The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-09-14
Some Weather Proverbs
Reliable


Although great many popular notions
about the weather are fallacious, there are
some, crystalIized into proverbs after CEN
turtles of experience and observation,
atmospheric conditions accurately because
they are based on the physical conditions
on which the weather depends. Even the
scientific weather experts admit that ex-
pesienced farmers, sailors, woodsmen and
others who follow these ancient weather
sayings are able to forecast local weather
Usually it is impossible for anyone to
forecast the weather with any degree of ac-
most long-distance forecasts are nothing
more than guesses. Most people are more
or less familiar with the following weather
proverbs which relate to the weather tar in
advance: sFrost year, fruit year,, year
of snow, fruit will grow ga year of
plenty" and ga late spring never de-
ceives.''
In general these are reliable for cold
winter, with considerable snow, has the
effect of delaying the poisoning season
until after the danger of irost has past, the
wheat does not suffer from alternate freez-
ings and thawings and the hard continued
freezing of the ground serves to rednce the
number of pestiferous insects materially for
the coming growing season as we'll as to
put the soil into a mechanical condition
favorable to the production of good crops.
Old fashioned people sometimes say that
"a red sun has water in his eye mean
ing that when the sun is red rain may be
expected. This is in accordance with what
science has learned about the atmospheric
conditions that precede rain. The red sun
is usually do to quantities of dust in
and lowering"
Shakespeare referred to the same thing in
these lines:
"a red morn that ever yet betokened
Wreck to the seamen, tempest to the
field,
Sorrow to the sheperds, woe to the birds,
Gusts and foul flaws to herdSmen and to
herds
A popular proverb expresses practically
the same idea: ''Red in the morning,
sailors warning; red at night, sailors de-
light There is no contradiction in the
fact that red morning sky is taken as
moisture laden atmosphere. 1t has been
scientifically demonstrated that dust in the
atmosphere has a great deal to do with
rain; ordinarily clouds and rain will not
form in an atmosphere that is free from it.
The appearance of the sky at sunrise and
sunset is usually a reliable indication of the
kind of weather that may be expected later.
In the Bible it is recorded that when the
Pharisees and Saducees asked Christ to
show them sign from heaven, che an
swered and said onto them, when it is
evening ye say, it will be fair weather for
the sky is red; and in the morning it will
be foul weather today, for the sky is red,'
indication of bad weather while red
evening sky is regarded as betokening fair
weather; the origin of the color is different
in the two cases.
The proverbs, "clear moon, frost soon,"
and moonlight nights have the heaviest
frosts," are true because when the atmos-
phere is clear heat radiates most rapidly
from the earth so that heavy dew or frost
results. The moon proverb. ''Sharp horns
too do threaten windy weather, is also re,
liable for it is based on scientific truth.
There is considerable truth in the pro-
verb, "the higher the clouds, the finer the
weather." for the humidity, tenn perature
and motion of the atmosphere which are
important factors in Determining the
weather control in large measures the
height, shape and size of the clouds.