Coverings and Explosives 261 



time the water is drained off and the earlier spring frosts 

 may so be avoided while an ample supply of water permits 

 reflooding when a later severe frost threatens. Reflooding 

 about the first of June, provided the water has not been 

 withdrawn earlier than May 5 to 10, will also furnish pro- 

 tection from a number of damaging insects and will not 

 injure the crop, provided care is taken that the water does 

 not stand on any portion of the bog more than forty-eight 

 hours. If a bog should become seriously infested with 

 insects later in the season, it is occasionally profitable to 

 sacrifice what remains of the year's crop and clear the bog 

 of insects by flooding. This sometimes results in a greatly 

 increased yield the following year. Damage from a light 

 frost in the fall, before the berries are picked, may be pre- 

 vented by raising the water in the ditches and about the 

 roots of the vines. Protection from a heavy frost requires 

 covering the plants with water, but this will cause imma- 

 ture berries to rot and should be done with great caution 

 or the damage from water may be greater than it would 

 have been from frost." Elizabeth C. White, Standard 

 Cyclopedia of Horticulture. 



Explosives for frost and hail. 



Explosives were first used in the vineyard districts of 

 Austria, France and Italy, where hailstorms and frost 

 were prevalent and were destructive to the grape-crop. 

 Many years ago, Albert Stiger, burgomaster, Windisch- 

 Briestrits (Lower Steirmark, Austria), we are informed, 

 owned extensive vineyards on the lower slopes of the 

 Bacher Mountains, a locality persistently visited by des- 

 tructive hailstorms. He decided to drive the clouds away 

 by the use of explosives and he established six stations 

 on six of the surrounding mountains, a locality 2 miles in 

 extent. The stations, built of wood, sheltered ten heavy 



