OCR Text |
Show Cannon to Dissipate Clouds. To protect their vineyards against the ravages of hallstoneB the vine-erowere vine-erowere of southern France attack approaching storm clouds with volleys from cannon until the cloud is dissipated. dissi-pated. ' This practice originated in Italy and was known in France over a hundred years ago, but it Is to be more extensively employed this year thaa over before. - Fifty-two cannont manned by "104 gunners and officers, have been distributed dis-tributed over an area of 2,500 acres of rich vine land. At the approach of the hail cloud a shot is fired from this post, and at this signal all the remaining remain-ing cannon are fired, twice a minute, at first, and then more slowly. This "bombarding of the heavens" is almost Invariably successful. The expense of the experiments so far has been bornn partly by the-government, the National Nation-al French Agricultural Society, and a number of wealthy wine growers. |