UID:
almafu_9960117897102883
Format:
1 online resource (viii, 160 pages) :
,
digital, PDF file(s).
ISBN:
1-107-32384-3
Series Statement:
Cambridge library collection. Earth sciences
Content:
Early nineteenth-century farmers often sowed their crops on an arbitrarily chosen day every year. Impatient with this practice, naturalist Joseph Taylor (c.1761-1844) presents an alternative method in this work, which first appeared in 1812. He argues that by studying the atmosphere, the behaviour of animals and the condition of local flora, a farmer can not only determine the optimal time for sowing, but also forecast the weather. Including the Shepherd of Banbury's famous rules for judging changes in the weather, alongside remarks on the quality of this wisdom, Taylor's book also draws on a wealth of wider countryside knowledge. He observes, for example, that the flowering of primroses and lettuce occurs at such precise times as to be useful for botanical clocks, while the proximity of bees to their hives and the agitation of dogs suggest oncoming weather conditions.
Note:
Originally published: London : Printed for John Harding, 1812.
,
Frontmatter -- Contents -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- PART I - OBSERVATIONS, BY WHICH TO JUDGE OF THE CHANGES OF THE WEATHER, DEDUCED FROM THE APPEARANCES OF NATURE -- SECTION I - Changes of weather indicated by vegetables -- SECTION II - Changes of weather, indicated by animals -- SECTION III - Changes of weather, indicated from the appearances of the atmosphere, the earth, seasons, &c -- PART II - OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF THE WEATHER, INDICATED BY MEANS OF THE BAROMETER, AND OTHER PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUMENTS -- SECTION I - Of the barometer -- SECTION II - Of the hygrometer -- SECTION III - The rain-gauge -- SECTION IV - Of the thermometer -- PART III - THE SHEPHERD OF BANBURY'S RULES, BY WHICH TO JUDGE OF THE CHANGES OF THE WEATHER, (GROUNDED ON FORTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE,) METHODIZED AND ARRANGED UNDER DISTINCT HEADS -- SECTION I - Prognostics of the weather, taken from the sun, moon, and stars -- SECTION II - Prognostics of the weather, taken from the clouds -- SECTION III - Prognostics of the weather, taken from mist -- SECTION IV - Prognostics of the weather, taken from rain -- SECTION V - Prognostics of the weather, taken from the wind -- SECTION VI - Prognostics of the weather, taken from the seasons -- APPENDIX - MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS NOT REFERIBLE TO ANY OF THE PRECEDING PARTS OR SECTIONS -- I - Observations on the winds -- II - Observations on lightning -- III - Water spouts -- IV - Nautical observations may be made from aquatic plants -- V - Miscellaneous observations on plants Horologe or Botanical Watch -- VI - Important remark on early rising -- INDEX.
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-108-06531-7
Language:
English
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