La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1906-06-30
FIXING THE SEASONS.
some People. >tiit Fellow the A.
sseAr Exspsfaa Methods


II. inhabitants of Borreo Ilake use
OF the same means for fixing the tiEies
Of their agricultural SEASONS were
used by the early Britons and in Egypt
between le1 and a,so Il. &. says the
Journal Of the Asiatic Society. They
rely. that is To say. on the time OF ris
ing of certain considerations just he
fore the sun. known To astronomers
as their heliacal rising Many an-
cienr temples ar. fonnd To lie "rlentei
10 the point OF the horizon which
marks the heliacal rising Of lie Pie
AIDES ON n May morning.
The natives OF Rorneo are using the
rising of the same constellation as a
guide 10 the proper time 10 prepare
their ground To grow their food sup
ply. When the dry season il pereeiv-
ed 10 lac approaching two men are sent
cut into the jungle to observe. There
they watch. perhaps a few nights. per
haps "A month, until the Fleiades are
seen ON the horizon just before the in
creasing sunlight causes the stars TO
fade Then they return to the village
and announce the fact. The inhabit-
ants now know that work on the for
est must be commenced. II by any
means they have missed the heliacal
rising of the Ptsiades and have delay
ed operations till orion's belt is seen
risin. just before the sun. they know
that they must work double shift. The
ground helne cleared. they then wait
Till the fleiades are at the zenith at
sunrise before they set fire To the rub
bish.
The above * the method adopted by
the Dyaks other neighboring tribes.
the kenyahs and kayans, make use OF
the length OF the shadow cast by
stick at noon to determine their sea
SONS. Situated a. they are between
the tropics, the shadow i east ON the
north or south of the stick. according
10 the time Of year. The length Of the
shadow also varies AZ the sun passes
from Cancer TO Capricorn AMI back.
The shadow Is measured by means OF
q notched stick. The notches repre-
sent the lengths Of shadow which ex-
perience has shown to correspond with
favorable times for their various arri-
cultural operations.
The Samoans. on the other hand. nx
their Seasons by the appearance OF
curious marine worm. which they call
the paiolo. The val palolo. or time OF
the palolo. Is the name Of one Of their
seasons. as spring Is one Of ours. This
strange worm lives In the intsrsiice>
of the coral reefs aud at certain sea
sons makes its appearance In the open
sea la immense numbers. II il eagerly
gathered and eaten 10y the natives.
If the swarm appears. say. at j
O'Clock la the morning. IL has totally
disappeared 10y . o'clock. Both male
nnd female worms break up into In
uumerai,le fragments, and tie eggs are
fortified In the water. The coming
of the palolo il regulated by the moon.
and yet. strange to say. In the long run
10 keeps solar time. If the dates of its
appearances were separated by twelve
lunar months. then. reckoning 10y the
day of the mouth. II would he eleven
days earlier each year. Ou the other
hand. " IL came every thirteen months
il would he eighteen days later each
year. This Is rectih"d by having In
every cycl. of three years one interval
OF thirteen aud two Of twelve months.
Finally by the addition Of an extra in
terynI of thirteen months In n cycle OF
twenty -nlne years the error i less
than one day ia century.