522 



SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



given below in the table. Copy this in your notebook and fill 

 it out. 



OBSERVATIONS ON MOON 



Record the shape by making a drawing. Record the place of 

 setting or rising by reference to the points of the compass. 



Superstitions about the moon. From the earliest times we 

 find reference to influences that the moon was supposed 

 to have on weather and the growth of crops. One of these 

 superstitions, connected with the best time for planting 

 seeds, was that seeds would grow better if they were planted 

 at certain phases of the moon. Another was that plants 

 grow better just after the moon has passed the full. Another 

 even more common superstition about the moon, still held 

 even to-day by some intelligent people, is that the moon 

 affects the weather. These supposed influences may be 

 grouped under two classes. 



In the first class are certain cloud effects produced in 

 connection with the moon, such as a ring around the moon, 

 and the supposed effect of the moon in clearing away the 

 clouds. In both these cases the moon through its light 

 simply discloses a condition that exists in the air, but in 

 neither case did the moon cause the condition. A ring 

 around the moon simply shows the gathering of clouds and 

 the presence of moisture in the air, which may indicate 

 the approach of a storm. When the new moon is supposed to 

 clear away the clouds, it simply means that the light shines 

 through the clouds and thus shows their thinness ; this is 

 misinterpreted to mean that the moon caused the thinning. 



