The terrible drought from which Europe and America are suffering has brought once more into prominence the theory that rain can be produced by gunfire. As a matter of fact we believe that it was more or less taken for granted many years ago, and the amount of rain which fell in Flanders during the war seemed to afford _corroboration of the theory. This week hundreds of rockets have been fired into the sky at Hampstead Heath in the hope of inducing rain, but without result, and doubtless we shall have a controversy in the Home press on the subject. It is quite interesting to find that the same subject has just been before the authorities in Japan, although not in the way of breaking a drought but because in the vicinity of Beppu so much rain has fallen that the inhabitants are blaming the navy. It happened that naval manceuvres were held there recently, and guns were fired, and down came the rain to the detriment of the crops. The farmers have approached the authorities to have an end made to the manceuvres, but the naval people do not admit the theory that rain is caused by gunfire, and there the matter stands. If precedents are wanted by any of the parties, the pro's can quote gunfire ju Flanders and the con's the recent experiment at Hampstead Heath,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.