ASTRONOMY. 7 



years, during which the moon will prove beneficial 

 to the farmer for reaping and gathering in the fruits 

 of the earth; viz. from 1816 to 1825 inclusive. 

 The preceding nine years, namely, from 1807 to 

 1815 inclusive, were, from natural causes, of the class 

 in which the harvest moon was least beneficial, such 

 will also be the years from 1826 to 1882. 



Spring and Neap Tides. 



The forces of the moon and sun's attraction are to 

 each other as 51 to 10; the sum and difference of 

 these numbers are 61 and 41, and therefore the 

 spring tides caused by the sun will be to the neap 

 tides as 61 to 41, or 6 to 4 ; that is, the first are 

 one third greater than the last. If the sun therefore 

 can raise the tide 1 foot 1 1 inches, the moon will 

 raise it 9 feet 1 1 inches, and both together, during 

 the spring tides, about 1 1 \ feet, but in neap tides 

 only about 7J feet. This furnishes a general notion 

 of the tides, which, however, admits of much variety 

 and many exceptions from local and other circum- 

 stances. 



Old and New Style. 



Since the commencement of the present century, 

 the difference between the old and new style is 12 

 days, another day in addition to the prior 11, having 

 been thrown out in the year 1800, by assigning to 

 February only 28 days.* 



Golden Number. 



Meton discovered that 19 years contain 235 luna- 

 tions, (within 2^ hours;) so that, at the end of 19 

 years, the solar and lunar years began again on the 



* This loss of a day to the whole civilized world, was scarcely 

 remarked at the time. 



