174 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



to full moon). Plant everything that goes to root (like pota- 

 toes, beets, turnips, carrots, onions, peanuts, etc.), in the dark 

 of the moon (last quarter before new moon). 



"As a test: Say you have a twenty-acre field for wheat; 

 sow one-half in dark of moon, and other half in light of moon. 

 Any man passing along by the field when the grain is ripe, 

 can see the difference in quality and height. The lark sit- 

 ting on the fence, singing, can see the difference; and should 

 you scare her from her perch she would certainly fly into 

 the tallest grain to hide, which would be that which was 

 planted in the light of the moon. 



"I do not mean to say that so doing will insure your crops ; 

 seed and soil conditions must likewise be right and seasonable. 



"Another test: Dig your post-holes and place fence-posts 

 and nail on your boards in the light of the moon. After a 

 winter's freezing and thawing your fence is tipped to one 

 side and the posts have heaved up, more or less. Again, 

 dig the post-holes in the dark of the moon. Let it freeze 

 and thaw, your fence-posts remain just where you placed 

 them. 



"A third test: Say you are going to shingle shed or house. 

 Shingle one-half of same in the dark of the moon, then finish 

 shingling the other half in the light of the moon. The shin- 

 gles placed on roof in the dark of the moon will lay flat and 

 smooth; the other half of roof shingled will turn up a little 

 at ends. 



"In Sonoma County, Cal., I saw where a man had trimmed 

 two rows of prune trees in the dark of the moon. The tip 

 ends of trimmed limbs died one and a half to two inches back. 

 He pruned the balance of the orchard in the light of the moon, 

 and the limbs healed over on the tips where cut off. 



"Again : Place a large two-inch-thick plank, or a large flat 

 sandstone, on your blue-grass lawn in the light of the moon, 

 and let it remain during the summer months. The grass 

 underneath will turn a whitish yellow and continue to live 

 and grow. Place same during the dark of the moon, and let 

 it remain same length of time, and the grass under plank or 

 stone will die, roots and all. 



"Let the moon shine upon all kinds of edge tools for a 

 length of time and it will take the temper out. 



