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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the New England Farmer, 

 AKE BAROMETERS 'WEATHER-'WISE ? 



Mr. Editor : — Barometers are not omniscient, 

 as your Vermont correspondent, A. G. Dewey, 

 justly intimates. All they can do is, to weigh the 

 atmosphere over the place where they are hung. 

 This indicates something, but not everything. A 

 sudden fall of the mercurial coluftm shows a sud- 

 den diminution of the atmospheric column over 

 it, and this implies that there will soon be a rush- 

 ing in of the heavier air around. This may prove 

 to be only a squall of wind, or it may be accom- 

 panied by a thunder storm. If the barometer 

 sinks slowly, day by day, a rain storm may be ex- 

 pected, if it falls considerably ; but after a slight 

 descent it may alter its course and go up again, 

 and no rain will fall. Easterly, drizzly rains on 

 the seacoast are not indicated by the barometer, 

 for they come merely from the condensed, moist 

 air from the ocean, and there is no change in the 

 atmospheric pressure necessarily preceding this 

 drift current. 



There are other things to be considered in our 

 endeavors to foretell the weather, and I would ad- 

 vise your correspondent, and all farmers, to read 

 Daniels' Meteorology, so as to fully understand 

 the subject. After observing the barometer, a re- 

 cord of it being regularly kept, let him also as- 

 certain the dew point, or the temperature at which 

 the atmosphere deposits its aqueous vapor. This 

 may be very readily effected, by taking a silver or 

 a tin cup, and after first ascertaining the tempera- 

 tm"e of the air in the shade, let him put some wa- 

 ter into the cup, with a piece of ice, and stir it 

 until moisture begins to deposit on the outside of 

 the cup, when the thermometer, placed in the wa- 

 ter, will give the temperature. This is the depo- 

 sition point. Now throw out the ice, and wipe part 

 of the cup dry, and wait until after the deposition 

 of a slight film of moisture, it again disappears. 

 This is the vaporization point. The mean between 

 the deposition point and the vaporization point is 

 the true dew point. Compare this with the tem- 

 perature of the air, and note the difference. Sup- 

 pose it to be fifteen degrees. Then the air must 

 be cooled to that extent to cause it to deposit 

 moisture, or to rain. If the difference between 

 the dew point and the temperature of the air is 

 but a few degrees, there is a high probability that 

 rain will soon full. 



If the observations are made in the morning, 

 since the heat will augment, as the sun approaches 

 meridian, the chances of ruin will be diminished, 

 by tliis increasing warmth, but if afternoon, for 

 opposite reasons, the probability of rain will be 

 much increased. Indeed, if only four or five de- 

 grees of difference between the dew jioint and the 

 temperature of the air exists, it will be almost 

 certain to rain. 



The wet and dry bulb thermometers will answer 

 the same purpose, and since the wet bulb gives 

 the temperature of the vaporization point, and 

 the dry l)ulb gives that of the air, nothing more 

 is required than to observe them and note the dif- 

 ference of temperatures they indicate. 



More reliance may be placed on this method 

 than on any observations of a barometer, but still, 

 it is useful to consult both sets of instruments. 

 The thermometers cost so little, that every farmer 

 can afi'ord to own a pair of them, and after a lit- 



tle experience in determining the dew point, and 

 making his deductions, he will surprise his neigh- 

 bors by his weather wisdom, and also be a gainer 

 by saving many a load of hay. 



Where no instruments can be had, by simply 

 observing whether a wetted and wrung out hand- 

 kerchief dries rapidly or not, some idea may be 

 gained as to whether the atmosphere is saturated 

 with moisture or not. When you have to wait a 

 long time for ink to dry on your paper as you 

 write, you may feel sure that the air is very moist, 

 and but a little cooling is required to cause it to 

 deposit moisture, or to rain. The spider is a 

 weather-wise from instinct, and does not spread 

 his web on the grass, or over his hole when it is 

 about to rain, but is an early prognosticator of 

 fine weather as he lays out his net on the dewy 

 grass of the morning. 



Our senses and instincts are not so fine, and 

 we need the aid of instruments, but they Mill not 

 serve us if we don't luiderstand the philosophy of 

 the matter, and apply our reason to the solution 

 of the problem. We must have good instru- 

 ments, and know how to use them, or the wisdom 

 of the spider will put us to shame. You will see 

 at once, Mr. Editor, that it is knowing how to use 

 instruments, that renders them available, and the 

 farmer who rails at meteorological instruments 

 reminds me of the Indian, who, having seen Avhite 

 men observe the indications of a compass, bought 

 one to enable him to find his son, who was lost in 

 the woods, and followed the direction indicated by 

 the north point of the needle, in search of him. 

 Not finding that the instrument pointed out where 

 his lost son was, he indignantly dashed it to the 

 ground and destroyed it, calling it a liar, and vent- 

 ing much abuse upon it ! 



A man who buys a barometer, marked with 

 "fiiir, change, rain," &c., and coiisults its markings 

 without taking into consideration its elevation 

 above the sea, and the various causes which ope- 

 rate upon the mercurial column, and takes no note 

 of the temperature, dew point and course of the 

 wind, but condemns the instnnnent, Avhen he does 

 not know how to use it, reminds us of the Indian 

 above alluded to, and is equally wise. C. T. J. 



Remarks. — The above is from the pen of a 

 close observer, both in nature and science, and 

 from a sincere and earnest friend of the farmer. 

 While it elucidates principles, it contains simple 

 and impressive illustrations, beautifully expressed, 

 in some of the most common things of the farm, 

 which all may observe if they will. We cordially 

 thank him for his appropriate and timely remai'ks. 



Management of Muck in Yards. — From an 

 article in the Homestead, on "The New England 

 Barn-yard," we co])y the following : 



The true manure-making period of the year, in 

 the open yard, is indicated by, and perhaps begins 

 and ends with the corn-growing season. That is, 

 muck does not rot in the yard while the tempera- 

 ture is too low to favor vegetation, and is perhaps 

 amelidhited more by exposure during June, July, 

 and August than througli all the balance of the 

 year. The amount of droppings from cattle is 

 usually the greatest during those warm months, 



