Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-07

r
dom that is back of many of them.
! He notes that deep-sea fishermen will
weigh anchor and flee from a gather
ing storm when to the casual onlooker
J there is no sign of such storm, ana
| that the woodsman will note signlfl-
cant changes and understand them
when the average man would be con-
scious of no change. THE presclence
! of these men," says DR.. Humphreys,
| lis phenomenal" and then he proceeds
to a consideration of some OF the
proverbs which go to make up the
wisdom on which such people rely for
i guidance in weather matters.
some of these proverbs attempt TO
forecast conditions for an entire grow
ing season, and when they deal with
results rather than with types or
weather, Dr. Humphreys says, they
are frequently nationally founded.
Take, fer instance, this proverb:
Frost year,
Fruit year;
OR to state it in another form.
Year of snow,
Fruit will grow;
m. mt II in still another form:
i. year of snow. a year of plenty.
"rbat these and similar statements
! are commonly true says DR. Humph-
revs. lis evident from the fact that
| ,nore or less continuous covering OF
snow. incident to a cold winter, not
only DELAYS the blossoming OF iroi.
trees till after the probable season OF
killing frosts, but also prevents ina.
alternate thawing and freezihs 80
ruinolIs to wheat and other winter
grains. In short, as another proVere
nuts it. Il late spring never ae-
ceives.
Another series of proverbs forecast
weather conditions from the appear :
ance of the sun, moon anc stars anu
tho skv like. the proverbs forecasting
,ha seasons some of them are Duiit
! ,,ran tho sure foundation of accurate
observation and correct reasoning. II
is with these latter only that II
tIn,nbrevs deals. \ familiar proVefp
of this class is this:
| A red sun has water IN MS eye.
| Quantities of dust in damp a,iiio9
phere produce red sun, or sillohe'
IL cf sufficient quantities, Will 90 II
when the atmosphere is heaVliy
charged with dust particles that are
! ,,,o;s.rre laden we see the sun as q
farv ball. This dust has much 10 ac
+; win rainfall. for it has been scienti-
ss,,.+ demonstrated that cloud paftl-
clos and therefore rain. will not lo'iii
ordinarily, in a dust-free atliiosp ~
I hut will readily form when the a'i.ios'
| nbere is damp. A red sum- .iei '.
! commonly indicates the pressure
! both the essential elements-aus' 'n'
moisture. o,.orbs some goo
and useful and others misieadlhe' eo.'
/ oarnins the color of the SKY d. sui.se
] ord sunrise. From Shakespeare are III
following lines:
/ "A red morn that ever yet petoMe tm RI
| Wreck to the seamen,. tempest
sorrow 'd to the shepherds, woe to III
Gusts and md foul flaws to herdsmen ana
1 herds.
| Rut in many ways the most ihteres.i "a
+, of all these proverbs that nave 10
! With red sunrise and sunset. in Tn
| Judgment of DR. Humphreys, is the on
! which. according to the Gospel OF Mai
thew. Christ used in answer to III
| pharisees and Sadducees when the
(, asked Him to show them sign froi
Heaven;
He answered and said unto then
"Nhen it is evening, We say 1t VIII .
! fair weather, for the sky is red;
"And in the morning it will be 1o'
weather today, for the sky is red an
lowering
aft will be noticed comments ~
| Humphrevs. that an evening red SKY
: opposite type of weather from that II
! dictated by morning red. This, now
I. ever. is only an apparent contradiction
!. for the origin of the red is not tiic sam
in the two cases.
i If the evening sky low in the west
{ yellowish or greenish, or some othe
short wave-length color, then look o.
for clear weather, for these colors' say
DIR. Humphreys, indicate even less cor
densation and therefore dryer air ina
does red Hence, the following line
from Shakespeare express a genera
truth:
.srbe weary sun hath made a golden sc
i And by the bright track of his her
car
= Gives token of a goodly day tomorrow.
But if the evening sky is gray, then W
| may know that many wafer drops al
present, and that the dust particles haV
become loaded with moisture, which cor
dition favors rain, and justifies thes
proverbs:
| "If the sun set in gray,
| The next will be a rainy day.
If the sun goes pale to bed,
| Twill rain tomorrow, it is said.
. There are numerous proverbs base
on the assumption that the moon apr,
Gladly controls the weather. but scient
has proved them to be without reliabl
i t.. The following proverb bears out tn
scientific theory:
! 1.-The moon and the weather
May change together;
But change of the moon
Does not change the weather.
If we'd no, moon at all,
And that may seem strange.
+ We still should have weather
| That's subject to change
However, as DR.. Humphrey observes
The appearance of the moon depends vi
on the conditions of the atmospher,
and, therefore, proverbs based on phs
nomena of this nature are more or les
sound and have much value. Thus:
"Clear moon,