The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-19
$3.50, $3.50, s2I.5O Anlmann 5.
HAlL-CLoUDS.
Damage in France Averted by Bonn
harding Them,

Damage In France AVerted by Bon-
harding Them.
An interesting report comes from
Franco in regard TO the use of cannon
as defence against hail in the .agri.
cultural districts. There are actually
in active operation twenty.eight can.
non firing societies, and they put into
use last year 462 cannon--with what
Is claimed very marked success In
dispensing or diminishing the force
Of the storm. And, indeed. the stat
istics bear cut the claim OF the can
mons effectiveness. During the fiftcen
years before the cannon were brought
into use. the Government reimbursed
the poor grape growers in sixteen
commmes $2,572.316 for damage SUI
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 hvc
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 re-
port issued by the president of two
agricultural societies and hail can
nom society. the report being based
on the statements received after zach
storm from the president of the agri.
cultural society of the district In re-
gard to the conclusions, the writer
of the report says: "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 dri1g of
the cannon, and n 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 net defended by cannOz sur
fered enormously"
apparently the efficacy of the can.
noD Is in proportion to the violence Of
the storm, for It is conceded that a
certain great hurricane in ,IlIy Of 1904
caused iDcalculable damage IN TWEEN.
lynne communes ami that the usual
SIX or eight cannon in a commune
were poWorless before the force of &C..
AT the outset some effect was no.
ticed after the firing, softer halstoncs
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: "ln 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 the losses from hail and wind
and ran wrre infnit 5hral.
The National Government IS sun.
ciently interested 10 supply the power
TO the wine growers at cost; and tho
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
tosagree 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 disperse 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,