Mower County transcript., 1871-08-10
The Sky as an Agr1culturist.

Human ingenuity has utilized air, earth
and water. 1t has made tho thun'lcrbolt
its light footed page, and set the very sun
itself to draw pictures for the benefit all |
delight Of mankind. Science, with def
and subtitle hand, and mysterious power
works on increasingly, and from out the
laboratories and dingy studies Of tho sactns
come from time to time wondrous rcvcia-
tions which ouly TIL of still greater
depths to be fathome.l and lotticr heights
to be scaled.
The last curious revelation from the
scientific world is made through the Phil
adulphia Press, which says that for ten
years Gen. 4. j. Pleasanton has been con-
ducting scientific experiments in regard
to the chemical powt1s of the sunlight
OF more especially in rrftcnct to the
magnetic electric, and thrrmic wonders Of
the violet ray and its effect upon TIC
grow h Of Vegetation and animals. So
long ago rs 1865, Sir john Newton dis
covered that the vioict ray of the prism
hal the greatest indicc of rotrl,tion and
Sir Johu I1crschcl found that the chcmi-
cal power Of the solar ray is the greatest
in the violet ray. Taking these. facts with
the fact Oi The permanent and all-prcvail.
ing blue color of the sky, so varying in
intensity Of color according to season aid
latitude, General Pleasanton made mum.
bcr OF practical experiments, which have
produced the most wonderful effects. He
built a grapcry, causing the violet rays, by
meaus of colored glass, to fall upon the
growing vines. The young vines were
set out, and at once there commenced a
most wonderful growth which has con
tiaued up to the present time, period of
some ten years The first year some Of
tn: vines grew more than forty Fl ct in
lcugth, and the SC: c:;ond year they were
covered with punches of grapes, bearing
some twelve hundred pounds. This de-
qclopment astOnishCd all who saw it, al
we'll it might, when We are reminded that
in grape growing countries, where grapes
have been grown for centuries, that !.
! period Of time from five to six years will
clapsc before a single bunch Of grapes can
be produced from Young vine. Such a
growth i'll seventeen months WAS never
seen before. The next year these vines
! produced some two thousand pounds OF
! grapes, and they have continued to bear
large crops of fruit without intcrnission
for the last nine years.
An experiment upon pigs was made
with very gratifying result, and it was
j found that those which bad been subjected
to the influence of violent roys developed
faster, AMI weighed more than those ex
posed to- tic ordinary sunlight Il most
extraordinary effect was produced upon E
runy Aldsrney bull calf, which was
f., thought to be- too feeble to rais" Whe,
put under the violent Jays, in less thai,
twenty four hours marked charge took
place, and from that time on the develop
mcht of the animal was wonderful, h,
manilcsting great vivaCity and full mscu
line vigor. The same experiments have
been applied to poultry with great succe SO
One can scarcely conceive Of the i'm
measurable value Of this discovery to ag
ri'ilt"rnl people And VIC know NO goo'
season why this influence may not b.
brought to bear upcn the human family
for the invigorating of the constitutions Q
involids; for the rearing and dev ,lopnen
OF sick and feeble children Already sur
! baths as they arc called, have been iutre