36 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Saturn is now too near to the sun 

 to be observed, and on June 13 passes 

 to the east of that body and becomes 

 a morning star. 



Jupiter rises at 11 hrs. 55 min. P. M. 

 on June 1, and at 9 hrs. 58 min. P. M. 

 on June 30. It will be found in the 

 south toward midnight. 



On June 22, at 1 hr. 55 min. A. M. 

 (Eastern Standard Time) the sun will 

 reach its highest position in the heav- 

 ens. At this it will cease moving up- 

 ward from the celestial equator and 

 begin to move downward among the 

 stars. This day will therefore be the 

 longest day of the present year. 



The New Comets. 



The first comet to be discovered 

 during the year 1914 is a faint tele- 

 scopic object which is now moving 

 northeastward among the stars along 

 the path MN, Figure 1. It was nearest 

 the earth on May 15, but even when in 

 this most favorable position it required 

 a small telescope to render it visible. 

 As shown in Figure 2, it is now re- 

 ceding from us and its brightness will 

 therefore rapidly diminish. 



A very distant comet, discovered 

 last December, may become brilliant 

 toward the close of summer. This 

 comet must have great intrinsic bril- 

 liancy, for when first seen it was both 

 farther away from us and also brighter 

 in appearances than was Halley's 

 comet when it first impressed its 

 image upon the delicate photographic 

 plates with which it was being 

 searched for. During September this 

 comet will move through the constel- 

 lation of the Greater Bear and will 

 hence be at all times well above the 

 ground, in excellent position for ob- 

 servation. But whether it will then 

 be a conspicuous object or whether it 

 will even be visible without telescopic 

 aid, cannot at this early date be fore- 

 told. 



kins. The moon is now new ; plant 

 your moon flowers. The moon is now 

 full; harvest your cider apples. The 

 moon is now in the last quarter ; time 

 to plan for squash pies. 



He seriously informs us that he will 

 offer us every encouragement and fa- 

 cility for such study, in the new "Gar- 

 dener's Calendar," and that there will 

 be found, month by month, and day 

 by day the data necessary for planting 

 according to the moon's phases. All 

 of which is interesting and perhaps im- 

 portant, but as the experiment has re- 

 peatedly been made without appreci- 

 able effect one way or the other, it 

 seems superfluous, not to say a loss of 

 energy to repeat. Still, it has been dis- 

 covered that it is always at least safe 

 to plant in "the dark of the moon," 

 especially potatoes, whose eyes are 

 supposed to be injuriously affected if 

 exposed to moonlight soon after plant- 

 ing. We all know that every sailor 

 lhat sleeps on deck in the moonlight 

 becomes permanently blind. So with 

 potatoes. We all know that a potato 

 blinded by moonlight is peculiarly 

 liable to the "potato blight," because 

 it cannot see the germs of the "blight," 

 and so avoid them. This is all that 

 Ave know on this subject, but it is im- 

 portant and valuable. Like Mark 

 Twain, we are always willing to "leak 

 information." 



We Will Plant With the Moon. 



An astonishing editorial, entitled 

 "Astronomy and the Garden," appears 

 in the January number of "House and 

 Garden." The editor thinks that after 

 all there may be truth in the belief that 

 the moon has an influence on the 

 growth of plants. Will he start a de- 

 partment of instruction? He will. 

 Perhaps, for example : The moon is 

 now in first quarter ; plant your pump- 



Astronomy and the Garden. 



Somewhere midway between the 

 grotesque superstition of the vulgar 

 and the derisive skepticism of the ul- 

 tra-scientific, it begins to seem prob- 

 able that the truth about many things 

 may lie. And so it is here that it may be 

 well for us, as gardeners, to linger 

 awhile, in contemplation of the orb of 

 night. For the folk-lore of all the 

 earth is rich in lunar prognostications; 

 and where folk-lore gives credit, wise 

 men have come to doubt the wisdom of 

 doubting, even though they are unable 

 to offer scientific explanations. 



Indeed, it is "quite possible," and 

 perhaps much more ; therefore are we 

 not, quite possibly, neglecting rich op- 

 portunities by failing to make such 

 study? It would seem that we might 

 be. So, in this belief, we shall offer 

 our readers, during the coming year, 

 encouragement and facility for such 

 study, in the new "Gardener's Calen- 



