"Arr, 1900.) 
QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 258 
6. The fire should be as much as possible at the rate of about three 
shots per minute until the rain begins to fall. 
7. The fire should continue at the rate of at least two shots per minute 
as long as it rains heavily. . 
8. A severe watch should be exercised to see whether anothes storm is 
not in process of formation, in which case the fire shall be resumed 
with increased vigour. 
9, pane the rain slacks considerably, it is advisable to gradually cease 
ring. 
| | nt It would, of course, be impossible in this short article to go into all the 
| metus details which have been touched upon at the Congress. It has been 
= || ie loned, however, that isolated shooting is of but little use. Therefore, 
= A Y Speakers advocated the establishment of stations being made compulsory. 
= Tomas to the estimates discussed at the Congress, the cost of establishment 
rep a3 me to about 1s. per acre, and the cost of yearly maintenance to a little 
" 3d. per acre. 
| ep Professor Marangona treated the scientific part of the subject. He 
i whi ot that: the gun or mortar shots produce a kind of rent in the clouds 
ha Causes the hailstones to transform themselves into raindrops or, at least, 
&8 snowflakes. 
| thro According to another theory, hail would be caused by raindrops passing 
F thy Ugh a cloud possessed of a temperature lower than freezing point. There 
| Iti 4re supposed to coagulate and solidify to form the well-known hailstone. 
i inde ‘utrmised that this cold cloud must be perfectly stationary (immobile) in 
j shale to obtain the formation of hailstones. Should it be put into motion or 
~*n by the sound waves, the hail phenomenon ceases to obtain. . . . , 
hx a “hose explanations do not seem very clear, and must, I believe, be accepted 
| om, te Conjectures only until such a time as we shall be able to produce hail 
*Petinentally . 
| to ar to the practical results, they seem to have really commended themselves 
fol: U2animity of the Congress of delegates, who warmly applauded the 
Ongar’ concluding words of Professor Bombicci, the President of the 
SS; 
na 
(Bet BP a 
vn 
QO Peay 
Ls 
Rn 4 s2ariamo e speramo! Vavvenire dira il resto!” which, put into plain 
~Sish, may be explained thus:— 
macy Let us then shoot, and hope and trust to the future for the scientific 
“Dlanation 1” 
ha 80es without saying that here in Australia the continent is too vast, the 
stay ition too scattered, the cultivated area too insignificant, to justify the 
-'Shinent of a complete system of similar hail-preventing stations. It is 
Men}, PPObable, however, that in years to come some of our Colonial Govern- 
te 8, or perhaps the more powerful Government of a federated Commonwealth, 
ited “elect some of the most densely populated and more exposed districts and 
it Dtohah ®se experiments on the lines indicated above. The guns could be had 
} aby. ly for the mere asking from the military and naval authorities, who have 
Wi ert °n hand a lot of obsolete guns quite useless for war purposes, but 
Not oy Sufficient for cloud shooting. It might be found also that guns are 
My, OLly suitable appliances, but that fireworks, kites, or light balloons 
% no, Some sort of explosives might also answer the purpose, and be cheaper 
} -"e handy or easier to procure. 
| Thep Hee human investigation is bent ina certain direction, there is no knowing 
| Ben, ‘t might stop and what wonderful discoveries it might make on its way. 
7 the present time it is not too utopian to think that the time might 
bse When Mr. Wragge’s meteorological stations, which are now of a purely 
the fritory and warning nature, might become preventive also, and deliver 
‘er from some of his most dreadful enemies. 
ii} 
