Appalachian Collection

Agricultural Forecasting; the Methodologies of Appalachia Farming and Maya Agriculture


 


Scope

 

Traditional farming methods in rural Appalachia are typically based on the weather, the moon, and calendars. When attempting agricultural forecasting, farmers, in the past, have been known to consult Almanacs. Comparatively, other cultures have used calendars based on the sun and the moon to make predictions on agriculture, ceremonies, and construction. This is also evident in planting by the signs used by those in the United States. The Maya in the 1300's B.C.E created one of the first and most accurate calendars. This pathfinder is a starting point for research in comparing the cultures of methodology in agriculture between the mountains of Appalachia and the Mayan culture.


Introduction

A concise and beginners introduction to planting by the signs can be found in Foxfire, and for an introduction to the Maya calendar and agriculture look in the following.

Willington, Elliot. intro. Edited. The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing; Log Cabin Building; Mountain Crafts and Food; Planting by the Signs; Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing; Moonshining and Other Affairs of Plain Living . Doubleday. Garden City, NY: 1972 (1ed.). ASU App Coll. and ASU Main F291.2.F6.

Malonstrom, Vincent H. Cycles of the Sun, Mysteries of the Moon: The Calendar in Mesoamerican Civilization . University of Texas Press. Austin, TX. 1997. ASU Main F1219.3.C2M251997.


Library of Congress Subject Headings

Highly Relevant:

  • Appalachia Farming
  • Almanac
  • Maya Agriculture
  • Moon Alignments
  • Maya Calendar
  • Moon

Also Relevant:

  • Agriculture Forecasting
  • Calendar
  • Cosmology

More General:

  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture (Bibliography and Periodicals Index)
  • Farming
  • Sustainable Development


Library of Congress Call Numbers

  • AY31.A1.S8
  • AY41.S53
  • BF1723.P95
  • CB151.S78
  • E51.H337
  • F253.P37
  • F254.B48
  • F254.P35
  • F254.N963
  • F2162.A66 V.6
  • F2912.F6
  • F12193.C2
  • F14353.C14
  • GN2.S9243
  • PS3569.T48213
  • QB44.H44 1908
  • QB581.F453
  • QB6019.P75
  • S401A46
  • SA94.5.H5
  • Shaw and Shoemaker no. 36690, no. 14322, no. 3651, no. 1747, no. 50492, no. 72, no. 1776, no. 5735, no. 22226, no. 20209, no. 46877, no. 22629, no. 8500, no. 14137
  • Z1231A6.D7. v.1
  • Z5073.U572 V. 30


Frequently Mentioned Monographs

Willington, Elliot. intro. Edited. The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing; Log Cabin Building; Mountain Crafts and Food; Planting by the Signs; Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing; Moonshining and Other Affairs of Plain Living . Doubleday. Garden City, NY: 1972 (1ed.). ASU App Coll. and ASU Main F291.2.F6.

Malonstrom, Vincent H. Cycles of the Sun, Mysteries of the Moon: The Calendar in Mesoamerican Civilization . University of Texas Press. Austin, TX. 1997. ASU Main F1219.3.C2M251997

Steelman, Peter. Planting by the Moon: On the Life in a Mountain Hamlet . Boynton/Cook Publishers Heinemann Portsmouth, NH: 1995. p 105. U.N.C.A. PS3569.T48213.

Pyle, Jack R. and Taylor Reese. You and the Man in the Moon: The Complete Guide to Using the Almanac . Down Home Press, Asheboro, NC: 1995. ASU App. Coll. BF1723.P951995.

Blum, L.V. Blum's Farmer's and Planters' Almanac for the Year of our Lord . Salem, NC: 1866. AY261.S3B67


Bibliographies

Bibliography of Agriculture with Subject Index . Oryx Press. Phoenix, AZ: Jan. 1976. ASU Reference Z5073.U572 V. 30

Diehl, Katherine Smith. Religions, Mythologies, Folklore: An Annotated Bibliography . Scarecrow Press. New York: 1962 (2nd ed.) ASU Bibliography Z7751.D54 1962.


Journals, Abstracts, and Indicies

Humphrey, Richard. "Religion and Place in Southern Appalachia". Cultural Adaptation to Mountain Environment . Univ. of Georgia Press. GA: 1984. ASU App Coll. and ASU Main GN2.S9243 no.17

Green, Edward C. "A Modern Appalachian Folk Healer". Section II: "Diagnosis, Astrology, and Immunity". Appalachian Journal . Vol. 6, No. 1, 1978. p. 5 APP COLL F216.2.A66 V.6.


ASU Oral History

Hicks, Caroline. "Planting Signs". Interview with Estella Barnes. Tape: #12.

Hicks, Caroline. "Planting Signs". Interview with Marshall Ward. Tape: #15 A-B.

Hicks, Caroline. "Planting Signs". Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Filmore, Bell Presnell, and Miss Margie Michael. Tape: #33.


Handbooks and Almanacs

Heatwole, LJ. Key to the Almanac and the Sidereal Heavens . Mennonite Publishing House. Scottsdale, PA: 1908. ASU APP Coll Closed QB44.H44 1908.

Green, Edward C. "A Modern Appalachian Folk Healer". Section II: "Diagnosis, Astrology, and Immunity". Appalachian Journal . Vol. 6 No. 1 p5 1978. F216.2.A66 V.6.

Drake, Milton. Almanacs of the United States . Scarecrow Press. NY: 1962. ASU Reference Z1231.A6.D7. v.1

Almanac (American) Microform:
Solomon, Conrad (Publisher). An Agricultural Almanac for the Year of our Lord 1817 . PA: 1817. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 36690.

The Alexandria Almanack for the Year of our Lord 1809 . Cotton and Stewart (Publishers). Alexandria, VA: 1809. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 14322.

Allen. Allen's Genuine Almanack for the Year of our Lord 1804 . Suffield, MA: Shaw and Shoemaker no.3651.

Rice, Issac. An Almanac for the Year of our Lord 1803 . Whiting, Leavenworth and Whiting. 1803. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 1747.

Dudley, Leavitt. An Almanac for the Year of our Lord 1806 . Leavitt Dudley (Publisher). Gilmanton, NH: Shaw and Shoemaker no. 50492.

The Annual Visitor or Almanac for the Year of our Lord 1802 . Printed for Thomas, Andrews, and Butler. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 72.

Thorton, Daniel. The Astronomical and Miscellaneous Calendar for the Year of our Lord 1803 . New Bedford, MA: 1803. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 1776.

Low, Nathanael. An Astronomical Diary, or Almanack, for the Year of Our Lord Christian Era 1805 . John and Thomas Fleet (Publishers). Boston, MA: 1805. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 5735.

Collom, William. Bailey's Rittenhouse Almanac for the Year of Our Lord 1812 . Lydia R. Bailey (Publisher). PA: Shaw and Shoemaker no. 22226.

Almanac (Georgia) Microform:
The Georgia and South Carolina Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1811 . Hobby and Buna (Publishers). Augusta, GA: 1811. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 20209.

Almanac (Kentucky) Microform:
Worsley and Smith's Kentucky Almanac and Farmer's Calendar for the Year 1819 . Lexington, KY: 1819. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 46877.

Almanac (North Carolina) Closed Collection:
Blum, L.V. Blum's Farmer's and Planters' Almanac for the Year of our Lord . Salem, NC: 1866. AY261.S3B67.

Almanac (North Carolina) Microform:
Brooks, P. Coupee and Crider's North and South Carolina Almanac for the Year of our Lord 1812 . Coupee and Crider (Publishers). Salisbury, NC: 1812. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 22629.

Brooks, P. Gale's North Carolina Almanac for 1807 . J. Gales (Publisher). Raleigh, NC: 1807. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 8500.

Bates, Benj'n. The Virginia and North Carolina Almanac, for the Year 1808 . Somervell and Conrad (Publishers). Petersburg, VA: 1808. Shaw and Shoemaker no. 14137.

Richardson, David. Warrock's Virginia and North Carolina Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1851, being the Third After Bissextile, or Leap Year, and the 75th of American Independence . Richmond, VA: 1851. Being Processed for ASU App Coll. Microform.

Crutchfield, James A. The North Carolina Almanac and Book of Facts . Ruthledge Hill Press. Nashville, TN: 1986. F254.N963 1986.

Watson, Benjamin A. Acts of God: The Old Farmer's Almanac Unpredictable Guide to Weather and Natural Disasters . Random House. NY: 1993. ASU IMC. 5551.631.A188

Almanac (History):

Stowell, Marion Barber. Early American Almanacs; The Colonial Weekday Bible . B. Franklin (Publisher). NY: AY31.A1.S8.

Almanac (North Carolina) ASU Main:
Smiley, Ruth ed. The Good Life Almanac being the Choicest Morsels of Wisdom for Readers Interested in Living, Rather than Existing/ Written by some Country Folk with Ties to Nature, Man, and God's Own World. Appalachian Consortium Press. Boone, NC: 1975. AY41.S53.

Almanac (North Carolina):
Beverley, Robert. The Western North Carolina Almanac and Book of Lists . Sanctuary Press. Franklin, NC: 1991. WCU Reference and UNCA Special Coll.: F254.B48 1991

Jeavons, John and Carol Cox. The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields . Ten Speed Press. CA: 1999.


Videos


The Voices of Spring (video recording) "Plaintin' by the Signs". Reflections Video. Willis, VA: 199- ASU App Coll. Video. VC214.

Green Gold: From the Maya to the Moon .(Video) New Mexico State University. 1992. OCLC: 3786272.


Internet Resources

"Planting by the Signs". http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~omb00875/planting.html

"Planting by Moon Signs". http://www3.tellico.net~tellicotimes/signs.html


"The Almanack". http://www.thealmanack.com/moonsign.htm

"Some U.S. Farmers Insist on Planting by Phases of the Moon".
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0614_wireplanting.html


Biographic Interviews and Contacts

(All located in Watauga and Ashe County)

Mike and Jane Campbell (Informal interview that is not transcribed, however there are written notes)

Counsel Main (Formal interview on tape, but not transcribed, yet)

J.D. and Irene Main (Formal interview on tape, transcribed and at University Hall at ASU's App Study office)

Nora Wilson (Informal interview that is taped and videoed, but not yet transcribed)


Images

Internet images located at the following.

http://conjurefolk.tripod.com/signs.html "Planting by the Signs": Images of diagrams on the astrology of agriculture with explanation.

http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/phases.html "Gardening by the Moon": Images of Moon Phases with Description.

 


Compiler: Mary Ellen Royall, 10 December 2002