AGRICULTURE REPORT - Farmers Almanacs

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Farmers Almanacs
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, September 28, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

In seventeen ninety-two, in the United States, a man named Robert Thomas started The Farmer's Almanac. Later the name became The Old Farmer's Almanac. Robert Thomas wanted to make his almanac useful and interesting. Most of his readers were farmers. He tried to give them information no one else could provide. Robert Thomas included weather predictions for the whole year in his almanacs.

The Old Farmer's Almanac continued to grow under his supervision¹ for more than fifty years. It was a big success. Later, in the early nineteen hundreds, the almanac changed to include stories of interest to the general public -- much like it is today.

The almanac tells the story of a time when federal² officials captured³ a German spy on Long Island during World War Two. The spy was carrying The Old Farmer's Almanac. Officials worried that it could provide the enemy with intelligence about the weather. But the editor at the time was able to get officials to agree not to close the almanac.

In eighteen eighteen, an astronomer⁴ named David Young started the Farmers' Almanac. It is not the same as the Old Farmer's Almanac, although they shared the same name for many years. In more recent years, whoever makes the weather predictions has gone by the name of "Caleb Weatherbee."

Both almanacs say they use a secret system to tell what the weather will be like. The systems are said to be based, among other things, on the movements of the sun and moon. The Old Farmer's Almanac says its results are traditionally eighty percent right. The Farmers' Almanac says many of its longtime followers⁵ claim its forecasts are eighty to eighty-five percent accurate⁶. But it points out that weather forecasting still remains⁷ an inexact science.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been published for two hundred twelve years. It is based in Dublin, New Hampshire. The Farmers' Almanac was established one hundred eighty-six years ago. It is based in Lewiston, Maine.

In their pages, readers can find astronomy⁸ facts like when the sun, moon and planets⁹ rise and set. Both contain advice about when to plant gardens. They also contain history, stories and information that is meant to be more fun than fact. Both are examples of a great tradition in publishing that started with the needs of farmers.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Gwen Outen.

1 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

2 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

3 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

4 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 accurate   

adj.正确无误的；准确的，精确的

参考例句：

• He has made an accurate measurement of my garden.他准确地丈量了我的花园。
• He is always accurate in what he says and does.他说的和做的总是正确无误。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 astronomy   

n.天文学

参考例句：

• Mathematics is connected with astronomy.数学与天文学有联系。
• Astronomy is an abstract subject.天文学是一门深奥的学科。

9 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星