The sun., 1908-03-22
ASTHE CATERPILLAR FORETOLD.
Spring Coming on the Schedule Made Out
by the Only True weather sharp.

Spring Coming on tle Scneuulo WAue Out
BY the Only True weather sharp.
This winters coming out just exactly
as the caterpillar said IL would
The New York broker looked hard at
the Jersey commuter on the next stool
at the lunch counter who had made the
remark
sHuh'' he grunted and bit into his
doughnut.
Il said the caterpillar predicted this.
winter, and it's coming right along accord
ing 10 schedule
After another speculative look the city
man said
well, / suppose I've got to learn It,
Shoot away but not for anything bigger
than the lunoh.'
The Jerseyman laughed.
"No, there's no trick in It. Didn Z you
ever hear about the caterpillar as an
almanac and a weather prophet
Il did not. Thought you farmers went
by goose bones and ooons' tails
sNo, the goose bone and the coon tail
sound all right, but I don't know any
thing about 'em myself, But the cater
pillar I've kept tab on. He delivers the
goods.
sI'd never heard about II until some
soven years ssc, One day N the fsl! !
drove from my place about nine or ten
miles back In the country TO get some
Wyandotte chickens from farmer.
we loaded 'em and then went into the
house TO settle up. There was glass jar
ON the mantel, with some leaves and grass
In It, and on the grass was big black and
brown caterpillar, the kind you always
see crawling around on the ground at the
fall time.
collecting specimens1' says to the
farmer.
sNo. watohln' the weather says he,
Didn't ye ever know about the cater
pillar?
mo says /.
well says he, there's the only sure
way to tell what the weather's goin' to be.
All the rest is bogus.
s'You take one o. these black and brown
oaterpillars In the fall, and his markin g
is a map Of the winter you're goin' TO get.
Now the caterpillars every fall are all
marked alike, but from year TO year they
vary. The brown marks are the warm
weather and the black marks are the stifi
winter, weather. Sometimes you'll see
EN- ali biacs al both ends and light Deli
\ in the middle. That II mean that January d
Roln' TO be open, and the first and last
half Of the winters bound 10 be hard
-'And does 1t always work outP asked
him.
s'Well, I've been cagin' caterpillars for
goin' on forty years now, an ] never knew
1t to fail yet
Il laughed at him and went away. That
afternoon saw a caterpillar on my back
porch. Il was marked just like his, and a.
sure a. you're born the winter came Out
Just az they said II would.
After spring / never thought about Il
again till I saw a caterpillar one day In the
fall. Then I watched for them, and they
we're all marked alike again. Since that
I've been Watching them every year, anc
thew never make a mistake
And what did they say last falli'
Last fall every caterpillar, every one
was solid brown from his head back little
moro than third Of HE length. Then thsrc
was a black band, a good deal narrower
and all the after part was brown again.
Now what has como outi Why, there
wash I any winter TIL along after New
Yea RS. We had some cold weather the
latter part Of January and the fore part oi
February, but nothing worth speaking Of.
1T hasn't shown q good zero streak yet
| And you can take II from me It'll be an
early spring. I'll plant peas by the cater
pillar
Him. pondered the New Yorker; think
| a caterpillar In September could have called
the turn on what's happened In this mar
keti'
s0h, don't joke at funeral said the
other as he climbed Oh the stool. But
at thGt liz looking for an early spring