The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-10-04
FIXING TIME OF SEASONS.
Some Strange Customs That Are
Observed by Far Eastern
People.

The inhabitants Of Borneo make use
Of the same means for fixing the times
Of their agricultural seasons as were
used by the early Britons and in
I Egypt between 1000 and 1000 B. c.,
says the Journal of the Asiatic soci-
ETY.. Thoy rely. that is to say, on the
time of rising OF certain consultations
just before the sun-known to astron-
omers as their heliacal rising. Many
ancient temples are found to be ORR
ented to the point of the horizon
which marks the heliacal rising of the
Pleiades on May morning.
The natives of Borneo are using the
rising of the same constellation as a
guide to the proper time to prepare
their ground to grow their food sup
ply. When the dry season is per-
ceived to be approaching two men are
sent out into the jungle TO observe
Thsre they watch. perhaps a few
nights. perhaps a month, until the
Pleiades are seen on the horizon just
before the increasing sunlight causes
the stars TO fade. Then they return
to the village and announce the fact
The inhabitants now know that work
on The forest must be commenced. II
by any means they have missed the
heliacal rising of the Pleaides and have
delayed operations till Orion's belt is
seen rising just before the sun, they
know that they must work double
shift The ground being cleared, they
then wait till the Pleiades are at the
zenith at sunrise before they set fire
to the rubbish.
The above is the method adopted by
the Dyaks. 0ther neighboring tribes
the Kenyahs and Kayans, make use
Of the length of the shadow cast by a
stick at noon to determine their sea-
sons. Situated as they are between
the tropics, the shadow is cast on the
north or south of the stick according
to The time Of year. The length of the
shallow also varies as the sun passes
from Cancer to Capricorn and back.
The shadow is measured by means of
a notched stick. The notches repre-
sent the lengths Of shadow which ex-
perience has shown 10 correspond
with favorable times for their various
agricultural operations.
The Samoans, on the other hand, fix
their seasons by the appearance of a
curious marine worm, which they call
the palolo. The yai-palolo, or time Of
the paloio, is the name of one Of their
seasons, as spring is one OF ours. This
strange worm lives in the interstices
OF the coral reefs, and at certain sea-
sons makes its appearance in the open
sea in immense numbers. II is eager
ly gathered and eaten by the natives.
II the swarm appears, say, at three
o'clock in the morning It has totally
disappeared by nine O'Clock. Both
male and female worms break up into
innumerable fragments. and the eggs
are fertilized in the water. The COM
ing of he palolo is regulated by the
moon, and yet, strange to say, in the
long run 1t keeps solar time. II the
dates Of its appearances were separat-
ed by u lunar months, then, reckon
ing by the day of the month, it would
be II days earlier each year. On the
other hand. II II came every Is months
It would be is days later each year
This is rectified by having in every
cycle of three years one interval OF
1s and two of 12 months Finally. ~
the addition Of an extra interval Of 1S
months in a cycle Of 2s years the error
is less than one day in a century.