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VOL. LX. INDIANAPOLIS, FEBRUARY 18, 1905. NO. 7 Lunar Superstitions. Editor! Indlsna Farmer: There is still much talk about the signs of the moon. It need not be wondered nt: for it is only two generations back that our mothers, in this part of the country have been able to read anil write. I mil only CO years old, nnd I can remember very distinctly the Ior dwelling, nnd the slab furnished school house. The girls of my tiny-mostly hail school privileges; but the girls of the day preceding were not so fortunate. Those now dying nml dead from old age, were able to pressions. They came to us when our minds were impressible, and the lodgment they found in us was of the unshakable sort. It is easy to disprove, by auy fair experiment; but we do not court the proof. Nay, wc do not accept it, readily. I have tried planting corn in the light and in the dark of the moon, with results exactly according to the rain ami sunshine and richness of the soil. Ditto with potatoes and everything else. The evil of moon planting, and roofing and fencing, and weaning and biitch- the issues of a great campaign. This illustrates tlie serious phase of superstition. The following may show the ludicrous phase, ami its great want of souse: A fanner had planted a patch of potatoes and was engaged in building a fence around it, when a neighbor came along and told him it was alright, to plant them thon; but it was just the wrong time to build that fence. "Kor," said he, " it is the dark of the moon, and the feme, built now, will sink in the ground." The building of the fence was. barn and feod our stock with under shelter, instead of haviug them chasing round over our snowy, icy fields, swept by the cold wind these stormy days, eating frozen fodder is quite a saving if you look nt it iu a proper way. Thanks to the shredder and the man who invented it. I would like to hear our editor's opinion in regard to our legislature being bribed with free passes before leaving home. Let them refund their mileage or return thoir passes. It is a sorry day when our law-makers are bribed bc- Peons Reaping With Sickles near the Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico. Mount Popocatcpeti in the Distance. Hy the Interr.ntion.il Harvester Company. ivad and spell a little, but not many of them learned to write. The books were few, the papers were not, and the light of the tallow caudle was so poor that reading was by no means general. "Folk-lore," therefore, was their source of information, and they heard much of goblins and spooks and ominous happenings. People spoke of the danger of ; moving the cat, of beginning a job on a Friday, of planting corn in the wrong time of the moon, of seeing a rabbit cross the road in front of yon, and of grouping thirteen objects in one body. It is therefore not strange that such things are secretly dreaded yet. I once delivered a lecture on The Man in the Moon, in which I discussed all such superstitions, and showed their folly, by actual comparison of experiment. After it was over, I walked up street with one Judge Dorman, who did much reading, and was rather intelligent. He said: "A good lecture, Professor! ami much needed. As for myself, I am not a bit superstitious. But, without, superstition, I have always noticed that I can catch more fish if I go when the sign is in Scorpio." If there had been anything at all in my lecture it was that all such beliefs are unwarranted superstition. There is not a particle of sense in it all; and yet we have it in us, as a legacy from the ignorance of the past. Garfield and Colfax were both noted examples of this previous tuition. In fact, there are not many of us able to shake off such im- ering, in the moon, is aptly illustrated by the sometimes heavy losses. For instance, we wait for the moon to come right to do our butchering. With the condition of the moon may come a warm change that will ruin the meat. If we wait over a good day to put on a roof in the proper stage ofi the moon, there may be a rain in which no roofman can work. There are many examples of such loss, and some of them very serious. One, fanfous in Roman history, will illustrate the disastrous side of the question. .Ariovistus, a great Gennan general, had crossed the- border and taken possession of a large tract belonging to the residents of Northern Gaul. When Caesar came into the territory, the citizens lie- sought him to aid in driving Ariovistus out. He readily assented, because he was desirious of the people's good will. Ry some sort of ancient etiquette, it was the place of the German army to strike the first blow; but five days, successively, they failed to do so, although Caesar every day formed his line of battle. After the fifth return of his men to their tents, Caesar asked one captured from the Germans why sVriovistus would not fight. lie answered there is an old woman in the camp, who told the commander he must not join battle before the change of the moon. "The moon changes to-night, ami he opens the scene to-morrow." Caesar waited no longer for -the etiquette of war; but marched nt once into the fight. sVriovistus did not reply at all, but fled in supreme disorder, and lost all for this caution, stopped at four rails high, and finished two weeks later, in the light of the moon. In the fall, when asked how tlie crop succeeded, he answered: "Oh! it was a great failure. The fence I built in the dark of the moon went down, and that I built in the light went up, making a big crack in the fence. The hogs got in, and all the potatoes were rooted up and devoured." I have a dozCn or more illustrations to fiiow the folly of all such nonsense; but of course I cannot take the space to give them. They have all been thoroughly tested and are all worthless. Rush Co. Walter S. Smith. Sundry Queries. Edltora Indiana Farmer: I would like to ask your subscribers if any of them have made or used cement fence posts, and if so will they tell how- to make them; in fact tell all about it. In sowing alfalfa why bo much seed to the acre? Ten pounds of red clover per acre is a heavy Beeding. W. E. and S. O. S. are just right on the corn shredder question. Let the feeders use common horse sense and keep their fingers out of the machine. There is a company in this neighborhood that has been in use for years and no one hurt If properly fed it won't clog; if it docs keep your fingers out. The shredder is as useful n machine as wc have got on the farm. The great amount of nice bright feed wc can store away in a small fore their grip's packed. Tipton Co. Ed. Curtis. —As to cement posts. Why not buy a mold and cast your own posts? It is a simple and easy process. One reason why more seed is required in sowing alfalfa than common red clover is that the seed are larger. Another is that the alfalfa plant is more tender and liable to perish, at the start, at least in this climate. As to the corn shredder; when the machine is made perfectly safe, as it may be, we shall not object to it. The editor agrees with you that 20c per mile is plenty for transportation to and from the capitol, and that the pass is in- the nature of a bribe, and is intended to have an influence in biasing the legislator in favor of the railroads, as against the people, in legislation. Editors Indiana Farmer: Will you kindly tell me how to inoculate soil in Illinois for alfalfa. I saw the article on the growing of alfalfa in your paper of December 31st. L. B. B. —Get some soil that has been inoculated, and scatter it over your land and harrow it in. Such soil is for sale and will be advertised in our columns beforo spring. A wealthy Eastern tourist lost in an electric car at Los Angeles a purse containing $5,020. To the conductor,, who found and returned it, he gave, after carefully counting the money, a reward of two dimes.
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1905, v. 60, no. 07 (Feb. 18) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA6007 |
Date of Original | 1905 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-01-25 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | VOL. LX. INDIANAPOLIS, FEBRUARY 18, 1905. NO. 7 Lunar Superstitions. Editor! Indlsna Farmer: There is still much talk about the signs of the moon. It need not be wondered nt: for it is only two generations back that our mothers, in this part of the country have been able to read anil write. I mil only CO years old, nnd I can remember very distinctly the Ior dwelling, nnd the slab furnished school house. The girls of my tiny-mostly hail school privileges; but the girls of the day preceding were not so fortunate. Those now dying nml dead from old age, were able to pressions. They came to us when our minds were impressible, and the lodgment they found in us was of the unshakable sort. It is easy to disprove, by auy fair experiment; but we do not court the proof. Nay, wc do not accept it, readily. I have tried planting corn in the light and in the dark of the moon, with results exactly according to the rain ami sunshine and richness of the soil. Ditto with potatoes and everything else. The evil of moon planting, and roofing and fencing, and weaning and biitch- the issues of a great campaign. This illustrates tlie serious phase of superstition. The following may show the ludicrous phase, ami its great want of souse: A fanner had planted a patch of potatoes and was engaged in building a fence around it, when a neighbor came along and told him it was alright, to plant them thon; but it was just the wrong time to build that fence. "Kor," said he, " it is the dark of the moon, and the feme, built now, will sink in the ground." The building of the fence was. barn and feod our stock with under shelter, instead of haviug them chasing round over our snowy, icy fields, swept by the cold wind these stormy days, eating frozen fodder is quite a saving if you look nt it iu a proper way. Thanks to the shredder and the man who invented it. I would like to hear our editor's opinion in regard to our legislature being bribed with free passes before leaving home. Let them refund their mileage or return thoir passes. It is a sorry day when our law-makers are bribed bc- Peons Reaping With Sickles near the Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico. Mount Popocatcpeti in the Distance. Hy the Interr.ntion.il Harvester Company. ivad and spell a little, but not many of them learned to write. The books were few, the papers were not, and the light of the tallow caudle was so poor that reading was by no means general. "Folk-lore," therefore, was their source of information, and they heard much of goblins and spooks and ominous happenings. People spoke of the danger of ; moving the cat, of beginning a job on a Friday, of planting corn in the wrong time of the moon, of seeing a rabbit cross the road in front of yon, and of grouping thirteen objects in one body. It is therefore not strange that such things are secretly dreaded yet. I once delivered a lecture on The Man in the Moon, in which I discussed all such superstitions, and showed their folly, by actual comparison of experiment. After it was over, I walked up street with one Judge Dorman, who did much reading, and was rather intelligent. He said: "A good lecture, Professor! ami much needed. As for myself, I am not a bit superstitious. But, without, superstition, I have always noticed that I can catch more fish if I go when the sign is in Scorpio." If there had been anything at all in my lecture it was that all such beliefs are unwarranted superstition. There is not a particle of sense in it all; and yet we have it in us, as a legacy from the ignorance of the past. Garfield and Colfax were both noted examples of this previous tuition. In fact, there are not many of us able to shake off such im- ering, in the moon, is aptly illustrated by the sometimes heavy losses. For instance, we wait for the moon to come right to do our butchering. With the condition of the moon may come a warm change that will ruin the meat. If we wait over a good day to put on a roof in the proper stage ofi the moon, there may be a rain in which no roofman can work. There are many examples of such loss, and some of them very serious. One, fanfous in Roman history, will illustrate the disastrous side of the question. .Ariovistus, a great Gennan general, had crossed the- border and taken possession of a large tract belonging to the residents of Northern Gaul. When Caesar came into the territory, the citizens lie- sought him to aid in driving Ariovistus out. He readily assented, because he was desirious of the people's good will. Ry some sort of ancient etiquette, it was the place of the German army to strike the first blow; but five days, successively, they failed to do so, although Caesar every day formed his line of battle. After the fifth return of his men to their tents, Caesar asked one captured from the Germans why sVriovistus would not fight. lie answered there is an old woman in the camp, who told the commander he must not join battle before the change of the moon. "The moon changes to-night, ami he opens the scene to-morrow." Caesar waited no longer for -the etiquette of war; but marched nt once into the fight. sVriovistus did not reply at all, but fled in supreme disorder, and lost all for this caution, stopped at four rails high, and finished two weeks later, in the light of the moon. In the fall, when asked how tlie crop succeeded, he answered: "Oh! it was a great failure. The fence I built in the dark of the moon went down, and that I built in the light went up, making a big crack in the fence. The hogs got in, and all the potatoes were rooted up and devoured." I have a dozCn or more illustrations to fiiow the folly of all such nonsense; but of course I cannot take the space to give them. They have all been thoroughly tested and are all worthless. Rush Co. Walter S. Smith. Sundry Queries. Edltora Indiana Farmer: I would like to ask your subscribers if any of them have made or used cement fence posts, and if so will they tell how- to make them; in fact tell all about it. In sowing alfalfa why bo much seed to the acre? Ten pounds of red clover per acre is a heavy Beeding. W. E. and S. O. S. are just right on the corn shredder question. Let the feeders use common horse sense and keep their fingers out of the machine. There is a company in this neighborhood that has been in use for years and no one hurt If properly fed it won't clog; if it docs keep your fingers out. The shredder is as useful n machine as wc have got on the farm. The great amount of nice bright feed wc can store away in a small fore their grip's packed. Tipton Co. Ed. Curtis. —As to cement posts. Why not buy a mold and cast your own posts? It is a simple and easy process. One reason why more seed is required in sowing alfalfa than common red clover is that the seed are larger. Another is that the alfalfa plant is more tender and liable to perish, at the start, at least in this climate. As to the corn shredder; when the machine is made perfectly safe, as it may be, we shall not object to it. The editor agrees with you that 20c per mile is plenty for transportation to and from the capitol, and that the pass is in- the nature of a bribe, and is intended to have an influence in biasing the legislator in favor of the railroads, as against the people, in legislation. Editors Indiana Farmer: Will you kindly tell me how to inoculate soil in Illinois for alfalfa. I saw the article on the growing of alfalfa in your paper of December 31st. L. B. B. —Get some soil that has been inoculated, and scatter it over your land and harrow it in. Such soil is for sale and will be advertised in our columns beforo spring. A wealthy Eastern tourist lost in an electric car at Los Angeles a purse containing $5,020. To the conductor,, who found and returned it, he gave, after carefully counting the money, a reward of two dimes. |
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