52 0)i Wiltshire Weather Proverbs and Weather Fallacies. 



And a third : — 



" Plant your 'taturs when you will, 

 They wont come up before April." 



But again we have Wiltshire sayings which affirm what I believe 

 to be an equally undeniable truth, that together with a prolonged 

 winter, and a dripping spring, a dry summer is most to be desired 

 by the husbandman. That however is a season we scarcely seem to 

 have experienced last year (1873) , when the old Devonshire proverb, 

 applicable enough in that rainy county, might have been quoted 

 with much truth, even here : — 



" The West wind always brings wet weather ; 

 The East wind wet and cold together ; 

 The South wind surely brings us rain ; 

 The JSorth wind blows it back again ; " 



showing that from whatever point of the compas the wind blows, 

 rain is sure to fall. That however, I am glad to think, is quite an 

 exceptional state of things here ; and it is very rarely indeed that we 

 in this county experience so wet a summer. 



To return to the point we were considering : we have an old 

 saying in North Wiltshire, when snow lies about in the ditches, 

 and does not disappear, that "'tis waiting for more : " and in truth 

 it does betoken a cold atmosphere, and more snow very often 

 supervenes. 



Then February is known all over Wiltshire, as " February fill- 

 ditch" alluding to the seasonable supplies of water which should fill 

 the ponds during that month, otherwise a scarcity of drink for the 

 cattle during summer would be dreaded ; and so our people have 

 the proverb : — 



" February fill the dyke, 

 Either with the black or white ; " 



(meaning, either with rain or snow.) To which some add the 

 halting termination : — 



" But if it be white 

 It's the better to like." 



