176 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



moon obtaining during the planting season, as the 

 planting season extended over the fnll period of 

 one month, and planting was begun so as to get 

 the advantage of planting in the light and dark 

 of the moon, and its first quarter, half moon, full 

 moon, last half and last quarter. 



The planting came fully up to what was neces- 

 sary to make a good experiment and growing sea- 

 son was favorable. According to the theory out- 

 lined above, the peas planted in the light of the 

 moon should have borne the bumper crop, but 

 when this planting was nearly ready to harvest a 

 severe hail storm swept across the farm, and while 

 the hail did not destroy the vines, yet every pod 

 on the vines had been hit by five or more hail 

 stones, which resulted in the destruction of the 

 crop, as peas never mature when hail stones hit 

 the pods before the peas are ready to harvest. 



This storm was peculiar in the respect that there 

 was no hail on either side of the farm, but of 

 course we could not say that the influence of the 

 moon had anything to do with this fact. 



Notwithstanding the hail storm damaged the 

 peas planted in the light of the moon, yet it was 

 easy to see that the crop would have been splendid 

 if it had not met with misfortune. 



The peas planted at the time of the other stages 

 of the moon also made a good crop. In fine, we 

 could see no difference in the productiveness of 

 the crop upon any of the fields. One planting was 

 as good as the other. 



We have planted potatoes both in the light and 

 dark of the moon and never observed any differ- 

 ence, yet we have always made it a rule to plant 



