Hail-Rad. ig 
‘Lombardy, in many places along the PO, and bas now reach- 
edeven Bavaria and Switzerland. IL here omit a long cata- 
logue of other certified facts and experiments, mentioning 
only, that these hail-rods are said to possess an additional 
property, that of dispelling, in a great degree, the fogs which 
infect the northern districts of Italy. ‘The Linnean Society 
of Paris considers the efficacy of this new process sufficiently 
authenticated ; but it being still in oppesition to the theories 
of the learned, it is left to the concurrence of philanthropists 
and great land-proprietors to establish it finally by trial and 
irrefragable evidence: on their testimony it ultimately de- 
pends. The Society solicits well substantiated accounts of 
localities, times, seasons, and other fundamental circum- 
stances of our experiments, for which premiums and other 
encouragements will be devised and distributed at the winter 
session of 1825.7’ 
Dr. Pascalis remarks that ‘ though a sufficient number of 
metallic rods would effectuatly arrest the danger, [of hail,] 
they are things of the last resort, being a remedy too expen- 
sive to be applied.” 
Description of the Hail-Rod (Paragrele) as recommended 
by the Linnean Society ef Paris.—Select a pole of any 
wood whatever, and about seven metres (say twenty-five 
feet) in length, of a thickness sufficient {o ensure its support- 
ing itself, and strip it entirely of the bark by which it would 
be likely to damage soon. There must then be applied 
along this pole, a rope of ripe rye or wheat straw, composed 
in the following manner. ‘The straw, well soaked in spring 
water, isto be plaited four stranded; each of the strands to 
be composed of three smaller plaits, making in all a stout 
rope or cable of thirty-four millimetres (from two inches to 
two and a half) in diameter. ‘The tighter this rope the bet- 
ter. It must be tied at top and bottom to the pole with red 
copper or brass wire, and bound toit with strips of the same 
wire at every fifty centimetres. (twenty inches.) ‘Through. 
the middle of this rope from end to end, and drawn perfectly 
straight, there must run a thin twine of raw flax, (by no 
means of tow ; hemp is too imperfect a conductor,) of ten or 
twelve twist; this twine must be fastened at the top of the 
pole, to a rod fixed there of yellow brass latten. ‘This rod is 
to-be one fifth of an inch in diameter, and twelve inches long. 
This pole may be solidly fixed on houses, trees, or oaken: 
posts, six or seven feet long, and buried in the ground for 
