49o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
•July 18 
All Sorts. 
THE MOON. 
DOES IT INFLUENCE WEATHER? 
Perhaps some of the readers of The 
R. N.-Y. will he interested and profited 
by a short talk about the moon. It is 
surprising to find so many intelligent 
farmers clinging to notions long since 
refuted by science and facts concerning 
the effects of the moon on the earth. 
These notions which prevailed, both in 
Europe and America for several hundred 
years, have, during the last half century, 
nearly passed away, yet still are held in 
the opinion of many here. 
More than 2,000 years ago, the Latin 
poet, Virgil, in order to save Italy from 
ruin for want of good husbandry, wrote 
his famous work, the “ Georgies,” in 
which he sowed the seed of these false 
notions about the influence of the moon 
on the products of the earth. In my 
boyhood days, it was common to hear 
farmers talk about the weather at the 
changes of the moon, of cutting timber, 
planting potatoes, cucumbers, beans and 
various other seeds at certain times of 
the moon. Though the time to plant 
had come, the weather favorable, and 
the soil in good condition, they must wait 
till the “right time of the moon.” When 
they saw a new moon, if the crescent or 
illuminated portion was nearly perpen¬ 
dicular, it was a wet moon ; if it tipped 
down and could not hold the water, or 
the Indian could not hang his powder 
horn on it. If the crescent was towards 
a horizontal or nearly level, it was a dry 
moon. If these positions indicate or 
cause, one a wet and the other a dry 
spell, then any astronomer can tell us 
exactly when we shall have a wet or 
dry spell for 100 or 1,000 years to come, 
for the earth moves around the sun, and 
the moon around the earth, each in its 
orbit, from which they never swerve so 
much as a hair’s breath from age to age, 
and it is just as easy to calculate or fore¬ 
tell when the moon will “ run low or 
high,” and when we shall have a wet or 
dry moon, as to tell when the moon rises 
and sets, or will be eclipsed. 
We all know that every effect must 
have a cause. A good crop of grain has 
its cause, and men hasten to find the 
cause that they may raise good crops. 
The good crop is the effect, or fact, to be 
accounted for. But have we any cer¬ 
tain effects of weather caused by any 
change of the moon ? We have none. If 
we had, science would try to explain. 
For a long period of time, through nearly 
all Europe, meteorological observations 
were registered. The barometer, ther¬ 
mometer, rain gauge, clouds, rainfall, 
snow and hail were carefully registered 
from day to day, in two parallel columns, 
the registered weather in one, and the 
phases of the moon in the other; they 
show no correspondence, to sustain a 
theory that the moon’s changes caused 
any conditions of the weather. If in 
every case, or nearly every case, fair 
weather or foul occurred at the changes 
of the moon, then it might be claimed 
that they were caused by the phases of 
the moon ; but this did not happen one 
time in a hundred. These facts settle 
the matter. Let any farmer register the 
weather every day for three years, and 
he will not wait a single day for the 
“ right time of the moon ” to plant, cut 
fence posts, or kill hogs, lest the pork 
should shrink in the pot. 
But now let us look at the moon ! It 
is a globe without water, atmosphere or 
light of its own. Its light is from the 
sun, reflected to the earth, and entirely 
destitute of heat. A thermometer of 
extreme sensibility has been employed 
to test the matter. The bulb of the ther¬ 
mometer was placed in the focus of the 
collected rays of the moon from a large 
concave mirror, with no sensible effect. 
The light of the sun collected to a focus 
by the same mirror, would melt and 
evaporate gold. 
Let any man, even if he knows but 
little of astronomy, look at the subject 
in a plain, practical manner. The moon 
revolves around the earth in a little 
more than 27 days. Its orbit is between 
the earth and the sun. When the sun 
sets about 6 o’clock, and the moon sets 
at the same hour, we do not see it, as it 
is between us and the sun, the dark side 
being toward the earth. The moon sets 
the next night about one hour after the 
sun sets, is 15 degrees above the horizon, 
and we see a portion, a small rim, the 
crescent, which is the new moon. The 
next night, at the same hour, it is a little 
higher, and we see more of the illumi¬ 
nated portion, and we see more every 
night till one-half of the illuminated 
portion is visible, and this is the first 
quarter, a change of the moon. So it 
passes on, showing more and more illu¬ 
mination, till when it rises in the east, 
just when the sun sets in the west, 
beiDg directly opposite the sun, we see 
a full, round orb, which is another 
change of the moon. 
What has there been in all tfiese 
changes to affect the weather ? The 
moon from new to full, rising one hour 
later each day, showed a larger area of 
light, increasing every hour. Why, 
when the illuminated portion reaches 
one quarter, there should be a change 
in the weather any more than the day be¬ 
fore when it is a little less, or two days 
after, when it is a little more, passes 
human comprehension. The moon moves 
around the earth regularly in a pre¬ 
scribed path, showing all these phases 
from age to age, as the hour hand of a 
clock passes from 12 to 12 again, and it 
would be just as reasonable to say, when 
the hand reaches three, which would 
be the first quarter, that there would be 
a change of weather in the house. 
“ But,” said a farmer to me, only a 
few days ago, “ the moon has a power¬ 
ful effect on everything. Doesn’t it 
govern the tides?” “Oh, yes,” I said, 
‘ ‘like all bodies of matter, it attracts other 
bodies. It attracts, or has a pull on, the 
whole earth ; but the crust of the earth 
is solid, and does not yield ; but when 
the moon passes over the ocean, the 
water yields, and is drawn up into a 
great wave, which is the tide.” 
New Jersey. i. h. northbup. 
Live Stock Matters 
WINTERING COWS WITHOUT HAY. 
On account of the prospect of a very short hay 
crop, and having five extra fine Jersey cows, could 
I winter them on corn stalks, buckwheat straw, 
turnips, wheat bran, corn meal and linseed meal, 
and still have them give milk through the winter ? 
Four of them will be fresh in milk by the middle 
of January. How should sowed corn fodder be 
sold, by the bundle or the ton 1 What is a fair 
price for it ? What is buckwheat straw worth 
per ton ? K. A. s. 
Tioga, Pa. 
Not Much Value in Buckwheat Straw. 
A neighbor wintered four cows on 
clear corn meal, four quarts per day, and 
a small handful of hay. He gave just 
enough to furnish a cud, not over one- 
half ton during the whole winter. They 
were as fat as seals in the spring, but 
they were soon dried off. E. A. S. can 
get more milk by feeding corn stalks 
than hay. I would feed but little buck¬ 
wheat straw unless it was cut as green 
as possible and stored before becoming 
weather-beaten. The turnips should be 
fed after milking, only a few at first, in¬ 
creasing to four to six quarts per day. 
With the turnips, give a pint of linseed 
meal, one quart of corn meal, and two 
quarts of bran twice a day. Vary the 
amount according to the condition of 
the cow and the amount of butter fat in 
her milk. Some cows begin to flesh up 
and shrink in milk on strong feed, and 
should be fed more succulent and muscle¬ 
making foods. The present price of 
grain is less per pound than that of hay, 
and the larger part of the ration can be 
composed of grain without extra cost, 
while the product will be larger and of 
better quality. 
Corn fodder can be purchased by either 
method, and will, probably, cost more 
by the bundle than by the ton unless 
green or partially cured. The -sowed 
corn of olden time is trashy stuff, and I 
would rather buy bran. It is not worth 
over $5 per ton. If sown in drills, and 
cultivated so that there are some ears, 
it is worth more. Feed all the cows 
will eat clean. Buckwheat straw is not 
accounted worth much more than the 
cost of drawing in this section, and I 
would not buy it to feed dairy cows. 
C. E. CHAPMAN. 
A Ration Figured Out. 
For several years, without a silo, we 
fed a good deal of corn stover, always 
cutting it up into one-half or one-inch 
lengths, and feeding it slightly moist¬ 
ened and sprinkled with the grain food; 
I consider the results quite satisfactory. 
This is with small flint corn, however; 
large, dent varieties are much more 
woody, and not so readily eaten dry. 
The corn stalks and straw of E. A. S 
are both very carbonaceous and, con¬ 
sequently, he needs a nitrogenous grain 
ration. Wheat bran is good, but ex¬ 
pensive, like oats, generally selling for 
a little more than it is worth, compared 
with other feeds. Linseed meal in mod¬ 
erate quantities is excellent in every 
way. Corn meal is not needed in the 
ration. Turnips should be very useful 
in supplying the much talked of succu¬ 
lence. I have very little confidence in 
working out a ration to any exact stan¬ 
dard. Give the cow about one pound of 
grain per 100 pounds of live weight, and 
rough fodder ad libitum, making the 
grain ration of such a nature, that the 
nutritive ratio of the whole shall be 
not wider than 1:6. A ration of 10 pounds 
of corn stover, 10 of buckwheat straw, 
30 of turnips, 6 of wheat bran, 2 of lin¬ 
seed meal, and 2 of cotton-seed meal 
would be not far from the “ American 
standard ” of the Wisconsin Experiment 
Station ; although I would be guided 
more by the taste of the cow than by 
any cast-iron rule of chemistry. I would 
cut stalks and straw together, moisten 
in the manger, sprinkle with the mixed 
feed, ana add pulped turnips. 
Corn stover and buckwheat straw are, 
theoretically, of about equal value, al¬ 
though the buckwheat straw may be 
much improved, where, as is often the 
case, there is a good deal of green stuff 
growing up through it. Of course, the 
only sensible way to sell corn fodder or 
any other feed, is by the ton. Other 
things being equal, corn stover and 
buckwheat straw, should be worth for 
(Continued on next page.) 
In writing to advertisers, please always mention 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
JDUARTER OF CENTURY OLD, 
sWSftSWATER PROOF ," 8252 * 
No RUST nor RATTLE. Outlasts tin or iron. 
A Durable Substitute lor Plaster on walls. 
Waler Prool siieal liiny of same material, the 
pest and cheapest in the market. Write for aaraples, Ac. 
TbeFAJ: MA NILLA ROOl iNU CO.,CAJIDEN.NJ. 
Quickjy and 
Economically with ‘‘New Hero’* 
ENSILAGE CUTTERS 
BECAUSE THEY 
fe—--, EXCELL 
1 1 L _ in rapid 
work, 
strength, dur¬ 
ability and 
simplicity. 
Two gears only 
' on the com¬ 
plete cutter. 
Sizes to suit 
all needs. STRONCEST GUARANTEED. 
SOMETHING NEW: MSS 
desired angle, and can be chanced from one angle 
to another without stopping cutter, hew 160 page 
catalogue mailed FREE. Tells all about Hero 
Ensilage and Fodder Cutters. Sweep and Tread 
Powers. Hero and American Feed Mills, Goodhue 
Wind Mills, Shellers. Peck’s Corn Thresher, etc. 
APPLETON MF6. CO. Batavia, IIIs. 
BOOK ON 
SILAGE.’’ 
Tells all about silo 
Iconstruction and tho 
advantages of the 
Silage system and i n- 
cidentally about the 
STANDARD 
. arid 
ihand- 
I Hue’ll the u »e Of some 
h i buy that one wl 
nas stood the test of time and responded 
to every demand. The “Book” and / 
our catalogue FREE to those who ^ 
mention this paper. 
The Silver Mfg. Co 
Salem, O. 
THE BALDWIN 
For 
V ears 
at the Head 
ENSILAGE GUTTER. 
They are simple, strong, durable, most per¬ 
fectly constructed, and will do the same amount, 
of worn with half the power required by any 
other cutter on the market. Your equipment 
is incomplete without one of these machines. 
They are made in all sizes for either hand or 
oower. We issue a catalogue descriptive of 
above cutter and carriers, sent free. Drop us 
a line and tee for yourself. Our general Farm 
Tool Catalogue will also be sent if you ask 
for it. 
BELCHER & TAYLOR A'G'L TOOL CO 
Box 75. Chicopee Falls. 
IWa 
BELLE CITY 
FEED AND ENSILAGE CUTTERS 
ire the MOST PERFECT 
:utters made. They are 
loth hand and power 
ind in all standard 
iizes. Carriers of 
my length can be 
ittached. For 
•unning these 
ind other farm 
nachinery we 
nake a full , 
ine of Sweep and] 
l'read Powers. 
Have also hand 
ind barrel carts, 
Root cutters, Saw 
frames, Harrows, 
Cultivators, etc. 
Send for FREE; s. 
catalogue a n dlgaShJ 1 ■ 1 1 
treatise on silos und ensilage. 
BELLE CITY MFC. CO. Box23, Racine, 
THE KIND YOU WANT 
Tiiass »s« a*'frs*4«? 
BN 
than onrs For gas, oil and watts 
Go down from 10 to 2&00 feet I 
sizes. Send for catalogue and 
prices of machines, tools, sup¬ 
plies, etc. Free. 
Star Drilling Machine Co. Akron,Qi 
RED CEDAR 
SILOS 
will last a lifetime. Labor, Bands and setting up cost 
no mere in Cedar than in poorest material. 
WILLIAMS MEG. CO., Kalamazoo, Ulich. 
SALE OFFICES: 
16 Murray St., New York. 86 So. Market St., Boston. 
331 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
DURABILITY 
is the most desirable quality in a tank. 
These possess it in a high degree. They 
are made in any size with capacity from 
2 bbls. to 180 bbls. They are so made that 
they cannot leak. Especially desirable for 
use in buildings. Notinjured from freez¬ 
ing. We can’t tell you all about them 
here. Better write for prices, &c., to 
Sell? Foundry h Mch. Co., 27 Purl St. Goshen, Ind 
I A A 
1 
MANY INDFLS 
OHN H- JACKSON Successor to JACKSON BROS, Established 1852 
NSW YORK STAT2 Z>&AXN T YT.lt and Jr IPS WORKS. Mala Offlne TMrd. Avenue. Mttarvv XU. A, 
Manufacturer of and Dealer In .Agricultural Drain TUe 8alt 
. Glazed Sc -ver Pipe, lied Pressed Brick, Mortar Colors, Fire 
Brick, Oven Tile, Fine Lining, ChimneyTops, Fnoauat* c Side 
walk Tile, Roaendale and Portland Cement, Lime, Plaster, 
