Weather Lore
March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
When April blows its horn, 'tis good for both hay and corn.
Change not a clout till May be out.
Nowadays if we want to know what the weather is like, we simply turn on the television or look at a newspaper. But not so long ago, people, especially farmers, had to rely on their own knowledge of the seasons.
And no season was more important than spring. Numerous sayings were bandied about in an attempt to second guess what the months ahead were going to do.
Each month had its own lore, starting in January when the days were getting longer and the farmers thoughts turned to the work ahead. He would cheer himself up in the cold days with
The blackest month of all the year is the month of Janiveer.
or
A year of snow, a year of plenty.
Then in case he got too optimistic, he would remind himself that:
If the grass do grow in Janiveer, it grows the worse for all the year.
or
A wet January, a wet spring.
February had him watching the skies.
If Candlemas day (February 2nd) be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight;
But if Candlemas day be cloud and rain, Winter is gone it will not come again.
and
If February brings no rain, 'tis neither good for grass nor grain.
March brought its own problems. If the month didn't come in like a lion, then the gales would come at the end of the month. And then again
So many misties in March, so many frosties in May.
As for sowing the crops, then the moon played its part too. If the moon was waning, that was the time to plant root crops, bulbs, perennials and biennials while a waxing moon was better for crops whose yield was grown above ground like wheat and barley.
April could be summed up in
April weather, rain and sunshine both together.
But bad weather had its good side.
If it thunders on All Fool's day, it brings good crops of corn and hay.
And if it was windy
When April blows its horn, 'tis good for both hay and corn.
By May, summer was anticipated but not too soon.
Change not a clout till May be out.
Shear your sheep in May and shear them all away.
But as always, optimism prevailed.
A cold May and a windy, a full barn will find ye.
In these days of global warming and changing climates we should perhaps look back to these examples of weather lore to see if they can still provide an understanding of what lies in store over the coming weeks and months. They couldn't be any worse than some of the modern forecasting.
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