The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-06-08
HAlL-CLOUDS.
Damage in France Averted by Bonn.
harding Them.

DAMAGE In France Averted by eom-
harding Them.
An interesting report comes from
France in regard to the use OF cannon
as defence against hail in the agri'
cultural districts. There are actually
in active operation twenty-elght can
non firing societies, and they put into
use last year 462 cannon-wth what
is claimed a very marked success in
dispensing or diminishing the forc'
of the storm And, indeed, the stat
istics bear out the claim of the can
mons effectiveness. During the fifteen
years before the cannon were brought
into use, the Government reimbursed
the poor grape growers in sixteen
communes $2,572.3t6 for damage suf-
fered through hail, and an additional
half million dollars of damage Is con.
ceded to have been done. Opposed to
this is the report that during the five
years in which the cannon have been
In use the losses from hail have ag-
gregated only S159,412.
The facts are all set forth in a re-
port issued by the president of two
agricultural societies and hail can
nom society, the report being based
on the statements received after each
storm from the president of the agri-
cultural society of the district In re-
gard to the conclusions, the writer
of the report says: 1--WE base our
confidence in the efficacy of the firing
on the fact that the thunder and light
ming ceased, the wind abated and the
clouds disappeared under the tri1g OF
the cannon, and a mild fall Of rain
and soft snow succeeded. These facts
are undeniable." While these results
were accomplished by cannon firing.
the statement Is vouched for that the
commune not defended by cannU1 suf
fered enormously"
Apparently the efficacy of the can
non is in proportion to the violence OF
the storm, for it is conceded that a
certain great hurricane in July of 1904
caused incalculable damagn IN twen-
lynne communes and that the usual
SIX or eight cannon in a commune
were powerlcss before the force of it.
At the outset some effect was no
ticed after the firing, softer hailstOnes
and less thunder and lightning, but as
the storm increased the firing had no
influence. However, taking the year
through. we get two such constrasting
reports as these I'm the country
known as Abresle there were but few
cannon in use and the destruction
from hail was widespread and disas-
trous." The great Beaujolais wine
growing district fairly bristled with
cannon, and while there were many
storms tue losses from hail end wind
and ram wee infnit sinai
The National Government IS sufi-
ciently Interested to supply the power
to the wine growers at cost: and the
Bureau of Agriculture comedies, that
those districts buying least powder
report greatest damage. But even
| while the farmers are organizing this
winter to carry on a more general
campaign in the coming season, the
| secretary of the Bureau of Agriculture
says the Government is not yet ready
! to agree that it is fully established
that the cannon firing does protect
the vineyards from hail.
! Cannon firing to cause rain has
been made the subject of more or less
experimentation in this country, with
so slight results that the subject Is
rarely heard mentioned in these days
But if the farmers of France have
! kept at their firing to dispense storms
for five years and still have such faith
in its efficacy that they put more can
non into use each year, it is fair
enough to say that the experiments
are worth pursuing.-New Bedford
Standard.