Weather Bureau
The U. S. Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau publishes a "Classification of clouds," in colors which may be had for the asking. If you are near one of the weather signal stations daily bulletins will be sent to camp upon request, also the weather map.
A set of flag signals run up each day will create interest. The flags are easily made, or may be purchased.
Keep a daily record of temperature. A boy in charge of the "Weather Bureau" will find it to be full of interest, as well as to offer an opportunity to render the camp a real service. He will make a weather vane, post a daily bulletin board, keep a record of temperature, measure velocity of wind and rainfall.
If you have lost your bearings and it is a cloudy day, put the point of your knife blade on your thumb nail, and turn the blade around until the full shadow of the blade is on the nail. This will tell you where the sun is, and decide in which direction the camp is.
Points of Compass
Face the sun in the morning, spread out your arms straight from body. Before you is the east; behind you is the west; to your right hand is the south; to the left hand is the north.
A Home-made Weather Prophet
For a home-made barometer you need a clean, clear glass bottle. Take one drachm[1] each of camphor gum, saltpetre and ammonia salts, and dissolve them in thirteen drachms of pure alcohol. Shake till dissolved. Then pour in bottle and cork tightly. Hang the bottle of mixture against the wall facing north, and it will prove a perfect weather prophet. When the liquid is clear it promises fair weather. When it is muddy or cloudy it is a sign of rain. When little white flakes settle in the bottom it means that the weather is growing colder, and the thicker the deposit the colder it becomes. Fine, starry flakes foretell a storm, and large flakes are signs of snow. When the liquid seems full of little, threadlike forms that gradually rise to the top, it means wind and sudden storm.
[Transcriber's Footnote 1: Dram, drachma; drachm; U.S. Customary System equal to 1/16 of an ounce or 27.34 grains (1.77 grams). Apothecary weight equal to 1/8 of an ounce or 60 grains (3.89 grams).]