WEATHER. 



WEATHER. 



turist. And how soon may his fairest crops 

 be blighted by adverse and unfavourable sea- 

 sons, or by the baneful effects of scorching and 

 arid winds, of severe frosts, of heavy rains. 

 Some winds come fraught with disease and 

 death; murrain, malaria, and epidemics, in hot, 

 dry seasons, commit fearful ravages among his 

 live-stock ; and these are frequently to be attri- 

 buted to some mysterious atmospheric agency: 

 other winds bring swarms of noxious insects 

 and predatory birds to our shores ; the light- 

 ning and the whirlwind level his plantations or 

 fire his ricks ; the hail-storm, and the frost, and 

 excess of rain, damage and destroy his grow- 

 ing crop, or that to which he has looked for 

 reward and profit for all his toil and outlay. 



The various casualties and diseases to which 

 his crops are liable are frequently attributable 

 to, and certainly much aided by, the state of 

 the weather and conditions of the atmosphere. 

 Information relative to many of the impor- 

 tant phenomena connected with the atmo- 

 spheric states and changes, will be found 

 dispersed through this work under various 

 heads, such as ATMOSPHERE, ALTITUDE, BA- 

 ROMETER, CLIMATE, DE.W, FOGS, FROST, HOAR 

 FROST, LIGHTNING, RAIN, SNOW, MOON, In- 

 fluence of, &c. 



As means of prognosticating the future states 

 of the weather, data, either natural, artificial, 

 or both combined, are usually referred to. In 

 the natural data are included those of 



1. The vegetable kingdom; many plants 

 shutting or opening their flowers, contracting 

 or expanding their parts, &c., on approaching 

 changes in the humidity or temperature of the 

 atmosphere. 



2. The animal kingdom; most of those fa- 

 miliar to us exhibiting signs on approaching 

 changes, of which those by cattle and sheep 

 are more especially remarkable. 



3. The mineral kingdom ; stones, earths, me- 

 tals, salt, and water of particular kinds, often 

 affording indications of approaching changes. 



4. Appearances of the atmosphere, the moon, 

 the general character of seasons, &c. The 

 characters of clouds, the prevalence of parti- 

 cular winds, and other signs, are very com- 

 monly attended to. 



The artificial data are the various meteoro- 

 logical instruments, as the barometer, hygro- 

 meter, pluviometer, and thermometer, &c., 

 which are all extremely useful aids to the 

 farmer. 



It is a very common error to predict the fu- 

 ture state of the season from some single appear- 

 ance in the commencement of it, as an early 

 bee, an early bud or blossom, the premature 

 appearance of a swallow; but this is both un- 

 philosophical and fallacious. 



In England a moist autumn, succeeded by a 

 mild winter, is generally followed by a dry and 

 cold spring, in consequence of which vegeta- 

 tion is greatly retarded. Should the summer 

 be uncommonly wet, the succeeding winter 

 will be severe ; because the heat or warmth of 

 the earth will be carried off by such unusual 

 evaporation. Farther, wet summers are mostly 

 attended with an increased quantity of fruit on 

 the white-thorn (Mespilus oxycantha} and dog- 

 1100 



rose (Rosa ranma) ; nay, the uncommon fruit- 

 fulness of these shrubs is considered as the 

 presage of an intensely cold winter. 



A severe winter is supposed to be indicated 

 by the appearance of birds of passage at an 

 early period in autumn; because they never 

 migrate southward till the cold season has 

 commenced in northern regions. Great storms, 

 rains, or other violent commotions of the 

 clouds, produce a kind of crisis in the atmo- 

 sphere; so that they are attended with a regu- 

 lar succession either of fine or of bad weather 

 for some months. An unproductive year mostly 

 succeeds a rainy winter, as a rough and cold 

 autumn prognosticates a severe winter. Very 

 cold months or seasons are commonly followed 

 immediately by very rainy ones, and cold sum- 

 mers are always wet ones. 



Plants. The sensitive indications afforded 

 us by many plants first claim attention, and 

 will be found amply to repay the time that 

 may be bestowed upon the singular properties 

 inherent to them. 



Very many of our most common plants are 

 unerring guides for the foretelling rain and 

 other atmospheric changes. The opening and 

 shutting of some flowers depends not so much 

 on the action of the stimulus of light as on the 

 existing state of the atmosphere, and hence their 

 expansion or contraction betokens change. 



The common chickweed or stitchwort (Stel- 

 laria media) may be considered a natural baro- 

 meter; for if the small, white, upright flowers 

 are closed, it is a certain sign of rain ; while 

 during dry weather they expand freely, and are 

 regularly open from nine in the morning till 

 noon. After rain they become pendent, but in 

 the course of a few days they again rise. 



The purple sandwort (JLrenaria rubra) is an- 

 other example of a true prophet prior to a 

 coming shower. The beautiful pink flowers 

 expand only during sunshine, and close at the- 

 approach of evening or before rain. 



The pimpernel (dnagallis arvensis} has been* 

 very justly named "the poor man's weather- 

 glass." This little plant blooms in June in our 

 stubble-fields and gardens, and continues in 

 flower all the summer. When its tiny brilliant 

 red flowers are widely expanded in the morn- 

 ing, we may generally expect a fine day; on 

 the contrary, it is a certain sign of rain when 

 its delicate petals are closed. 



The goat's-beard (Tragopogon pratensis) will 

 not unclose its flowers in cloudy weather. 

 From its habit of closing its flowers at noon, 

 this plant has received the common name of 

 "Go-to-bed-at-noon," and in many districts the 

 farmers' boys regulate their dinner-hour by the 

 closing of the goat's-beard. 



It is stated in Keith's Botany, that if the Sibe- 

 rian sow-thistle shuts at night, the ensuing day 

 will be fine ; and if it opens, it will be cloudy 

 and rainy. 



When the African marigold remains closed 

 after 7 o'clock in the morning or evening, rain 

 may be expected. If the trefoil and the con- 

 volvulus contract their leaves, thunder and 

 heavy rain may be expected. Lord Bacon 

 I tells. us that the stalks of the trefoil swell and 

 grow more upright previous to rain. 



