher sweating and the teakettle boil
ing also indicate rain. Cobwebs thick
ly spread upon the grass are indications
of fair weather.
Animal life seems, according to the
popular notion, to have peculiar warn
ings regarding the weather changes.
Some of these are explainable by natur-
al causes. It is a fact recognized by all
intelligent stockmen that cattle have an
intimation of an approaching storm
some hours before it is visible to the
human eye. There is a certain restless
ness which the cowboy has learned to
interpret at once. When you see pig
pasturing in the field build for itself
nest, you may look for storm.
Chickens take extra pains In oiling
their feathers just before rain. Pea
fowl send forth their shrill cries as
warning and when the quail cries more
wet" from the meadow, the farmer
works bris]kly to get his hay under shell
ter. If the chicken and the scarlet
pimpernel expand their tiny petals, rain
need not be expected for a. few hours.
Bees work with redoubled energy just
before a rain. If the flies are unusual
ly persistent, either in the house or
around stock, there Is rain in the air
The cricket sings at the approach Of
cold weather. Squirrels store large
supply Of nuts, the husks Of corn are
uous trees have a firmer protecting
coat If a severe winter is at hand. If
the poplar or quaking ash leaves turn
up the under side, rain will follow.
If the fog rises in the morning, 1t is
a sign Of rain; If it settles, clear day
may be expected. Watch the smallest
cloud you can see. If it Increases in
size it is going to rain; II it melts
away and vanishes completely, fair
weather will follow.
If the camphor bottle becomes roily,
it is going to storm. When 1t clears,
settled weather may be expected. This
idea has seemingly been utilized in the
manufacture of some Of our cheap ba-
rometers. The main trouble is, they
seldom foretell the change until about
the time It arrives.
Last, but not least, rheumatics can
always tell 1t 'fn their bones" when a
storm is approaching, and to this prog
nostication the octogenarian Of today
is as firm an advocate as were his
forefathers.