| The Complete Weather Guide: A Collection of Practical Observations for Prognosticating the Weather, Drawn from Plants, Animals, Inanimate Bodies, Contributor(s): Taylor, Joseph (Author) |
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ISBN: 1108065317 ISBN-13: 9781108065313 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $36.09 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2013 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Earth Sciences - Meteorology & Climatology - History - Science | Earth Sciences - Geography |
| Series: Cambridge Library Collection - Earth Science |
| Physical Information: 0.4" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.50 lbs) 174 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |