Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-12
Frederic Haslkin' $. Letter
VANISHING sUPERsTITIoNS

seasons grew from the belief that
weather occurs in regular cycles.
This il q half truth. Weather is
ordinarily distributed in short
cycles Of three days. It takes a
high" or dry wave, about three
days to pass over q given place,
and stormy periods are Of approxi-
mately the same duration. From
this basis We get the adage, Three
frosts and then Q RAIN" which is
az likely to come true as not.
Superstitions about the moon, al
most without exception. have no
foundation. This is rather unfor-
tunate, as the moon superstitions
are the most numerous and the
dearest to the farmers heart.
Pliny, Cato, and other writer's as
sured the ancient Romans that oak
trees should be felled when the
moon is on the wane, and gave
them other advice relative to the
proper use of the moon in agricul-
ture. Ever since then, moon farm
ing has been popular. Hens must
be set and potatoes planted in the
dark Of the moon; sheep must be
sheared when the moon is bright.
When the young moon is tilted so
that one horn points upward, this
is a sign in some sections that the
moon is ready to pour out rain. In
other localities they say that the
moon is holding the rain, and a
drought should be expected. The
futility of either Interpretation is
apparent from the fact that the
moon appears practically the same
all over the country. and 1t is sure
to rain in some places and be dry
in others during the succeeding
days.
Scientists explode the moon the
cries by saying conclusively that
the moon moves in regular cycles
and has no effect on the weather
"If the moon was responsible for
the weather, forecasting would be
a picnic" said one weather expert
when questioned as to the moons
influence on weather and crops
"As the moon follows the same
course year after year, We would
have the same weather in cycles
without variation. If it controlled
atmospheric conditions"
"The moon controls tides. Of
course" said, the same expert, "bu1
il it has any influence whatever or
the weather. it is so slight that II
is swallowed up by the other in
fuences."
Superstition pursues the farmer
from the moonlit cornneld to the
barnyard. Here the effects arr
often tragic. So-called cures fol
diseases of stock and poultry art
often such as a Shakespeariar
witch might prescribe. and the re
suit is torture to the animals and {
weakened grade Of stock.
II a cow is sick, and stops chew
ing her cud. for instance. some
farmers still follow the old custom
Of putting mackeral down it,
throat, tail first, to Pill up the cud
The department of agriculture say
that many a cow has beer
,strangled to death by a dishclotl
being put down its throat for tn,
same purpose.
An equally sensible procedure il
to burn live chicken if there il
disease in the poultry flock. Thi'
ceremony is supposed to improv'
the health of the flock, though how
making one chicken suffer can hell
the rest it is hard to understand.
J The bureau of animal industry o
the department Of agriculture
grows indignant over these ant
! similar cruelties. There is al
abundance Of literature on ami
NAL diseases which can be hat
from the department for the ask
ing" said an official of the bureau
Such medieval methods, whel
they do not kill the victim. cal
only result in slower growth an,
stunting."
The hold that old customs hav,
on the people of a community il
due to the fact that they are oil
and ingrained. Some Of the super
stitious practices in regard to car
of cattle can be traced back t,
ancient times.
| You may remember the Bibl'
story, over five thousand years old
of Laban and Jacob and thei
f1ocks. The two patriarchs agree,
to divide their flock of sheep Jaco1
was to have the variegated of
spring, and Laban those Of soil,
color. In order to increase hi
share, Jacob took poplar wand
and partly peeled them and place,
them in the pastures. The idea wa
that the sight of the spotted stick
would influence the ewes, and thei
lambs would be variegated.
This ideas has long been pro
nounced unsound by scientists, We
it is not uncommon to find a mod
ern farmer who paints the fence O
his barnyard enclosure black, t
keep up the black strain in his cat
tie.