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much that the rain has been oe distributed—artificial means need not be 
resorted to to produce good cr 
A popular ay exists that ‘glee all great battles heavy rain fell and » 
that the rainfall was due to cannonading. This fallacy took such a strong 
hold of some, that Dian was induced to make an appropriation to de- 
: termine whether rain could be produced by iN use of expiosives. The ex- 
ents were conducted in 1891 in Texas, under the charge of the For- 
estry 5 Dieiston of the Agricultural Department. The official report on the 
subject made by the meteorologist who accompanied the expedition con- 
tained the following: ‘‘ Thes e experiments have not afforded re pnaenge 
standing to the theory that rain storms can be produced by concussio 
When the expedition Veuicand Midland, Texas, some sare were 
made to test the material composing the rackarock. No wesults were ex- 
gt 
‘pected from the tests, tit the following afternoon considerable rain fell. 
An employee of the expedition took upon himself the sending of the follow- 
ing message: ‘Fired some explosives yesterday afternoon. Raining hard 
today.’’ This first telegraphic report was followed by others. As the natu- 
ral operation and result have become known the attitude of the newspapers 
came teh from unsuspecting and ready acceptance to satire and ridi- 
cule. millions saw the dispatches only hundreds have read a de- 
tailed teow of the facts, and a vast number of people still believe that the 
nd 
the rainmaking myth is added to the numerous errors about the weather 
- which already prevail. 
Charlatans, sharpers and fakers have not been slow to seize the oppor- 
tunity thus afforded. Artificial rain companies have sprung up and are yet 
engaged in defrauding the farmers of this and other States by contracting 
to produce rain and by selling ‘‘ rights’’ to use their various methods. 
Rainmakers are now at work in this State, especially in those sections 
where the deficient rainfall is most noticeable in its effects on crops. Mr. 
Edgar B. Davison, of Ballard, Santa Barbara county, writes this office un- 
der date of April 5, 1894: ‘‘ Would you kindly inform me as to the possi- 
bilities of causing ‘rain by artificial means. We all know that during the 
Harrison administration a were made o on the production of rain, 
but the newspaper repor entirely unsatisfactory. 
Were these phibsiibonto’ hs counpletc failares as some Sauthariticn would have 
us think? We have the prospects of a dry se staring us in the face, 
and there is some talk of ‘rain experiments.’ Will 5 you kindly give me your 
opinion on the matter.’’ 
This is in answer to Mr. Davison’s letter: For example, suppose you 
take a cubic mile of air upon which operations were made in Texas, on the 
night of Friday, November 25, 1892. The record shows the temperature of 
the air as 72 degrees, the dew-point 31 degrees. To cool down a cubic mile 
* 
