The Old Farmer's Almanac 2008 [2008 ed.] 1571984232, 1571984267, 9781571984265, 9781571984234

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The Old Farmer's Almanac Calculated on a new and improved plan for the year of our Lord

2008

Being Leap Year and (until July 4) 232nd year of American Independence Fitted for Boston and the New England states, with special corrections and calculations to answer for all the United States. Containing, besides the large number of Astronomical Calculations and the Farmers Calendar for every month in the year, a variety of

New, Useful, & Entertaining Matter. Established in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. -Theophrastus, Greek philosopher (c. 372-c. 287 B.C.)

boverT.M. registered

Copyright ©2007 by Yankee Publishing Incorporated

|n U.S. Patent Office

ISSN 0078-4516

Library of Congress Card No. 56-29681

Original wood engraving by Randy Miller

The Old Farmer's Almanac • Dublin, NH 03444 • 603-563-81 1 1 • Almanac.com '8

The Old Farmer's Almanac

Contents The Old Farmer's Almanac . 2008 About This Almanac To Patrons 81 Contact Is 84,86 How to Use This Almanac 109-113 Amusement Essay Contest 174 How to Get Lucky the Old-Fashioned Way . 178

Celestial Highlights . . . 98, 100, 102-104, 114-141 * • Calendar

*

Calendar pages 113, 114-141, 142, 144, 146 Time Corrections 235 Tides 240-242 Folklore Hexafoo on You!

Country Cookin' Recipe Contest 180

Anniversary And the Winner Is

152

Gardening

234

Secrets of the Farmers' Market

38

252

Poppin' Fresh

46

162

Through the Looking Glass

Astronomical Glossary

68 170 28

Astronomy 90

106

214

214 Gestation and Mating Table

221

Miscellany

Little Giants

Astrology Secrets of the Zodiac 228-230

All the Right Reasons to Raise Pigs

*

Food

The Wonders of Blunders Maddening Mind-Manglers . Anecdotes & Pleasantries

Husbandry

TheGeneral Old Farmer's Store General Store Classifieds Advertising Index A Reference Compendium

243 245 250 257

News Consumer Tastes & Trends

4

Pets Second Comings Cultivating Confections Container Mania Symbolic Meanings of Herbs, Flowers, and Trees Frosts and Growing Seasons Outdoor Planting Table

232

Home Remedies How to Wash Your Hands

150

56 .64 66 231

156

Sports Best Fishing Days 148 Johnny Vander Who?. . 222 Weather Winter/Summer Maps . . 80 Forecasts . . . 184, 186-203 Crazy 8s 204

There's more of everything at Almanac. coin.

2008

Get Rid of Your Gutters! RainhandleR Self-Cleans. Icaxes and uchns to blov

Protects Property. The Rainhun'dler self-clci \ "titters and clownspou unci erosion. No more c e ice dams from frozen

Protects You.

Beautifies

svstem nrotec need to climb ladders and roots to clean clogged gutters.

blocks to detract from the na

Prevents Erosion.

ural beauty of your home.

No mute

Installs Easily. droplets spi

Maintains Itself

Each 5-foot section comes w: 3 brackets & 6 screws. Do yo entire home in 3 or 4 hours.

Guarantees. tance satisfaction is

Phone or Write for FREE Information messv. detenoi

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1-800-942-3004/Fax 1-800-606-2028 State

Zip.

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tastes/\rjf rends 200^ The fads,

Around the House

fashions, and

HOMES

farsighted

Today's home owners are serious about cutting energy costs and avoiding the health risks of chemicals used in building products. According to a survey taken by the American Institute of Architects, 90% of those surveyed would pay $5,000 more for an energy-efficient house that protects Earth. "We will see a dramatic and rapid transition to buildings that use a lot less energy and are healthier for their occu-

ideas that define our life and times.

ARE GETTING

GREENER

by Stacey

pants," says Alex Wilson of Brattleboro, Vermont-based Building Green.

Kusterbeck

STYLE MAKERS Indoors, we'll see: home elevators as status symbols industrial-looking concrete counters stylish men's urinals that prevent odors and splashing and flush automatically ■ cork, recycled glass, and bamboo

rik floors"serviced"

condominiums with hotel-style

*

amenities— concierges, maids, and room service from gourmet restaurants

electric bills that report power usage by device Outdoors, we'll see: the "quarry" look in backyards, with natural rock and concretestamped ground that resembles stone and audio emanating from rock-shaped speakers. "Full-size trees and bushy plants will make people think that they're in an outdoor prehistoric oasis, but with modern conveniences," says R. Brandon Johnson, host of HGTV's Get Out, Way Out camp-style fire pits, with outdoor plasma TV screens tumbled and distressed cobblestones that say "aged" (continued)

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T a • t

Trends

outdoor air-conditioning units that look like almost-six-foot-tall table lamps without shades

How the Garden Grows

and are able to lower temperatures by 15° Fin a 250-square foot area.

HARVEST THAT H20!

NOT JUST SMART

Cost-conscious gardeners are look-

Future homes will earn their

ing to use less water, and experts say that the best way to conserve

keep. "The home of the future won't just sit there. It will be a hardworking place," says Fortune senior editor Cait

is cost-free "wa"Contour the ter harvesting."

Murphy. We'll see: 81 toilet seats that measure body fat, take body temperature, and analyze urine samples ■ homes that produce their own energy and treat their own waste ■ windows that change size and walls between patios and living rooms that open or close depending on humidity, sunlight, and rain

ground so that the water that falls on the roofline gets directed to plants instead of running off the property," says Scott Millard, owner of Ironwood Press, a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of gardening books. TREE-SAVING SIDEWALKS To save trees, more than 60 U.S. cities have installed rubber sidewalks made from recycled tires. The rubber doesn't constrict tree roots like concrete slabs do, so root systems don't pull up and crack sidewalks. The rubber sidewalks last twice as long as concrete and also are easier on human joints.

Responsive homes, built from many interconnected elements, will . . . change shape and still be structurally sound shrink in winter to reduce heating costs shake snow off the roof regulate heat and airflow with adjustable roofs and windows

GRASS, BE GONE

More than 70 Canadian municipalities have passed laws restricting pesticides used purely for cosmetic purposes — e.g., on lawns. In drought-stricken southern Nevada, local water authorities are paying home owners to remove

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