SUMMER MEETING AT BROOKFIELD. 119 



between the action of the air in a tornado and that of the water in a 

 basin is, that in the latter the water descends through the hole in the 

 bottom, while in the former the air ascends in a narrow opening through 

 the air strata above. 



PREVISION OF THE WEATHER. 



It would be of great advantage to the farmer and horticulturist if 

 rain and other features of the weather could be predicted. But the 

 present condition of meteorology is such that little can be done in this 

 line. It is true the Signal Service and State Weather bureaus have 

 done much toward indicating the coming weather for a day or two in 

 advance, where observations of the weather are telegraphed from nu- 

 merous points all over the country ; but the farmer and horticulturist 

 who do not have these observations, or access to weather charts, can 

 only judge of coming weather from one standpoint — by observing cer- 

 tain indications which usually precede rain and other features of 

 weather. There are hundreds of weather proverbs used for this pur- 

 pose, most of which are not only useless, but even mischievous. Many 

 of them, however, are in some degree reliable, but none of them are 

 by any means infallible. We have seen that one of the conditions of 

 rain is a damp atmosphere. All the weather proverbs based upon the 

 actions of plants and animals, and upon the appearances of the sun, 

 moon and sky before rain, simply indicate that there is much moisture 

 in the air, which gives rise to the observed phenomena ; but as this is 

 only one of the conditions of the rain, if the others aie wanting, such 

 observed phenomena, regarded as indications of rain, frequently fail. 

 And all proverbs used in predicting weather for more than a few days 

 in advance, as dry and wet seasons and fruitful years, are utterly falla- 

 cious. 



INFLUENCE OF THE MOON. 



The moon is a cold and barren body, without atmosphere and mois- 

 ture and entirely incapable of sustaining either animal or vegetable life 

 upon its own surface, at least such as we have here; yet it is supposed 

 to have great influence over both on our globe. Not only every phase 

 of the moon and the hour of the day at which it occurs, but likewise 

 the sign of the zodiac in which it is in its monthly circuits, is supposed 

 in some way to have a great influence over the weather. So great a 

 hold upon some minds has this foolish notion that scarcely anything 

 in the way of sowing, planting or reaping, or, in fact, in any kind of agri- 

 cultural or horticultural work, without first consulting the moon. And 



