316 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 295. 



third year and between these and the civil en- 

 gineers somewhat earlier. Mathematics and 

 pure science and the modern languages will be 

 given in the University proper. A good general 

 education is expected to be secured in advance 

 of entrance into the technical courses, which 

 are made entirely professional, as is usual in 

 law and medicine. 



R. H. Thueston. 



THE PREVENTION OF HAIL ST0B3IS. 



Me. John C. Covbet, U. S. Consul at Lyons, 

 writes to the Department of State : An effort 

 is being made in this section of France to dissi- 

 pate hail storms by firing cannon at the clouds. 

 Fifty-two cannon, manned by 104 cannoneers 

 and their chiefs, have been distributed over an 

 area of 2500 acres of rich vine land. For the 

 expense of the experiment, the Government 

 appropriated 2000 francs ($386), the depart- 

 mental council 1500 francs ($289), the National 

 French Agricultural Society and a number of 

 wealthy wine growers added 12,000 francs 

 ($2316) and furnished fourteen more cannon. 

 The Minister of War supplied powder for 2f 

 cents per pound. 



A high point in the vine land to be covered 

 by the experiments was selected as the central 

 post of observation and a signal code adopted. 

 When a shot is heard from the central post all 

 the cannon are fired, at first twice per minute ; 

 more slowly after the first ten shots. I trans- 

 late the report of the first firing at the storm 

 clouds this season : 



The farmers of Denied were aroused at 1.30 

 o'clock on the night of June 5th-6th. The storm 

 was very severe. The artillerists, from 40 to 

 50 strong, fired their guns and stopped the 

 thunder and lightning. In the neighboring 

 communes, the people saw columns of flames 

 rise 300 feet above the cannon when the shots 

 were fired. At several places, women re- 

 charged the cartridges. 



The wine growers are organizing to attack 

 the hail storms in many of the great wine- 

 growing regions of France. The two experi- 

 ments thus far reported are pronounced success- 

 ful. A writer in one of the wine-grower's 

 organs says : 



The results obtained from these experiments 



are such that organizations will be established 

 at once in all the places that have heretofore 

 been ravaged by hail. 



I am told that the practice of shooting at the 

 clouds was known in France over a hundred 

 years ago, and that it originated in Italy. It is 

 to be more extensively carried on this year than 

 ever before. 



BRITISH CONGRESS ON TUBERCULOSIS.* 



It has already been announced in the British 

 Medical Journal that a Congress on Tuberculo- 

 sis is to be held in London next year. The 

 date of meeting has been fixed for the last week 

 of April. H. R. H. The Prince of Wales, is the 

 President of the Congress, and among the Vice- 

 Presidents are the Duke of Fife, the Marquis 

 of Dufi'erin, K.P., Earl Spencer, K.G., Lord 

 James of Hereford, Lord George Hamilton, 

 P.C, LordReay, G.C.S.L, Lord Lister, P.R.S., 

 Sir John Burden Sanderson, Sir Hermann 

 Weber, the Presidents of the Royal Colleges of 

 Physicians and Surgeons, the President of the 

 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Di- 

 rector-General of the Medical Department of the 

 Navy and the Chairman of the London County 

 Council. The President of the Organizing Com- 

 mittee is the Earl of Derby ; the Chairman, Sir 

 William Broadbent ; the Honorary Treasurers, 

 Lord Avebury and Sir James Blyth ; the Chair- 

 man of the General Purposes Committee, Pro- 

 fessor Clifford Allbutt, and the Honorary Secre- 

 tary-General, Mr. Malcolm Morris. The Prince 

 of Wales has consented to open the Congress in 

 person. In order to make the Congress as 

 comprehensive as possible every colony and 

 dependency in the Empire will be asked to 

 send representatives, and distinguished guests 

 will be invited from Europe, Asia and America. 

 Authorities in these and other countries will be 

 invited to take an active part in the work of 

 the Congress. 



It is hoped that the Congress will be able to 

 adopt practical resolutions which will serve to 

 indicate the measures best adapted for the sup- 

 pression of tuberculosis. The work of the 

 Congress will be divided into Sections, as fol- 

 lows : Section 1 (State and Municipal). Presi- 



* From the British Medical Journal. 



