1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



245 



first quarter, full and last quarter, are to midnight, 

 the fairer will the weather be during the seven 

 days lollowing. 



2. The space fir this calculation occupies from 

 ten at night till two next morning. 



3. The nearer to iniii-day, or noon, the phases 

 of the moon happen, the more toul or wet weather 

 may be expected during the next seven days. 



4. The space for this calcidation occupies from 

 ten in the forenoon to two in the alternoon. These 

 observations refer principally to summer, though 

 they atlect spring and autumn nearly in the same 

 ratio. 



5. The moon's change, — first quarter; — full, — 

 and last quarter, happening during six of the af- 

 ternoon hours, i. e. from four to ten, may be Jbl- 

 lowed by fair weather ; but this is mostly depend- 

 ent on the wind, as it is noted in the Table. 



6. Though the weather, from a variety of ir- 

 regular causes, is more -jncertain in the latter part 

 of autumn, the whole of winter, and the begin- 

 ning of spring ; yet, in the main, the above obser- 

 vations will apply to those periods also. 



7. To proirnosticate correctly, especially in 

 those cases where the icind is concerned, the ob- 

 server should be in sight of a good vane, where 

 the (bur cardinal points of the heavens are correct- 

 ly placed. With this precaution he will scarcely 

 ever be deceived in depending on the Table. 



It is said that the late Dr. Darwin, having 

 made an appointment to take a country jaunt with 

 some friends on the ensuing day; but perceiving that 

 the weather would bo unfavorable, sent as an ex- 

 cuse (or not keeping his promise, a poetical epis- 

 tle containing an enumeration oi'most of the signs 

 oC approaching ill iceather. — I have enlarged these 

 by adding several new ones, and remodellinir 

 others ; and subjoin it as very useful, and a thing 

 easy to be remembered. 



Signs of approaching foul weather. 



The hollow loinds begin to blow ; 



The clouds look black, the glass is low ; 



The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep ; 



And spiders from their cobwebs peep. 



Last night the sun went pale to bed; 



The moon in haloes hid her head. 



The boding shepherd heaves a sigh, 



For see, a rainbow spans the skyT 



The ivalls are damp, the ditches smell, 



Closed is the pink-eyed pimpernell. 



Hark ! how the chairs and tables crack, 



Old Betty's joints are on the rack : 



Her corns with shooting pains torment her, 



And to her bed untimely sent her. 



Loud quack the ducks, the sea-fnirl cry, 



The distant hills are looking nigh. 



How restless are the snorting sivine ! 



The 6usi/7Zies disturb the A-me. 



Low o'er the grass the swalloio wings. 



The cricket, too, how sharp he sings ! 



Puss on the hearth, with velvet paxos. 



Sits wiping o'er her whiskered jaws. 



The smoke from chimneys right ascends ; 



Then spreading, back to earth it bends. 



The loind unsteady veers around 



Or settling in the south is found.' 



Through the clear stream the^s^es rise 



And nimbly catch the incautious ^les. 



The glow icorms, numerous, clear and bright, 



Illumed the dewy hill last night. 

 At dusk the squalid toad was seen, 

 Like (juadruped. stalk o'er the fjieen. 

 The whirling wind the dust obeys. 

 And in the rapid eddy plays. 

 The/rog has rhanired his yellow vest, 

 And in a russet coat is dressed. 

 'I'he sky is green, the air is still ; 

 The mellow blackb'rd's voice is shrill. 

 Tlie dog, so altered is his taste. 

 Quits mutton bones, on gross to fi'ast. 

 J)ehold the rooks, how odd their flight, 

 They imitate the gliding kite. 

 And seem precipitate to fall, 

 As if they felt the piercing ball. 

 The tender colts on back do lie, 

 Nor heed the traveller passing by. 

 In fiery red the s«/?- doth rise. 

 Then wades through clouds to mount the skies. 

 'Twill surely rain, we see't with sorrow, 

 No working in the fields to-morrow. 

 Hoping that this paper will be of some use to 

 your country readers, I am, dear sir, yours truly,. 



Ar)Aar Clarke. 



REMARKS ON DR. CLARKe's WEATHER TABLE. 



To the Editor of the fanners' Register. 



I now comply with your request, in sending yoti 

 for publication, a copy of the Weather Table 

 which was published in the New England Farm- 

 er, in December, 1830, with the remarks, &c. an- 

 nexed. The table will speak (or itself; but as you 

 wished my observations relative to its correctness, 

 and as I have had the table since 1830, and no- 

 ticed particidarly how for it was correct, I now 

 give you a (i^w of them. Judging from the ob- 

 servations of seven years, I can truly say no certain 

 re'iance can be placed on the rules in general ; but 

 slill the table will be found more often correct than 

 otherwise in its prognostics o^wet weather. I am 

 now writing Monday evening, the 4th of June, 

 and it is raining and blowing most severely. It 

 rained on Saturday, and has been cloudy and moist 

 ever since, and now we have a severe storm, 

 which promises to last some hours. Well, by the 

 Almanac, the first quarter of the moon was on the 

 31st May, Thursday, 25 minutes past 2 o'clock in 

 the morning. 



The Weather Table says, that the weather 7 

 days from Thursday morning, 25 minutes past 2 

 o'clock, would be on the average cold, with fre- 

 quent showers. It is cool, and we have had rain 

 before the present violent storm, and the weather 

 thus far has nearly corresponded with the prog- 

 nostic. It has corresponded as to cool rainy- 

 weather, and it will rarely be found to answer to 

 the prognostics in the table more correctly. 



My observations have convinced me, that in the 

 summer season there is much more reliance to be 

 placed on the table than at any other season. If 

 any change, quartering, &c. of the moon takes 

 place near 12 o'clock in the day, I have never 

 known ii to fail to rain copiously some time in the 

 course of the next 7 days, and most frequently 

 the season is a Avel one during those days. If, 

 however, it rains copiously a day or two before 

 such change, occasional showers onlv occur during 

 the period. The change of the moon on the 23d 

 day of May last, between 11 and 12 o'clock in the 



