corn shucks and silk grown thicker, and the shucks grow tighter around, and further over the ends of the ears.
leaves shed before they turn.
moss grows heavy on the trees.
the old-time corn ear (shank) hangs downward.
laurel leaves roll up.
pine cones open early.
The darker green the grass is during the summer, the harder the winter.
FORECASTING WINTER BY WEATHER
Two frosts and lots of rain mean cold weather is near.
A late frost means a bad winter.
For every frost or fog in August, there will be a snowy day in winter.
At least three severe fogs in June or July mean early snow.
If it snows crosslegged, it will be a deep one.
If the first snow stays on the ground for three days, another snow will come to top it.
If it frosts before November 23, it will be a bad winter.
Lots of low rolling thunder in the late fall means a bad winter.
A long hot summer means a long cold winter—the hotter the summer, the colder the winter.
FORECASTING WINTER BY FIRE
When you build a fire outside and it pops, it will snow in three days.
If a fire “tramps” snow coming down the chimney (in other words, if noises are coming from the chimney that sound like boots swishing through deep, dry snow), it will be a deep snow.
It will be a hard winter if smoke from the chimney flows toward or settles on the ground. It will snow within twenty-six days.
If it’s cloudy and smoke rises, there’s a chance of snow.
FORECASTING WINTER BY THE MOON
The number of days old the moon is at the first snow tells how many snows there will be that winter.
FORECASTING WEATHER
It will rain:
within three days if the horns of the moon point down.
if leaves show their backs.
if cows are lying down in the pasture.
if there is a ring around the moon. Count the stars in the ring and it will rain within that many days.
if the sun sets with clouds.
within three days, if you see a black snake in a tree.
if an ant covers the hole to his ant hill.
if smoke goes to the ground.
the same time the next day, if the sun shines while it rains.
if earthworms come to the surface of the ground.
if birds fly low.
If it hasn’t rained in a long time, and it starts before 7 A.M., it’ll quit before 11 A.M.
If it rains on “Blasting Days” (the three longest days of the year), there won’t be any “mast” (acorns, chestnuts, etc.) for animals like hogs to feed on.
If it rains on Easter Sunday, it will rain every Sunday for seven weeks.
If it begins raining on the day the moon becomes full, it will continue raining until the moon quarters.
The first twelve days after Christmas indicate what each month in the next year will be like.
The weather will be fair if:
you hear a screech owl.
smoke rises.
crickets holler. The temperature will rise.
PLANTING BY THE SIGNS
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
Genesis 1:14
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–2
At the time when many of the crops planted in the spring were gathered in and preserved for the winter to come, our attention was turned to a phenomenon that had fascinated us for some time—that of planting, harvesting, and conducting a number of other activities by the moon and the signs of the zodiac. Its rules have been passed down so carefully from year to year that its practice bridges the gaps between the generations more successfully and more completely than most.
Over thirty separate interviews were conducted for this chapter, some with people who follow the signs religiously, and some with those who scoff at the idea. Many of the interviews were taped, making it possible for us to set down information just as it was given us—word for word.
THE ZODIAC
Ancient astronomers discovered that a number of the bright constellations of stars that they had studied and named were evenly spaced along the yearly path of the sun in a belt about eighteen degrees wide. This belt also included the paths of the planets and the monthly path of the moon.
ILLUSTRATION 25
ILLUSTRATION 26
This belt was subsequently divided into twelve parts each of thirty degrees in length called “signs.” Each of these signs contained a constellation of stars, and each sign thus received its name from the name of the constellation it contained. Since all the signs except Libra were named after living things, the belt was named the zodiac, or “zone of animals.”
As the early wise men believed that there was an intimate relationship between the celestial bodies and mankind, the twelve signs soon became identified with various parts of the human body. Charts which illustrate this relationship have been noted as far back in history as 1300 B.C. according to the 1967 edition of Grier’s Almanac.
Astrologers all over the world lost no time in seizing the zodiac as a guide for their predictions. With its use, they and their followers constructed everything from horoscopes to guides for good fishing days. One of their constructions which received serious and devoted attention from thousands of families was a set of rules for planting. Although the practice seems to be declining in popularity now, there are still many accurate sources of information to be found. Grier’s annual almanac, “first published in 1807 and every year since,” is mailed out of Atlanta and contains one of the most complete astrological calendars available. A wall calendar equally full of information of this sort is published by the Francis and Lusky Company of Nashville, Tennessee. But perhaps the most specific information comes from T. E. Black. He publishes a guide, numerous fishing and planting charts, and he even personally answers many of the letters he receives from his followers. The chart which precedes this article is from his booklet, God’s Way, which gives complete directions for planting by the signs as tested through years of research. It is available from Mr. C. J. Black, P. O. Box 785, Andalusia, Alabama, and is reprinted here with his permission.
HOW IT WORKS
Every day of the month is dominated by one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each of the twelve appears at least once a month, and then for a period of either two or three days. All good planting calendars label each day with the sign that rules over it (depending on which constellation is foremost in the sky at the time), the part of the body and the planet associated with the sign, and the element it is most closely akin to. The following chart summarizes this information.
ILLUSTRATION 27
The signs always appear in sequence, beginning with the Ram or Head and working their way down to Pisces, the Fish or Feet. Following Pisces, the Ram appears again beginning a new sequence.
Each of the signs is known as being cither masculine, feminine, airy, dry, barren, fiery, earthy, moist, watery, fruitful, or very fruitful. In general, any activity that requires a dry atmosphere, such as painting, should be done in one of the dry signs; and an activity requiring moisture, such as some planting, should be done on one of the moist or fruitful signs.
The best time of all, of course, to conduct any activity is when a day falls on both an ideal sign and a good phase of the moon.
Over the years, a more specific set of rules has grown up around the zodiac which governs such activities as planting and harvesting. These rules take into account both the sign governing the day and the phase of the moon on that particular day. At the beginning of the planting season, for example, the farmer consults his calendar, picks o
ut one of the fourteen favorable days that occur every month, and plants only on one of these fourteen “fruitful” days. Should he miss and plant his crops on one of the unfruitful days, his crops will not produce at half their ability, say the believers. T. E. Black even goes so far as to say that a few hours can make the difference between success and failure, and many of his followers agree.
THE RULES
The following rules were gathered both from interviews and wide reading. They do not represent a complete set, but they should serve to give the reader a good idea as to the nature of this system. We also included rules for butchering, cutting hair, killing weeds, pulling teeth, and others to give some grasp of the scope of the subject.
PLANTING—Planting is best done in the fruitful signs of Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, or Cancer (when the signs are in the loins, feet, neck, or breast).
Plow, till, and cultivate in Aries.
Never plant anything in one of the barren signs. They are good only for trimming, deadening, and destroying.
Always set plants out in a water or earth sign.
Graft just before the sap starts to flow, while the moon is in its first or second quarter, and while it is passing through a fruitful watery sign, or Capricorn. Never graft or plant on Sunday as this is a barren, hot day (the sun’s day).
Plant flowers in Libra which is an airy sign that also represents beauty. Plant them while the moon is in the first quarter unless you need the seeds, in which case use the period between the moon’s second quarter and full.
ILLUSTRATION 28
Corn planted in Leo will have a hard, round stalk and small cars.
Crops planted in Taurus and Cancer will stand drought.
Plant beans when the signs are in the arms.
Root flower cuttings, limbs, vines, and set out flower bushes and trees in December and January when the signs arc in the knees and feet.
Never transplant in the heart or head as both these signs are “Death Signs.”
If you want a large vine and stalk with little fruit, plant in Virgo—“bloom days.”
Don’t plant potatoes in the feet. If you do, they will develop little nubs like toes all over the main potato. The best time is a dark night in March.
Plant all things which yield above the ground during the increase or growing of the moon, and all things which yield below the ground (root crops) when the moon is decreasing or darkening.
Never plant on the first day of the new moon, or on a day when the moon changes quarters.
In the fourth quarter turn sod, pull weeds, and destroy.
REAPING AND HARVESTING—Pick fruit like apples and pears in the old of the moon (while it is decreasing or shrinking). This will cause the bruised spots and blemishes to dry up rather than rot. They will rot if the fruit is picked on the increase or rising of the moon, or on the new moon.
Harvest most crops when the moon is growing old. This will cause them to keep better and longer.
Dig root crops for seed in the third quarter of the moon. They will keep longer and are usually drier and better.
Gather root crops in the last quarter of the moon when the signs are in the knees or feet.
Can vegetables, cook preserves and jelly, and make pickles in the right sign during the last quarter of the moon.
MISCELLANY—Cut timber in the old of the moon. It will dry better and not become worm-eaten.
Set fence posts in the old of the moon to prevent loosening.
The part of your body governed by a particular sign is more sensitive when the moon is in that sign. People with heart trouble, for example, will have more trouble in Leo’s sign, and lovers are more successful at this time. In Taurus (throat) an operation on this part of the body will be unsuccessful. Conversely, if tonsils are removed and teeth are pulled when the signs are in the knees or feet, there is less soreness, loss of blood, and danger of infection. You can easily figure others out for yourself.
Paint houses or cars in a dry sign like Leo or Aries.
Wean a child or animal when the moon is in a sign that does not rule the vital parts of the body (Capricorn, Pisces, Sagittarius).
Set eggs to hatch in a fruitful sign like Cancer. The chicks will mature faster and be better layers.
Quit habits on the second day that the moon is in Sagittarius, or on the new moon, or in Pisces.
If you cut your hair in Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius, or Pisces, it will grow stronger, thicker, and more beautiful.
Purge with pills in Pisces and with liquids in Sagittarius.
Bake and cook in Aries.
Hunt in Taurus.
Lay foundations in Capricorn.
Don’t nail shingles or boards on the growing side of the moon, or the ends will draw up and curl and go crooked.
Destroy weeds, kill trees, turn sod in the barren signs Gemini, Leo, or Virgo (especially if the moon is in the last quarter).
Slaughter while the signs are in the knees or feet, and in the last quarter of the moon.
THOSE WHO BELIEVE
The first information we gathered for this article was through interviews with those people that we knew in advance followed the signs. We knew nothing of this phenomenon before we started out.
ILLUSTRATION 29
Here, then, is the beginning of our search:
Mary Cabe, or “Granny” Cabe as she is affectionately known by her family and close friends, lives on Mulberry Road just across the North Carolina line. A tall, thin, stately, elderly woman with flashing, friendly eyes, she was the first person we questioned. Like many young people in this area, we knew nothing about the zodiac when we met her—not even what questions to ask except, “What is it?”
Patiently, with the use of several calendars, she explained its basic principles to us and gave us several of the rules. Her family had used the signs for as long as she could remember, and she spoke quietly and with complete conviction, laughing kindly at our amazement. “Take taters. On th’ dark of th’ moon or th’ old of th’ moon—that’s th’ last quarter,” she explained, “they make less vine; and on th’ light of th’ moon they makes more vine and less tater.…Don’t plant in th’ flowers. A plant blooms itself to death and th’ blooms falls off, and don’t make cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, or stuff like that.…And if you kill a hog on th’ growin’ of th’ moon, th’ meat’s all puffy and there just ain’t no grease a’tall. I don’t know why it is, but it’s sure thataway for we’ve tried it.”
Her son, Elvin Cabe, agreed, telling us the story of a man he knew who, before cutting his hay, told those helping him that they could walk right behind him and stack it as he went if they wanted to. It would never mold, but would cure perfectly because he was cutting it on just the right time of the moon.
“And you know, that stuff never molded a bit in th’ world. Cut hay on th’ old of th’ moon,” he continued, “and it’ll dry a third quicker than it will on th’ new. On th’ new of th’ moon, th’ sap is still in it. It’ll dry, but it’ll take a lot longer. It’s th’ same with wood. Cut it on th’ new, and when you put it in th’ fire it’ll spew water out both ends all th’ time. It’ll rot out before it’ll dry. And take sand in a river. I’ve noticed this out fishing. On th’ new of th’ moon, th’ water’s full of sand as it can be, and if you’re standing on th’ edge barefooted, th’ water will pull th’ sand right out from you and sink you down. But on th’ old, th’ water’s clear. It never carries sand.
“Another thing. Dig a hole on th’ new of th’ moon and you will have dirt to throw away, but if you dig it on th’ old of th’ moon, you’ll not have enough to fill it back again. Look, if you don’t believe me, try this, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll give you a hundred dollar bill. Dig a post hole on th’ growin’ of th’ moon. Dig it ever how deep and how big around you want, and put th’ post in it. It’ll be loose all th’ time and never settle. Dig th’ same kind of hole on th’ old of th’ moon, just th’ same size, and sink your post. It’ll settle as tight as you could want—li
ke it’s took roots and growed there.”
By this time, we were fascinated. Anxious to help out, Elvin took us farther up Mulberry Road and introduced us to Mr. Harley Carpenter. Speaking slowly, quietly, chuckling often, he talked about the signs and about the people who refused to believe in them.
“They’re as wild as a rabbit sittin’ up there in the broom sage,” he laughed softly. “Get too close to ’em and they’re gone. Seein’, in a sense, is a great believin’. You can hear things, but if you’ve seen it, you’ve got more sense out of it. If it hadn’t’a been true, it wouldn’a been handed down through the years. In other words, it speaks the signs in th’ Bible, you know.
“I heared a fella’ talkin’ about plantin’ corn. He said t’other one, he said, ’I plant mine when th’ signs is in th’ arms and it won’t grow high, and th’ ear’ll come out and shank and hang down.’ And th’ other’n says, ’Aw, I don’t plant by th’ signs and by th’ moon. I plant in th’ ground when I get ready.’ He just ain’t got th’ self-experience, you see. Now all these things, you’d have to go through a process of tryin’ and seein’. Then you’d be a permanent believer.
“And th’ same way by beans. Now you might talk to a woman about plantin’ beans, and they’d just hoot at’ya and say, ’I plant in th’ ground,’ like I said. But there’s a certain time them signs is when if you plant’m, they’ll speck and rot, and it’s in th’ bowels. Now there’s a mystery there for me and you to study about that. Why does it happen? And here’s what I figure out about it—just thinkin’ about my food. It goes in here pleasant and good in th’ mouth, and when it comes out, its manufactured and went through a process in th’ bowels. In other words, it’s rotted, see? Went on out.
“And th’ same way by corn now. In my comin’ up, my daddy always tried to plant his corn when th’ signs was in th’ arms; and beans and pumpkins and so on th’ same way. Well, now I’ve growed up and we don’t have much corn in th’ mountain country, you know. It’s about to quit. But people back then always tried to grow enough corn to do ’em, see? Well, they’d have corn shuckin’s—go in and help one another. You can’t get a crowd together now unless it’s for music or somethin’ they’re goin’ta give away. But in my bein’ at corn shuckins’ and shuckin’ my own corn, you’d find cars once in a while that if they was planted in th’ bowels, they’d be grown and matured green—solid dry rot. And th’ old people claimed that that was th’ signs.
Planting By the Signs: Mountain Gardening: The Foxfire Americana Library (10) Page 6