THE PASSING OF ''LOW" BAROMETER. 103 



knows is the mosj probable thing to expect, for example, that " March will come 

 in like a lion, and go out like a lamb," etc. Does it not seem absurd for him not 

 to give the detail knowledge at the time he gives the general knowledge that every- 

 body knows as much about as he ? 



But there is method in this plan oi general knowledge first, and detail knowledge 

 after a while, say about the middle of each preceding month. 



Through the month of March and up to the i6th of April, the storm centers 

 passed this meridian at very regular intervals, but then came a change, and the 

 four days interval, which had been so regular, was broken. 



The way to accomplish this, is general prophecy first, and detail prophecy after 

 awhile. The method of it is first to publish, for the different months of the year, 

 such weather as may be expected to occur. Then for details, about the middle 

 of the month preceeding, note how the storms are running. 



As often stated in these papers, a storm passes over the territory of the 

 United States once in about three or four days — four days is a fair average. 

 About the middle of the month, say as in February, this year, figure out the 

 month ahead on this basis : If the season has been rather cold, predict snow, 

 cold winds, etc. About the middle of February, this year, it would figure out 

 for the meridian of Washington, the 3d to 4th, 7th to 8th, nth to 12th, i6th to 

 17th, etc. This basis for a four days' interval, especially for the month of April, 

 till after the i6th, was very regular, for the meridian of Washington, the ist, 4th, 

 8th, 12th and i6th, but after the i6th the interval of four days was broken, and 

 another storm appeared here on the i8th. But predictions on this basis, after all, 

 do not, and did not, amount to any practical value ; the storms were not all 

 alike, and did not pass over the same lines — there was no resemblance to each 

 other beyond being storms. They did not originate in the same place, nor follow 

 similar tracks, excepting the general easterly direction of all storms; some came 

 from the extreme southwest, others from a little higher line, while still others came 

 from high up in the northwest, each taking tracks peculiar to itself and producing 

 unlike results. As a rule, however, they all passed this meridian more or less 

 south of Washington, after which they took a northeast course toward the north- 

 ern part of New England and Eastern Canada ; and this was the general course 

 which the majority of storm centers, low, took through the greater part of the 

 winter, and the reason why it remained so cold throughout the greater portion of 

 the United States, the reason why we had no January thaw, and why it was rela- 

 tively, at least, warmer way up in Maine than throughout the more southern 

 country, and why this spring they have had such terrible floods out west. Had 

 low traveled on a high line of latitude during the mid-winter months, we would 

 have had the usual thaw, and streams would have been relieved by degrees. 



As before often stated, the "passing of low" is the regulator in these mat- 

 ters. If low passes on a high line, it will be relatively warm, if on a low line, 

 cold, if on a medium line, neither cold nor warm. If on a high line, it will cre- 

 ate southerly winds ; on a low line, northerly winds ; if on a medium line the 

 north winds will not go far south, the southerly winds not far north. There will 



