264 



SCIENCE OF GARDENING. p AKT I 



Sect. II. Of the Means of prog?iostkating the Weather. 



1271. The study of atmospherical changes lias, in all ages, been more or less attended to 

 by men engaged in the culture of vegetables, or the pasturage of animals ; and we, in 

 tins country, are surprised at the degree of perfection to which the ancients attained in 

 this knowledge. But it ought to be recollected, that the study of the weather in the 

 countries occupied by the ancients, as Egypt, Greece, Italy, and the continent of Europe 

 IS a very different thing from its study in an island situated like ours. It is easy to foretel 

 weather in countries where months pass away without rain or clouds, and where some 

 weeks together, at stated periods, are as certainly seasons of rain or snow. It may be as- 

 serted with truth, that there is a greater variety of weather in London in one week, than 

 in Rome, Moscow, or Petersburg, in three months. It is not therefore entirely a proof 

 of our degeneracy, or the influence of our artificial mode of living, that we cannot predict 

 the weather with such certainty as the ancients ; but a circumstance rather to be accounted 

 for from the peculiarities of our situation. 



1272. A varuible climate, such as ours, admits of being studied, both generally and lo- 

 cally ; but it is a study which requires habits of observation and reflection like all other 

 studies ; and to be brought to any useful degree of perfection must be attended to, not as 

 it commonly is, as a thing by chance, and which every body knows, or is fit for, but as a 

 serious undertaking. The weather may be foretold from natural data, artificial data, 

 and from precedent. 



1273. The natural data for this study are, 1. The vegetable kingdom ; many plants 

 shutting and opening their flowers, contracting or expanding their parts, &c. on ap- 

 proaching changes in the humidity or temperature of the atmosphere ; 2. The animal 

 kingdom ; most of which, that are familiar to us, exhibiting signs on approaching 

 changes, of which those by cattle and sheep are more especially remarkable ; and hence 

 shepherds are generally, of all others, the most correct in their estimate of weather ; 3. The 

 mineral kingdom j stones, earths, metals, salts, and water of particular sorts, often 

 showing indications of approaching changes ; 4. Appearances of the atmosphere, the 

 moon, the general character of seasons, &c. The characters of clouds, the prevalence of 

 particular winds, and other signs are very commonly attended to. 



1274. The influence of the moon on the weather has, in all ages, been believed by the 

 generality of mankind ; the same opinion was embraced by the ancient philosophers ; and 

 several eminent philosophers of later times have thought the opinion not unworthy of 

 notice. Although the moon only acts (as far at least as we can ascertain) on the 

 waters of the ocean by producing tides, it is nevertheless highly probable, according to 

 the observations of Lambert, Toaldo, and Cotte, that in consequence of the lunar in- 

 fluence, great variations do take place in the atmosphere, and consequently in the wea- 

 ther. The following principles will show the grounds and reasons for their embracing 

 the received notions on tins interesting topic : 



There are ten situations in the moon's orbit when she must particularly exert her influence on the at- 

 mosphere ; and when, consequently, changes of the weather most readily take place. These are, 



1. The new, and 2. the full moon, when she exerts her influence in conjunction with, or in opposition 

 to the sun. 



3. and 4. The quadratures, or those aspects of the moon when she is 90 distant from the sun ; or when 

 she is in the middle point of her orbit, between the points of conjunction and opposition, namely, in the 

 first and third quarters. 



5. The perigee, and, 6. The apogee, or those points of the moon's orbit, in which she is at the least and 

 greatest distance from the earth. 



7. 8. The two passages of the moon over the equator, one of which Toaldo calls, 7. The moon's ascend- 

 ing, and the other, 8. The moon's descending equinox, or the two lunistices, as De la Lande terms them. 



9. The boreal lunistice, when the moon approaches as near as she can in each lunation, (or period be- 

 tween one new moon and another,) to our zenith (that point in the horizon which is directly over our 

 heads'!. 



10. The austral lunistice, when she is at the greatest distance from our zenith ; for the action of the 



moon varies greatly according to her obliquity. With these ten points Toaldo compared a table of forty- 

 eight years' observations; the result is, that the probabilities, that the weather will change at a certain 

 period of the moon are in the following proportions : New moon, 6 to 1. First quarter, 5 to 2. Full 



moon, 5 to 2. Last quarter, 5 to 4. Perigee, 7 to 1. Apogee, 4 to 1. Ascending equinox, 13 to 4. 

 Northern lunistice, 11 to 4. Descending equinox, 11 to 4. Southern lunistice, 3 to 1. 



1275. That the new moon will bring with it a change of weather is in the doctrine of chances as 6 to 1. 

 Each situation of the moon alters that state of the atmosphere which has been occasioned by the prece- 

 ding one : and it seldom happens that any change in the weather takes place without a change in the lunar 

 situations. These situations are combined, on account of the inequality of their revolutions, and the 

 greatest effect is produced by the union of the syzigies, or the conjunction and opposition of a planet with 

 the sun, with the apsides, or points in the orbits of planets, in which they are at the greatest and least dis- 

 tance from the sun or earth. The proportions of their powers to produce variations are as follows : New 

 moon coinciding with the perigee, 33 to 1. Ditto, with the apogee, 7 to 1. Full moon coinciding with the 

 perigee, 10 to 1. Ditto, with the apogee, 8 to 1. The combination of these situations generally occasions 

 storms and tempests ; and this perturbing power wiH always have the greater effect, the nearer these com- 

 bined situations are to the moon's passage over the equator, particularly in the months of March and 

 September. At the new and full moons, in the months of March and September, and even at the solstices, 

 especially the winter solstice, the atmosphere assumes a certain character, by which it is distinguished tor 

 three, and sometimes six months. The new moons which produce no change in the weather, are those 

 that happen at a distance from the apsides. As it is perfectly true that each situation of the moon alters 

 tliatstateof the atmosphere which has been produced by another, it is, however, observed that many situ, 

 ations of the moon are favorable to good and others to bad weather. 



