Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1913 — Old Sayings About January and A Traveling Man’s Forecast [ARTICLE]

Old Sayings About January and A Traveling Man’s Forecast

January blossoms fill no man’s cellar. If birds begin to whistle in January, frosts to come. When gnats swarm in January the peasant becomes a beggar. Mucjj rain in January, no blessing to the fruit. When oak trees bend with snow in January good .crops may be expected. A cold January, a feverish February, a dusty March, a weeping April and a windy May presage a good year and gay. Weather folklore used to be much more common than it is today, when we'have the daily forecasts served up by experts. The average young man of today pays but little attention to the signs that were formerly held as certain preliminaries for storms or fair weather. The writer met a traveling man this morning who is probably much more observing than most people. He stated that the first forty days’ weather of the year are controlled by the prevailing winds of January Ist. He called attention to the fact than January Ist this year was mild, with prevailing winds from the south and southwest. The consequence is to be that mild weather will ensue until the Bth or 10th of February. “Look out for a cold spell about February 10th,” he said, and he said it just as though he was certain it was coming. The name of the gentleman is withheld from publication, as he don’t want to lose any trade because of any false forecasting. However, if his prophesy comes true, we will then be at liberty to tell who made the forecast. A number of years ago the government got out a book entitled “Weather Folklore,” which embodied about all the weather Idioms of the English language. It would be an interesting book to have in any home, but on effort on the part of the writer to procure TnnFfattHf s —■■ We shall take pleasure this year in watching the outcome of the forecast of our commercial friend, who prognosticates some real winter after Feb. 10th.