WE A 



WEA 



487 



a hot day, and in other parts a cool | 

 one ; and the changes of weather ' 

 are not just the sanne in the inari- i 

 time as in the inland parts. The | 

 latter are hotter in summer and 

 colder in winter than the mari- 

 times. 



That our farmers may enable 

 themselves to form judicious prog- 

 nostications, some parts of knowl- 

 edge, falsely so called, ought to be 

 unlearned, or exploded ; as weeds 

 must be extirpated that useful 

 plants may be nourished. 



Those who draw their prognos- 

 tics from the motions and aspects 

 of the celestial bodies are certainly 

 less apt to attend to more sure ob- 

 jects in the earth and atmosphere. 



If any celestial influence is to 

 be much regarded in this case, one 

 would think it ought to ])c only 

 that of the earth's satellite, the 

 moon, because of its nearness. 

 That she influences the tides is 

 well known ; and these may have 

 a small influence on the winds and 

 weather. And probably vapours 

 may be more copiously raised when 

 she is nearest to the earth, which 

 aflfords a greater probability of ap- 

 proaching rain or snow. 



But what reason can there be as> 

 signed, for supposing that her place 

 in the heavens at the moment of 

 her full, change, or quartering, can 

 have any influence on our atmos- 

 phere ? Or that the weather in the 

 latter quarters, should be governed 

 by that in her former quarters? 

 These things, though believed by 

 many, have never been confirmed 

 by any set of accurate observa- 

 tions. The few that 1 have made 

 have rather tended to refute them. 



Barometrical observations may 

 be of some real use. " In general, 

 it may be expected, that when the 

 mercury rises high, a few days of 

 fair weather will follow ; if it falls, 

 rain may be expected." 



Birds of passage have always 

 been supposed to indicate the 

 nearness of approaching seasons, 

 by their removing to different cli- 

 mates. 



It is well known that the wea- 

 ther is much governed by winds. 

 Rain is very often preceded, and 

 accompanied by a south-east wind, 

 and snow by a wind from the 

 north-east, or north north-east : 

 And an east wind, continued twelve 

 hours, seldom fails to bring rain ; 

 and yet some rain often times 

 comes from every other quarter. 

 When the winds blow from any 

 point betwixt north and west the 

 weather is expected to continue 

 fair and dry. 



The weather is oftener unsettled 

 about the times of the equinoxes, 

 than at other seasons: And high 

 winds and storms are more to be 

 expected. 



Falling weather oftener happens 

 a little before or after the full and 

 change of the moon than at other 

 times, especially if she happen to- 

 be near to her perigree, at the 

 time of these changes. For the 

 attraction of vapours from the sur- 

 face of the earth is then greatest. 



The redness of the sky at the 

 I rising of the sun, has ever been con- 

 sidered as a sign of foul weather ap- 

 proaching; but it is far from being 

 infallible. 



The falling of heavy dews is a 

 sign of the continuauee of fair 

 weather. 



