This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.
In seventeen ninety-two, in the United States, a man named RobertThomas started The Farmer’s Almanac. Later the name became The OldFarmer’s Almanac. Robert Thomas wanted to make his almanac usefuland interesting. Most of his readers were farmers. He tried to givethem information no one else could provide. Robert Thomas includedweather predictions for the whole year in his almanacs.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac continued to grow under his supervisionfor more than fifty years. It was a big success. Later, in the earlynineteen hundreds, the almanac changed to include stories ofinterest to the general public — much like it is today.
The almanac tells the story of a time when federal officialscaptured a German spy on Long Island during World War Two. The spywas carrying The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Officials worried that itcould provide the enemy with intelligence about the weather. But theeditor at the time was able to get officials to agree not to closethe almanac.
In eighteen eighteen, an astronomer named David Young started theFarmers’ Almanac. It is not the same as the Old Farmer’s Almanac,although they shared the same name for many years. In more recentyears, whoever makes the weather predictions has gone by the name of”Caleb Weatherbee.”
Both almanacs say they use a secret system to tell what theweather will be like. The systems are said to be based, among otherthings, on the movements of the sun and moon. The Old Farmer’sAlmanac says its results are traditionally eighty percent right. TheFarmers’ Almanac says many of its longtime followers claim itsforecasts are eighty to eighty-five percent accurate. But it pointsout that weather forecasting still remains an inexact science.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been published for two hundredtwelve years. It is based in Dublin, New Hampshire. The Farmers’Almanac was established one hundred eighty-six years ago. It isbased in Lewiston, Maine.
In their pages, readers can find astronomy facts like when thesun, moon and planets rise and set. Both contain advice about whento plant gardens. They also contain history, stories and informationthat is meant to be more fun than fact. Both are examples of a greattradition in publishing that started with the needs of farmers.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter. This is Gwen Outen.