The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-12-17
MUM iSUTn0.
Edited by John c. Edgar, Duval TO whom all
communications for this column should be ad-
dressed
RAIN AT LAST.

RAIN AT LAST.
| The spell is broken. The driest fall
! for several years had cut off our sup
ply of grass and stock water, and cat
| tie throughout the whole southwest
portion of Texas, were beginning to
show the effect of the shortage, and
are in bad condition to face the in
evitable northers, though they be Of
the mildest type. The season has
been remarkably favorable for har-
vesting cotton ard corn; and both
crops have been secured earlier and
better than for many years. But the
season has been unfavorable for fall
blowing and small grain seeding. 1t
is to be feared that much of the early
sown wheat and oats will be lost.
There was generally enough moisture
in the soil to swell or sprOut the seed,
but often too little to maintain growth,
and the young plants have died out.
At least such appears to be the case.
The recent steady, penetrating rains
will soon settle the matter. They
come too late to give US grass
but water will be plentiful where
needed, and moisture will put the
land in good condition for blowing.
Newly planted trees will now have a
fine chance for existence.
1t is worthy of notice that SO long
4 lNn rni II 10. al "a
we had not a drop; but as soon as
they have got clear away we have
got the accumulated moisture Of the
past three mouths in az many days.
The reports sent from the field of
operation, told that Col. Dyrenforth's
experiments with explosives were a
complete success; but these reports
are reported to be false statements;
that the whole experiment was a
gigantic fizzle; and that the evidence
is strong. Several trustworthy eye
witnesses of thesarrial commandment,
solemnly affirm that not q drop of
rain came in response to the eXplo-
sions at Midland. But, like la grippe,
and other human ailments, rain
making has become epidemic; and
rival professors are touring the cOun-
try in search of drouthy regions with
a flood Of gold, to pay for an aqueous
precipitation.
The Australian rainmaker, bearing
the appropriate name of Melbourne,
seems to have faith in his system, as
he only asks pay when he has pro-
duced rain, But it is said that he
never makes the attempt till the
clouds are ready to burst, and would
dissolve without his intervention. His
modus operandi is quite different to
Dyrenforth's. He claims to be able
to produce q gas which will condense
the vapOr in the atmosphere.
His plan reminds me of one | gave
to the world as a joke and published
in Texas Farm and Ranch, April 1st,
1886. My plan was to produce rain
by condensation of vapOr caused by
the explosion of chemical compound
carried in brass tube, projected by a
machine something like a light field
gun; and the explosion timed to burst
the cloud just above where the rain
was needed. The discovery Of the
compound and invention of the ma
chine were accepted as facts, and gave
rise to great expectations; and proba-
bly, had as much merit in them as
the present widely advertised
rainmaking tricks and may
have suggested some of the methods
now employed.
DR.. Hachenherg Of Austin, in q re-
cent issue of The STATESMAN, dis
cusses the science Of rain making and
tells the process by which moisture is
raised to and suspended in the clouds.
Electricity is the medium of evapora-
ton and suspension, and he claims
that sit is not so much the quantity of
water in the clouds that causes rain as
certain electric conditions Of the
Clouds" That it is during an equa-
bic distribution of electricity in the
clouds that the moisture is held in
suspense, and that "could there be an
entire sudden displacement of cleo
tricityin the clouds so fearful a deluge
would immense the earth as not to
leave living thing"
He thinks displacement sufficient
to produce gentle rain might be pro-
duced by sending an electric current
into the clouds or by withdrawing
electricity from the clouds to the
earth.
1t is highly probable that only by
better knowledge of natural laws re-
latinG to electricity can we hope for
any practical artificial rain making.
THE ALIEN LAND LAW.
Since Mr.. Hogg intimated his in
tention Of calling special session of
the legislature the people have begun
to consider and discuss the various
subjects likely to engage the intention
of our lawmakers, and importance
is attached to each as it is supposed
to affect special interests. Politicians
are mainly interested in the reap
portionment of the state and election
Of senator. Lawyers are anxious
about the establishment of the new
courts as proposed in the constitutional
Those specially inter-
ested in educational matters look for
ward to the re-passage Of the decapi-
tated text book bill with its head |
screwed on. Capitalists, |
farmers and wage workers |
are perhaps more concerned in the |
alien land law question than in all
+hn Of borc onpo hinn5 ColHeb ;nto,