THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE, 



AUGUST, 1837. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Protection against Hail Storms. JYotice and Descrip- 

 tion of the Paragrele, or Hail Rod. By A. J. Downing, 

 Botanic Garden and Nurseries, Newburgh, N. Y. 



The paragrele, or hail rod, appears to be scarcely known at 

 present in this country. Hail storms are undoubtealy much less 

 frequent here than in the middle and south of Europe; but, nev- 

 ertheless, some districts of the United States seem peculiarly 

 liable to hail-storms in summer, and an account of the means at 

 present in use on the Continent of Europe to guard against such 

 evils will be acceptable to many of the readers of this Magazine. 



The paragrele, we believe, was first invented by M. Lapos- 

 toUe, of Amiens. It has, however, been considerably improved 

 by Professor Trollard, of Tarbes, whom we quote for authority 

 for the following description, from Berneaud's excellent JManuel 

 du Vigneron. 



" To make the hail rod a rope of straw is the first thing ne- 

 cessary; it must be made of ripe wheat straw, soaked and twist- 

 ed, plaited with three strand and then with four ply, making 

 twelve strand to the rope. This cable of straw must be twenty- 

 five feet long, and through the centre there must run a strong 

 twine of tow yarn: this cable of straw must be fastened at top 

 and bottom to a stake of the same length, solidly fixed in the 

 ground, and armed at the top with a metallic point of tin, (latten,) 

 icith no iron. The stake should be a pole of firm wood, en- 

 tirely cleared of the bark, which makes it liable to rot. The 

 cable is fastened, at each end, by a wire of tin, or, what is bet- 

 ter, red copper, and must be stretched tight, and tied to the 

 pole, at intervals of every foot and a half, with the same wire. 



VOL. III. NO. VIII. 3G 



