A Guide To The Scientific Knowledge Of Things Familiar Part 68

Q. _Why is it said "A DRY cold MARCH never BEGS BREAD?"_

A. Because the _dry cold winds_ of March prepare the soil for _seeds_, which germinate, and produce fruit in the autumn.

Q. _Why is it said that "A WET MARCH makes a SAD autumn?"_

A. Because, if _March be wet_, so much of the seed _rots in the ground_, that the autumn crops are spoiled.

Q. _Why is it said that "MARCH FLOWERS make NO summer BOWERS?"_

A. Because, if the _spring be very mild_, vegetation gets too forward, and is _pinched by the nightly frosts_, so as to produce neither fruits nor flowers.

Q. _Why is it said "A LATE SPRING makes a FRUITFUL YEAR?"_

A. Because if the vegetation of spring be _backward_, the frosty nights will _do no harm_; for the fruits and flowers will not put forth their tender shoots, till the nights become _too warm to injure them_.

Q. _Why is it said that "APRIL SHOWERS bring MAY FLOWERS?"_

A. Before seeds can germinate, _three_ things are essential:--Darkness, Heat, and Moisture. April showers supply the princ.i.p.al nourishment on which seeds depend for existence.

Q. _Does RAIN-water possess any fertilizing properties BESIDES that of mere MOISTURE?_

A. Yes; rain-water contains "AMMONIA," to which much of its fertilizing power may be attributed.

(Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Common hartshorn is only ammonia and water.)

Q. _Why has G.o.d made NOVEMBER a very RAINY month?_

A. Because the rain hastens the _putrefaction of the fallen leaves_, and this makes the earth fertile.

Q. _Why is there MORE rain FROM SEPTEMBER to MARCH than from March to September?_

A. From September to March, the temperature of the air is _constantly decreasing_; on which account, its _capacity for holding vapour_ is on the _decrease_, and the vapour is precipitated as rain.

Q. _Why is there LESS rain FROM MARCH to SEPTEMBER, than from September to March?_

A. From March to September, the temperature of the air is _constantly increasing_; on which account, _its capacity for holding vapour_ is on the _increase_, and very little is precipitated as rain.

Q. _Why is the RISING SUN in summer accompanied with a BREEZE?_

A. Because the heat of the rising sun _stops the radiation of heat_ from the earth, and _warms its surface_.

Q. _How does this WARMTH produce a BREEZE?_

A. The air (resting on the earth's surface) is _warmed by contact_, ascends upwards, and _colder air rushes in_ to fill up the void, which is the cause of the _morning_ breeze.

Q. _Why is there often an EVENING BREEZE during the summer months?_

A. The earth _radiates heat at sun-set_, and the air is cooled down quickly by contact: this condensation causes a _motion in the air_, which is the evening breeze.

Q. _Why are TROPICAL ISLANDS always subject to a SEA-breeze every MORNING (i. e. a breeze blowing from the sea to the land)?_

A. The solar rays are unable to heat the surface of the _sea_ as they do the _earth_; therefore, the _air resting on the earth_ is more _heated_ than the _air resting on the sea_; and the colder sea air blows _inland_ to restore the equilibrium.

Q. _Why is the LAND BREEZE UNHEALTHY?_

A. Because it is frequently loaded with exhalations from _putrefying animal_ and _vegetable_ substances.

Q. _Why is the SEA BREEZE fresh and HEALTHY?_

A. Because it pa.s.ses over the fresh sea, and is _not_ laden with noxious exhalations.

It is _healthy_, therefore, to walk on the sea-beach before ten o'clock in the morning; but _unhealthy_ after sun-set.

Q. _Why is there generally a fresh breeze from the SEA (in English watering places) during the summer and autumn MORNINGS?_

A. As the _land_ is _more heated by the sun_ than the _sea_; therefore, air resting on the _land_ is hotter than air resting on the _sea_; in consequence of which, cooler sea air glides _inland_, to restore the equilibrium.

Q. _Why does the SEA BREEZE feel COOL?_

A. As the sun cannot make the surface of the _sea_ so hot as the surface of the _land_; therefore, the air which blows from the sea, feels _cooler than the air of the land_.

Q. _Why are TROPICAL ISLANDS subject to a LAND BREEZE every EVENING (i. e. a breeze blowing from the land towards the sea)?_

A. The _surface of land_ cools down _faster_ (after sun-set) than the surface of the _sea_: in consequence of which, the air of the cold land _is condensed, sinks down_, and spreads itself into the warmer _sea air_, causing the LAND BREEZE.

Q. _Why is the LAND BREEZE COOL?_

A. As the surface of the land is cooled at sun-set _quicker than the surface of the sea_; therefore, the seaman feels the air from the land to be chill.