Feb. 12, Monday — Abraham Lincoln born, 1809. Charles Darwin born, 1809.
Feb. 13, Tuesday — By Valentine's Day, both the good and the bad goose will lay.
Feb. 14, Wednesday — St. Valentine. Saints Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine, set thy hopper (seed basket) by mine.
Feb. 15, Thursday — Winter's back breaks. Conjunction of Mars and the Moon. Editor and suffragist Susan B. Anthony born, 1820.
Feb. 16, Friday — Wilt Chamberlain scored 30,000th point, 1972. DuPont patented nylon, 1937.
Feb. 18, Saturday — Premiere of "Madame Butterfly," Milan, 1904. Jazz pianist Thelonius Monk died, 1982.
Feb. 18, Sunday — Moon at descending node. Pluto discovered, 1930. A February spring is not worth a pin.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: What is oakum? I know it's used in caulking boats, but what is it made of? — M. J., Concord, Mass.
Answer: Oakum is hemp or jute that has been soaked in tar, creosote or asphalt. The treated fiber is used to stuff into the joints or seams between planks on the hull of a wooden boat. The word comes from the Old English "acumba" for "broken fibers" or "off-combing." Oakum is fiber that has not been twisted or plied into rope, but instead has been combed straight and left relatively loose, more like wool batting. The loose texture allows the fiber to absorb the tar or other gunk more readily and to mat into a tighter-packing wad in the seams or joints. Once the ship goes into the water and the seams begin to shrink and tighten, the oakum helps to form a watertight seal that keeps the hull from leaking. Any final wood treatment goes on the exterior of the boat after the caulking has been completed.
In the launching of some of the old schooners and other big ships, "Out, oakum!" was one of the first commands to start the process. The wooden ways on which the ship was built would have been well-greased in anticipation of sliding the boat into the water. Besides being used to caulk seams, oakum kept the ship itself from the greased ways until the desired moment of launch, at which time the cry, "Out, oakum!" would be heard and the material would be yanked away, the wooden supports along the boat's sides knocked aside, and the launch begun — if luck was with the builder and owner! Occasionally, "Out, oakum!" would be heard, the blocks and supports would be removed, and then nothing would happen. But that's another story.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: Why do doctors continue to write prescriptions in abbreviated Latin? Are they just trying to keep us in the dark? — D. E., San Francisco
Answer: That may have been the case at one time, perhaps when remedies were simpler and patients less knowledgeable, but not anymore. Latin has several things going for it as the language of prescriptions. First, it's accurate regardless of locale. Any pharmacist in the world can get the same information from a Latin prescription, despite varying local or popular names for a drug. Just as Latin names for plants help to distinguish one variety of daisy from another, so too is there a need for medicines to be specified. Second, because Latin is a "dead language," its terms do not change over time. This is one of the reasons it has become the universal language of medicine. Also, Latin is easily and precisely abbreviated in standard forms, making the prescription quick to write while still being precise.
A few of the common Latin abbreviations you might see on your prescription forms are: aa (ana) "of each"; a.c. (ante cibos) "before meals"; ad lib. (ad libitum) "at pleasure"; agit. (agita) meaning "to shake"; e.m.p. (ex modo praescripto) "as directed"; h.s. (hora somni) "at bedtime"; p.c. (post cibos) "after meals"; p.o. (per os) "by mouth"; q.q.h. (quaqua quarta hora) "every four hours"; and s.o.s. (si opus sit) "if needed." Don't feel that you have to learn Latin to understand what is being recommended for your health and well-being, however. Never hesitate to ask your doctor or druggist to translate your prescription into plain English. You have every right to know.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: I notice that some greenhouses offer packets of a white powder that's added to the vase water to increase the life of cut flowers. Is there a homemade version? — K. S., Kalamazoo, Mich.
Answer: Many flowers, such as roses, asters, daisies, and chrysanthemums, do well with a touch of common liquid bleach added to the water. The quantity would be 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 gallon of cold water. More is not better, so don't get carried away! Like adding a pinch of salt or an aspirin to the water (other old methods espoused by some florists), the bleach solution acts to disinfect the water and to keep bacteria from damaging the cut blooms. The bleach solution has the added benefit, in some cases, of brightening the color of the flowers. We're told that orchids, for instance, will intensify in color by adding bleach to the water. Roses and other flowers that tend to open fast and drop their petals quickly may last a little longer. An exception to this trick is gardenias — they prefer pure water. Experience will be your guide.
Another factor in the longevity of cut flowers is the temperature of the room you keep them in (cooler is better, but not freezing) and the mix of other flowers that share the vase. For example, it's always best to keep daffodils by themselves because their sap will cause other flowers to wilt more quickly. Tulips are especially sensitive to anything but pure water, which is why you often see them isolated, with just a few greens in their arrangements.
Send your questions to: Ask the Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Main St., Dublin, NH 03444. Every day the editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac answer a question on the Internet. All questions are archived there as well. On the World Wide Web, the address is www.almanac.com.