Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-06
"DOG DAYS.

Last sunday was the IlrSI OF the
dog days, and 1t rained."
The foregoing statement was pub
lished in The Enquirer of last Fri
day. 1t was taken from one Of our
exchanges, the Keowee Courier, we
think; but Of that we are not certain.
The paper has been destroyed and 1t
Is not convenient to confirm our i'm
preston.
We want to say that at the time the
statement was published, we were
aware that there is much difference of
opinion as to when dog days begin
and some little dispute among the
weather-wise.
During the afternoon citizen of
Yorkville challenged the statement
with the assertion that according to
a we'll known North Carolina alma
nae maker. dog days commenced on
July IL, and the citizen also observed
that on that day it rained.
Another citizen said that Mr.. Grant
of Chester, who has considerable rep
utation among the weather-wise,
holds that dog days commenced on
July 25. Mr.. Grant was also repre-
sented as holding that dog days have
no connection with the dog star.
Because of these challenges we
have taken the trouble to investigate
the subject as far as we could get as
sistance from different authorities at
hand. The result is some informa-
ton, but no definite, positive determi-
nation Of the question as to when dog
days actually begin.
The Crown Encyclopedia, handy
little reference work published by the
Christian Herald, says:
Dog days, the name applied by the
ancients to a period Of about forty
days, the hottest season Of the year, at
the time Of the heliacal rising Of ST.
rius, the dog star. The time Of the
rising is now, owing to the procession
Of the equinoxes different from what
1t was to the ancients, and the dog
days are now counted from July to
August IL, that is twenty days before
and twenty days after the heliacal
rising.
The New American Encyclopedia
says:
Dog days, among the ancients, the
period of the greatest heat In sum-
mer, so named because In the lati-
tude of the Mediterranean, this pc
riod nearly corresponded with that In
which the dog star rose at the same
time with the sun. To this conjunc-
ton all antiquity and all the later fol-
lowers Of judicial astrology ascribe a
malignant influence. The heliacal
rising of the dog star is a very indefi-
mite phenomenon. Its precise date
cannot be determined, and owing to
the procession Of the equinoxes, 1t
does not now occur till about August
10, when the greatest heat Of the sea-
son Is often over. So uncertain Is the
time, that the ancients indiscrimi-
nately ascribe the evil influence to
Sirius and Procyon (the largest stars,
respectively, Of canis major and MI
nor) though there are several days diff
erence In their heliacal rislngs. The
modern almanac makers sometimes
reckon the dog days from July "a to
August "a, and sometimes from July
to August II.
The quotation of all the authorities
that can be found would consume
more space than the subject seems to
Justify; but 1t would hardly be fair to
ignore Webster's International, which
is generally regarded as final. Here
we find:
Dog Days. period Of from four
to six weeks, In the summer, various
ly placed by the almanac makers be-
tween the early part of July and the
early part Of September; canicular
days:-so called in reference to the
rising, I'm ancient times, Of the dog
star (Sirius) with the sun. Popularly
the sultry, close part of the summer,
The conjunction Of the rising Of the
dog star with the rising of the sun
was regarded by the ancients as one
of the causes of the sultry heat OF
summer, and of the maladies which
then prevailed. But as the conjunc-
ton does not occur at the same time
in all latitudes and is not constant In
the same region for long PERIOD,
there has been much variation In cal
endars regarding the limits or dog
days.
The astronomer. Roger Long. states
that in an ancient calendar In Bede
(dled 1859 the beginning Of dog days
is placed on the 14th Of July; that In
q calendar prefixed to the Common
prayer. printed in the time of Queen
Elizabeth. they were said to begin
on the 9th of July. and end on the
5th of September: that from the res.
toration G660) to the beginning or
the New Style G752) British alma
macs placed the beginning on the 18TH
of July and the end on the 2Sth OF
August: and that after 1852 the be-
ginning was put on the 3Oth or july
the end on the 7th of September.
some English calendars now put
the beginning on July Sd and the end
ing on August 18th. A popular Amer
lean almanac of the present time
US9O) places the beginning on the
25th Of July, and the end on the 5th
of September.