H.—34 a

4

altogether unaccompanied by that practical result which farmers look for as the outcome of the experiments, it may be mentioned that Mr. George White and several other farmers were conversing on the probability of rain descending from a certain cloud which appeared to be hanging on Tokaraki, if unsettled by concussion, at the times the bombs were, although unknown to Mr. White and his friends, being tested on Raki's Table ; and as they conversed they were surprised to hear the boom of the explosions, ami immediately afterwards a shower of rain, lasting for half an hour, fell in the vicinity of Hilderthorpe. This may have been a coincidence, but as a coincidence it is remarkable." As a result of this trial it was decided that the explosions should be given more resistance, fired off rocks, and at the next opportunity detonated almost simultaneously from the other stations. A small cannon with a few pounds of common powder would, in my opinion, have given greater vibrations of sound, and a shorter and sharper shock, in place of the dull and heavy report of these powerful explosions. I would not advocate their purchase, but 1 believe that the cannons used for this purpose are of the blunderbuss type ; and, though numbers of these have been employed together, and some, "sending vortex rings" up to great heights, have had great claims made for them by their vendors, yet they are by no means recommended by those meteorological experts who have investigated their claims. They have mostly been used for the prevention of hail—to drive it away, or to cause the clouds to precipitate rain before the formation of hail. Theoretically one would imagine the heat caused by these explosions would tend to dissipate the clouds and the friction of the vortex rings especially to create but slight disturbances in the air, which would not induce precipitation, but naturally rather the reverse. The Second Secies of Expeeiments. On Sunday, the 18th August, the coming of what appeared to be merely a westerly area of low pressure developed into a cyclone, which promised greater rain and sooner than would have come from the ordinary type, which would have culminated between the 19th and 20th. There was a drizzle falling on Sunday morning at Oamaru at 4 a.m., and at 9 a.m. 0 04 in. was recorded. The day was dull and threatening, and rain set in again at night—o-40 in. was recorded in the morning. At Totara Station, in the Kakauui Basin, Mr. McPherson recorded 0-73 in. The rain was mostly confined to the sea-coast while the barometer was falling: it was 29-99 in. on Saturday, and 29-47 in. on Monday at 9 a.m. I expected much more rain would come with the rise of the barometer and the shift of the wind to the south, but as yet hardly any rain had fallen inland. The rain held off, but the skies continued cloudy. The committee decided to experiment at Eaki's Table when they heard no rain had fallen there. We left Oamaru at 12.30 p.m. on the 19th, and as we got out into the country found the roads dry, but bad weather was evidently working inland, and there was a very light drizzle falling as we arrived at Arninore about 1-45 p.ni. Corporal Meikle was then making an explosion which had apparently no effect, though the hygrometer showed that the air was saturated with moisture. Earlier, at' 12.30, another shot had been fired, and artillerymen and others affirmed that it drew rain in fifteen minutes, and brought the clouds down on the Table insomuch that the view of the surrounding country was obscured. We missed the artillerymen on the road, but in company with Mr. Shand I at once visited the top of the Table. We found the wind strong and gusty from the south-east. The sky was dark and lowering, and two showers fell before the artillerists returned. Eaki's Table was then enveloped in a thick Scotch mist, spitting with rain, but heavy showers soon set in, and continued to fall at intervals. I regarded these as perfectly natural, and was confirmed in my opinion when I learned that the rain-squalls had the same intermittent character long before they reached us. It could hardly be maintained that the explosions would have so marked an effect as this on the rain fourteen miles away, and against the sweep of a wind averaging at the Table about twenty-five miles an hour. While I saw no perceptible difference made in the showers sweeping down upon us and progressing over the country, others were quite as decided in their opinions that the rain .thickened heavily after each successive shot. The barometer continued to rise, and those who watched the instrument agreed that there was no fall after the several shots. The weather continued very raw and wet, but the hygrometer showed the same dew-point as before. The explosions were as follows :— Time Gun-cotton, Dynamite, Gunpowder, Weight of lb. lb. lb. Charge, lb. How made up. (4) 12.30 p.m 50 ... 50 In 5-gallon oil-drum. (5) 1.40 p.m. ... ... 50 50 (6) 3.56 p.m. ... 50 ... 50 ( 7 ) 4.5 p.m 65 ... 65 In case. (8) 4.17 p.m. ... ... 50 60 ... HO (9) 4.30 p.m. ... ... 50 100 ... 150 100 325 50 475 Eain fell on the 19th and 20th over a very wide area in the South Island, and the falls at this time recorded by the observers of the Meteorological Office are as follows (inches) : Park° r otekaike - stonT Ammm - Kurow. Waimate. Oamaru. Totara. 00 18th ... 016 ..." ... ' 003 0-40 0-73 19th ... 053 1-15 0-70 052 1-17 0-03 0-36 0-40 0 : i0 20th 0-15 0-53 0-09 0-12 0-50 ... 0-06 070 The falls were very different at the various places, but such wide-spread and heavy rains could hardly be attributed to artificial means.