Farmer's Almanac - Spooky Edition!

Almanacs mark holidays throughout the year, and while the late 18th and early 19th century volumes in our collection don't mention All Hallows Eve or Halloween, that doesn't mean that their content doesn't veer a little creepy sometimes! This month, our Collection Spotlight case features The Farmer's Almanac from 1793, 1807, and 1816, all of which are on theme for October.

Looking for cures to remove freckles, pimples, or corns? Then grab your elderflower and oil of tartar and check out the 1793 edition for those recipes. While we don't have potions in our collection, these home remedies come close! We’ve transcribed the recipe “to cure a pimpled face and sweeten the blood below:”

Take jena, one ounce; put it in a small stone pot, and pour a quart or more of boiling water on it; then put as many prunes as you can get in, cover it with paper and set it in the oven with household bread; and take of this every day, one, two, three or more of the prunes and liquor, according as it operates; continue at least half a year.

For rural farmers without easy access to medical care, the home remedies provided in the almanacs were useful resources, even if they do read a little bit like spells! Pictured above are the other recipes that were published in the 1793 edition. 

Moving into the 1800s, we came across a section of useful tips in the 1807 edition that included instructions "For Restoring to Life Those Apparently Dead." The phrasing conjures up images of a coven performing a resurrection, or the actions that are going to lead to a zombie apocalypse. In actuality, it is medical advice for administering first aid if someone has drowned or has been exposed to the elements and frostbitten/frozen. After a drowning, though, we aren't sure how beneficial it would be to be "gently rubbed with flannel, sprinkled with spirits; and a heated warming pan, covered, lightly moved over the back and spine." You can read the full text in the image to the right.

Rounding out our almanac display is the 1816 edition open to October. Each month in the 1816 almanac included an illustration of its Zodiac sign and a short verse that related to the month. October’s Scorpio sign, represented by a scorpion, gives off decidedly creepy-crawly vibes. And the verse below creates a spooky atmosphere:

                            The pale descending year yet pleasing still,

                            A gentler mood inspires, for now the leaf

                            Incessant rustles from the mournful grove,

                            And slowly circles through the waving air.

For more information on The Farmer’s Almanac, and the content that doesn’t lean creepy, check out our previous blog post. And visit us from October 7 through November 4 to see these issues on display – if you dare!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian