Old Fashioned Puzzles
1958 The Old Farmer's Almanac

1958 Old Farmer's Almanac

[Index] Reproduced here are various Mathematical Puzzles from The Old Farmer's Almanac, published continuously since 1792. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

If you like solving puzzles, maybe you'll want to give these from the 1958 issue of The Old Farmer's Almanac (OFA) a try. I through V are pretty straightforward, but VI and VII are a tad strange. Don't overthink VI and VII because they're not brainiac material. I plugged part of the solution into Google and could not find anything that indicates they descend from some great works or prose. I worked them out to demonstrate what I mean. Puzzles I through V do not contain any tricks, just solve them as presented and you'll have no problem. Thought processes were different back in the day, as is evidenced by looking at some of the other OFA puzzles in the list below.

Old Fashioned Puzzles

I - Conundrums

1. Why do young ladies prefer to inflect verbs rather than nouns?

2. What confections were carried in Noah's Ark?

3. Why is Sunday the strongest day of the seven?

4. Why is life the riddle of all riddles?

II - Questions

1. A man went into a store and said. "If you give me as much money as I have in my pocket I will spend ten cents." This being done, the man then went into the second store, and said the same thing with the same result. He then went into a third store and said the same thing with the same result. After the third purchase he had no money left. How much had he when he went to the first store?

2. If a fish weighs ten pounds and half its own weight how many pounds does it weigh?

3. A train starts daily from San Francisco to New York, and one daily from New York to San Francisco, the journey lasting seven days. How many trains will a traveller meet in journeying from San Francisco to New York?

III - Riddle

Those who have me do not wish for me;

Those who have me do not wish to lose me;

Those who gain me have me no longer.

• Popular Science Puzzlers - 1961
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1990
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1989
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1988
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1986
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1985
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1984
• Rainy Day Amusements - 1984
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1983
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1982
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1981
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1980
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1978
• The Man Who Made Gasoline from Water - 1976
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1976
• Old and New Mathematical Puzzles - 1974
• Math & Logic Puzzles - 1961
• Word Charades and Riddles - 1958
• Old Fashioned Puzzles - 1958
• Word Charades and Riddles - 1956
• Old-Fashioned Puzzles - 1956

Answers to Old Fashioned Puzzles on page 48

I - Conundrums

1. They like to conjugate rather than decline.

2. Preserved pears (pairs).

3. Because the others are week (weak).

4. Because we must all give it up.

II - Questions

1. 8%. 2. 20. 3. 14.

III - Riddles

A lawsuit.

IV - Conundrums

1. When it turns over a new leaf.

2. Silence.

3. Because there are r-a-t-s in both. 4. A carriage wheel.

V - Enigma

A shadow.

VI - Puzzle

An interpretation of 3 or 4 lines is sufficient to show how the puzzle is made out. (provided by OFA)

An Epitaph of a woman who sold earthenware.

Beneath this stone lies Katharine Gray,

Changed from a busy life to a life of clay.

By earth and clay She got her pelf.

And now she's turned to earth herself, etc.

This is my translation. I could not figure out some of the words. I begin with one long string of letters without the punctuation and capitalization, then separate the words. Some do not work well, so I assume the bit is from a European form of English.

- Anepitaphonawomanwhosoldearthenwarebeneaththisstonelieskasthearinegrayehangdfromabusylifetolifelessclay byearthandclayshegotherpelfanddnotoearthherselfyeweepingfriendsletmead

VII - Another Puzzle

- Seabateyourgriefanddryoureyesforwhatavailsafloodoftearswhoknowsbutinarunofyearsinsometallpitcherorbroadpansheinhershopmaybeagain.

 - Seabate your grief and dry our eyes for what avails a flood of tears who knows but in a run of years in so metall pitcher or broad pan she in her shop may be again.

Posted December 27, 2023