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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, MAY 15,1882.
9
The Weather. What has the Signal ser
vice Done for the Farmers?
The article in the issue of the Southern
World, of date April 15th, 1882 on “Weath
er in Agriculture,” is an able one. It bears
the mark of keen perception of one of the
greatest needs of agricultural industry and
points out the method of securing this. Ex
perience teaches—if nothing else does—that
the weather is just as important to the suc
cess of the farmer as the soil he tills, or the
seed he plants. But do you not overrate
the accomplishments of the Signal Service ?
For as massive a system as it is, and as ex
pensive to the public, really what has it
done that actually benefits the farmer or can
benefit the agricultural class ? Your very
excellent and elaborate editorial discloses
nothing on tills point. For years I have
watched its progress and have failed to see
any good it has done for the farmers, or
anything that could fairly be construed
as likely to result in an advantage to this
class. I am well aware that the bureau
claims much in this direction, that its pre
tentions have been enlarged of late,but upon
what grounds of actual result I cannot see.
I nave no wish to do the bureau injustice;
I would not see it abandoned; its service to
science is important; but all assertion of its
benefit to agriculture, to me, appears ut
terly groundless and without even the sem
blance of plausibility.
You must pardon me for being somewhat
amused at a few of your comments on the
weather bureau. You expect “some good
for the farmers before 1982.” Qreat good
ness! no doubt, but rather indefinite as to
quality and quite limited in prospect for the
husbandman of the present, even the
youngest of them. Your comment, liowev
er, is founded on the fact that the storm can
be foretold, at least the largest storms.
What good does that fact promise the far
mer? He don’t want storms, but if he did
and a knowledge of them before hand could
benefit him, are you quite sure he can de
rive such a knowledge os is necessary from
the Signal Service? I have great doubts
on this point from the actual test of the bu
reau’s forecasts. I will give one fact to il
lustrate the whole, and as it occurred about
the time of this writing it cannot be urged
that it was selected especially to meet this
point. The bureau's weather for this State
for the 21st and 22nd of April was: “Fair
weather, higher temperature.” Heavy rains,
higli waters and considerable fall in tem
perature happened. The rain evidently ex
tended over a large area. At this season it
hardly ever rains harder for the same length
of time; the thunder and the lightning
were terrific. But if this storm had been
foretold it would have announced itself
about as soon as the bureau could have done
so. "What are we to do about this ? Sim'
ply tell the truth aud not be upholding an
absurdity.
Granting that we have got hold of storms
in all candor and honesty do you believe
that the Signal Service has done more thun
to furnish data to prove what others have
known and announced before it? I under
take to assert that this point in meteorolog
ical science is confused and falsified by the
ignorance of the weather department about
it. A simple problem that should have been
mastered long since by the bureau with its
expensive and complete outfit for solving
just such problems, should have been set
tled years ago by the data. How long has
it been since this knowledge has been given
to the public? Not until quite recently
and then only half the truth has been told
and in such a way as to make the whole
false. As stated it is unreliable and not
true. Common sense with correot observa
tion would however, have suggested the
truth.
"At least it has been determined that the
larger and therefore, most important ones
(storms) come East from the Hocky Moun
tains, while a small percent originate in the
Gulf States and move Northeastward over
the Atlantic States.” You say that the Sig
nal Service has by means of the telegraph
etc., developed somewhat the law
storms. If what I have quoted above is
all that has been developed about storms by
means of its great agencies at work,
amounts to absolutely nothing. Its data is
undoubtedly correct as far it goes, but it
don’t go far enough. It utterly fails to de
velop any knowledge of the laws of storms
among the wise men ot the Washington Sig
nal bureau. A simple statement of the truth
will show the absurdity of thiB claim, whloh
so far os it contains the element of truth
was known and better understood outside
of the bureau than within its circle long be-
tyre it asserted it,
The atmospheric tide wave always moves
Eastward. Remember this is my statement
made months ago. It makes no difference
whether the tide is sweeping North or South
its motion is alwayB Eastward. It matters
not which way the wind blows these waves
pass off the Atlantic coast either within or
above or below the boundary of the United
States. It is unnecessary to go into this
subject minutely to tell all about the rain
belts and local storms. Suffice it to say for
my purpose that the great tide wave is, as
it must be, circular. Its Northern rains or
belt is the cold wave, its Southern the warm
wave. The former gives us our Northwest
paroxysms, intensified by mountain ranges;
the latter, our Southwest paroxysms. The
former debouches from the Northwest driv
ing in and dipping down from a cold to a
warm atmospheric stratum,and most general
ly passing off our Atlantic coast, South of a
middle line in the United States; the latter
moves Northeast, as rapidly, rising as it
touches the colder atmospheric strata, and
if does not pass off our coast in a Southern
latitude will usually be felt in New England
or about the lake region as a Northeast storm.
The Southern paroxysm is not felt North so
often simply because it either passes off our
coast nearer the Gulf by the elastic dip of
the Northern paroxysm, or is lifted above
tbe eartli as it enters regions North of lower
temperature. The Southern and Northern
paroxysms interchanges in their movement
around the earth and about the vortex of
the great atmospheric tide wave.
If I have* succeeded in making this part
of the subject plain, I think you will do me
the credit to acknowledge, that my criticism
of the Signal Service was not conceived in
malice. Geo. R. Gather.
Ashvile, Ala.
we invite the attention of the “Wise men of
the Washington Signal Bureau.” We claim
that they know much about these matters,
and it may be that this is the very law for
which they are blindly seeking. We do not
think the above criticism of the Signal Ser
vice by Mr. C., was conceived in malice; if
it had been, it would, doubtless, have taken
different form.—Ed,]
The Boy’s Heart.
Get hold of the boy’s heart. Yonder lo
comotive comes like a whirlwind down the
track, and a regiment of armed men might
seek to arrest it in vain. It would crush
them and plunge unheeding on. But there
is a little lever in its mechanism, that at the
pressure of a man’s hand will slacken its
speed, and in a moment or two brings it
panting and stilt like a whipped spaniel, at
your feet. By the same little lever the vast
steamship is guided hither and you upon
the sea, in spite of adverse wind or current.
That sensitive and responsive spot by which
a boy’s life is controlled is his heart. With
your graspgently and firm on that helm, you
may pilot him whither you will. Never
doubt that he has a heart. Bad and willful
boys very often have the tenderest hearts
hidden away somewhere beneath incrusta
tions of sin or behind barricades of pride.
And isyour business to get at that heart, get
hold of that heart, keep hold of it by sym
pathy, confiding in him, manifestly work
ing only for his good by little indirect kind
nesses to his mother or sister, or even his
pet dog. See him at his home, or invite him
into yours. Provide him with soiuo little
pleasure, set him at some little service of
trust for you; love him; love him practically.
Any way and every way rule him through
his heart.
[We thank Mr. Cather for his high com'
pliment of the editorial “weather in agricul
ture,” in a recent issue. If it bears tile
mark of keen perception of one of the
greatest needs of agricultural industry, and
points out the method of securing this, it
has a full measure of that which it was our
purpose to present. It does not seem to be
our mission to prove to everybody that
everything is either wholly good or wholly
bad.
Mr. C. has failed to see that the United
States Signal Service lias done any good to
the farmer, and has given up all hope in
that direction for the future, and yet he
would not have it abandoned because its
service to science is important. What is
science? Nothing more or less than class
ified knowledge, and when the signal service
adds to such knowledge it will be upon sub
jects that most interest the seaman and the
farmer. Whatever is of substantial benefit
to science is of value to the race, and all the
importance of the signal service to science
is a benefit to the race. We claimed “some
good things for the farmers before 1982," to
which Mr. C. answers, “no doubt!” but be
cause we do not predict just what those
good things are to be, we are holding out
but little hope for the husbandman of to
day. “Rome was not built in a day’’—but
the “Eternal City” ruled the world.
We claimed that the movements of the
larger storms can be foretold with a larger
measure of accuracy; to which our friend
complains that farmers do not want storms,
and if they did, the signal service would be
a doubtful help. A case is given where the
prediction was wrong. It was not claimed
that the Bureau made no mistakes, only that
its predictions were much better than no
predictions. If any one can do better than
the signal service in this work of foretelling
the weather, he should receive such encour
agement that the county may not lose a mo
ment of his most valuable service.
Mr. C. says, granting that we have got hold
of storms," etc., and asks us if we believe
they have “done more than to furnish data
to prove what others have known and an
nounced before it?” We have been living
with the strong impression that the signal
service, in all its ramifications, was and is
observing and investigating to find out new
facts and principles in meteorology. If
Gen. Hozen was appealed to for an answer to
a question like this, he would reply that he
is at the head of a great body of truth-seek
ers and not endeavoring to furnish data to
prove the truthfulness of any so-called
“weather prophet.” We are sorry that be
cause the Weather Bureau has not done
more, it must be said that its work amounts
to absolutely nothing. “Its data is undoubt
edly correct so far as it goes, but it don’t go
far enough.” This reminds us of the man
who finding he could not know everything,
would not know anything.
Mr. C. closes with a statement of the
movements of the “tide waves,” to which
Bermuda Urass.
Ed. Southern World—Tell your corres
pondent, J. H. Harris, of Gold Hill, Ala, not
to be so stingy of his information as to Ber
muda grass. I,ct ns have “the details of his
management and mode of propagating;” we
prefer to have it in respectable sized dishes to
taking it by the spoonful. It will not
trouble” tlio intelligent readers of The
World. •
Query. Wo liaie noticed several commu
nications in the Southern World on the
subject of onion growing; and in your last
number, one on “onion sets." As to grow
ing onions remuneratively, there can be no
question, if you could save them when grown
until marketed. The writer had some ex
perience just after the war on this subject,
having planted aboutone-quarter acre. They
were taken up when the tops began to fall,
showing maturity and spread out in a place
wherever we could find a place for them in
the piazza, under the house, etc. But it was
a daily business to get rid of the decaying
onions, and gcwhillikins! whatanassailment
of the olfactories. In self-defense, we sold
as quick as possible, at the nearest depot
what was left—75 bushels of sound onions.
We are satisfied we raised on the quarteracre,
125 bushels, which puts at rest the question
of profit in the business, but for this trouble
of rot.
If the Southern World will tell us how
to keep onions in this climate, until they
can be marketed, it will deserve another
hundred subscribers, which we think it al
ready deserves.
Another question: What mokes tho onion
button? The oldest men and women in
this country have different theories. The
seed make the sets, the old onion makeB the
seed, what makes the button ?
Hodges, S. C. J. N. C.
The Weevil.
Editor Southern World—Of course dif
ferences of opinion will be, and in this free
country none can or should molest; yet no
harm in an attempt to put some differences
in the balances, and thus perhaps bring on
unity. My experience is the weevil depos
it]) the egg in. the soft and tender grain,
whether it be corn, peas, bean, the sorghums
or the millet; even tbe worm in the chest
nut or chinquapin, the egg of which is de
posited when the fruit is soft. The Creator
is too wise to err, and does not give instinct
to flies to deposit eggs on cotton seed for
cutworms to cut through the hull, get
strength to eat up the crop manured by cot
ton seed. The young must have food
adapted to its wants, and the babe has the
mother to provide. The corn weevil in the
South, is perhaps the greatest evil of all the
weevils. Many have said genuine flint corn
is best, because so hard, on the idea that the
weevil deposits the egg on matured grain.
I have taken an ear of flint corn, enveloped
in paper, small end open, .In ufhlch sulphur
was placed, shaken, jostled until full, closed
up, another paper applied close, another
and another, tied up and placed in a desk.
At planting time not a perfect grain. I have
long ago plucked an ear from the stalk and
shown the “doubting Thomas,” the corn de
stroyed at the end.
I planted the white and the red Dhoura,
Duns, over forty years ago and had a fine
stalk and head as I ever saw, but the weevils
destroyed tne stalk. Peas, beans, etc. for
seed I put in bottles, with a small piece of
camphor, corked up, too much will destroy the
vitality of the pea. I have also saved with
lime corked up.
In my youth I lived in a Scotch-Irish
community for two years, sent there on ac
count of feeble health—a pious and cleanly
people who were good to the sickly boy.
All small farmers, and we had corn shuck-
ings and good suppers; the corn was stored
in small houses called cribs, the top not put
on until after a rain, then laid on and held
there by weight-poles. Thus corn was wet
and the moderate heating in bulk destroyed
tlie egg—I saw no weevil.
My lionses were 12 or 14 by 18; 12 feet be
tween sill and plate, Cyprus shingle roof.
The loss was terrible if the corn was housed
in dry weather; usually we housed when
cotton was too wet to pick. I tried sassafras,
and walnut without any good. I tried to
sprinkle all the corn when hauled in; a stout
man was detailed to get water and with a
little bush to sprinkle liberally. I suc
ceeded.
About 1840, when the multUaulus fever
struck my people, a friend bad invested a
small pile, was badly stung, and requested
me to take as large a lot as 1 could take with
two nice horses, behind my barouch. To
“see wliut I could see,” I sent off for silk
worm eggs, had frames made by my carpen
ter, twine crossed inch squares, and put in
standards as high as I could reach, to draw
out as drawers. 1 fed the worms, reeled silk,
made many fishing lines, gave to friends and
sent specimens to the patent office. A
great number of cocoons were put in a tight
box and camphor put in and the worm was
killed. Thus I learned to kill weevil eggs
in peas and beans. H. J. N.
The lady teacher is a lady in the true
sense. One who isgentle, kind and sympa
thetic, possessed of a dignity of manner,
propriety of language and goodness of heart.
She becomes then emphatically a teacher. ,
Her natural taste induces in her a hearty and.*,
unfeigned devotion to her work. This docs
not necessarily imply either an uttered or
expressed vow to spend and be spent in
the school-room. Few women have ever
made any such vow. To make it would be
unwise, if not sinful. But it does meun
putting into her work while her work is
hers, the best of heart, bruin and body that
God lias given to her, as opposed to the rest
less lingering upon the coniines of the
school-room, waiting for the timo to pass,
any way, any how, so tliut that the register
indicutes another month gone.—[Arkansas
School Journal.
So great is the influence of a sweet-minded
woman on those around her that it is al
most boundless. It is to her that friends
coino in seasons of sorrow and sickness for
help and comfort; one soothing touch of her
hand works wonders in tho feverish child; a
few words let fall from her lips in the ear of
a sorrowing sister, does much to raiso the
load of grief that is bowing its victim down
to tbe dust in anguish. The husband comes
home worn out witli tho pressure of bus
iness, and feeling irritable with the world ii^
general; but when he enters the cozy sitting
room and sees the blaze of the bright fire,
and meets his wife’s smiling face, he suc
cumbs in a moment to the soothing influ
ences which act as the balm of Gilead to his
wounded spirits, that are wearied with com
bating with the stern realities of life. Tbe
rough schoolboy flies in a rage from the
taunts of his companions to find solace in
bis mother’s smile; the little one full of
grief with its own large trouble, finds a ha
ven of rest on its mother’s breast; and so one
might go on with instance after instance of
the influence that a sweet-minded woman
has in the social life with which she is con
nected. Beauty is an insignificant power
when compared with hers.
The past season has not been a favorable
one for the lumbering Interest in the Upper
Mississippi valley. Tne cut of 1882 is esti
mated at 240,000.000 feet, being 00,000,090
less than was anticipated. Including what
was left over last fell, the available supply
for tbe sawing season of 1882 Is 295,000,000
feet’ or 15,000,000 feet less than at the samq
time last year,