Barley, s. A grain of which malt is made.
Barm, s. Yeast; the ferment put into drink to make it work.
Barn, s. A place or house for laying up any sort of grain, hay, or straw.
Barnacle, s. A kind of shellfish which attaches itself to timber floating at sea; a bird, vide Bernacle.
Barometer, s. A machine for measuring the weight of the atmosphere, and the variations in it, in order chiefly to determine the changes of the weather.
Barometer.—There is no instrument now more generally used for ascertaining the coming weather than the barometer. It may however be remarked, that it is more from its rising or falling, than from its height or lowness that we are to infer fair or foul weather. Generally speaking, the rising of the mercury presages clear fair weather, and its falling, foul weather; as rain, snow, high winds, and storms.
In very hot weather, the falling of the mercury indicates thunder.
In winter the rising indicates frost, and in frosty weather, if the mercury fall three or four divisions, there will follow a thaw; but in a continued frost, if the mercury rise, it will snow.
When foul weather happens soon after the falling of the mercury, expect but little of it; and, on the contrary, expect but little fair weather when it proves fair shortly after the mercury has risen.
In foul weather, when the mercury rises much and high, and so continues for two or three days before the foul weather is over, then expect a continuance of fair weather to follow.