Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-02-09
Groundhog Gets Good
Peep At His Shadow
If There Is Anything to Old Super.
stition, Next Forty Days Will
Be Rough

DelleNe CndC ola SrOununOS SIOfI
or not as you please, which is to the
effect that if the old boy sees his
shadow on February 2, the weather
for the ensuing six weeks is going to
be rough and rougher. Some folks
around these parts take lot Of
stock in it and others do not. But il
there is anything to it, then wher
he came out last Thursday morning
he swiftly crawled back into his hole
and probably pulled the hole in or
top of him, because the sun rose
bright and early and his hoginess.
the grounding, had not the slightest
difficulty in seeing something of
his likeness,
Legend and tradition about
grounding day which is also Candle
mas Day, is interesting. Leaving
out the porker business, February 2
is supposed to determine the follow
ing weather.:
There is a Scotch proverb about
it: eff Candlemas Day be fair and
clear, there'll be two winters in the
year."
However, regardless of how wide
ly the belief is held, weather sIatis-
tics show that there is no hing to it.
In one recent year, Canuiemas Day
was clear in the east and c.o,.dy in
the west, but winter lasted ..vre
than six weeks later throughout the
country. A study has also beer
made over period of Is years. OF
the nine winters that should have
been cold, only four actually were
and only two of the six that should
have been cold were really warm.
The grounding himself does not
thank those who wished on him the
job of making bad weather guesses
He didn't ask for it in the first
place. 1t was transferred to hi:
chunky shoulders by the early set
tiers in this country, who couldn't
find any European hedgehogs here
to take the blame for stormy wealth
er in midMarch. Hedgehogs arr
supposed to be the prognosticatins
shadow watchers in certain parts O
the old country.
The grounding, like several of hi
rodent relatives, is most improperly
| called out of his own name. He live:
in the ground, but he isn't anything
like hog. He is more nearly related
to the rabbits and squirrels and chip
munks. Under his other name
woodchuck, he is the object of {
quantity of rhyme nonsense about
manipulating hypothetical quantities
of timber. But the name means
merely a "chuck" that lives in the
wood. A related animal lives among
the rocks, and is therefore a rock
chuck. A third and more dignified
title is marmot, but this is seldom
given him in common usage. For the
most part, he is and will remain just
plain grounding.
AS a matter of fact, gronrdhog
day is not the only one in the calen-
dar that is supposed to influence the
weather afterwards Fine weather on
st. PauPs Day, January 25, is sup
posed to continue, not Tor 40 days,
but for the rest of the yea. There
is also 4 superstition, iae origin of
which is unknown, that November
21 has similar influence AS the
weather is on that day, so, it is said,
will be the following winter.
The absurdity of these ideas is
pointed out by Dr.. w. j. Humphreys
of the United States weather bureau
If the superstition were true and
November 21 is clear, the rest of the
winter, including St. Paul's day,
would be fair. And since St. PauPs
day necessarily would be clear, the
rest of the year will be also, the
next November 21 along with it. And
so around the cycle. If these super
atitions we've correct, men could sing
with truth. ''It amt gonna rain no
more"