The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-06-27
q he Bulletin.
AGRICULTURE BY STEAM.
Some Novel Experiments Forcing the
Growth of Vegetables.
from the New York sun.

II iOui tHt New IOih sun.
A New jersey agricuturalist is secretly
experimenting upon the growth Of yegcta-
bles by means OF steam pipes under ground,
ana has produced potato plants fifteen inch
es high in fortnight. The potatoes are,
however, small In comparison TO the plant,
aud he proposes renewed attempts, with a
view Of establishing proper equilibrium.
The use OF steam pipes in forcing plants has
been in practice many years. The novelty
lies In the gentleman peculiar application
OF the system. He intends. also. soon to try
the effect OF electricity.
The first known trials in this country upon
the growth Of vegetation by lee richly were
made in March, Isil, by Mr.. Il. T.. Pell,
wealthy land proprietor on the Hudson
river, near Hy de Park. whose Newton pip
pins have long been noted in the New York
market. lis orchards now comprise %
rQ0 apple trees, all OF the above desert ption.
lie was al,o the fret in the country 10 raise
fish from the egg. Prof. Morse gave him
Instructions about the application OF cleo
tricity 10 hi, purposes, and he departed for
Hyde Park. Mr.. Pei first gave attention 10
growth in ssnd, which he placed to the depth
OF foot, in "A box three feet square. lie
planted in row potato, some wheat, rye,
oats and barley, and Madeira vine, and
suspended over them, to the height of an
inch, copper wire an inch thick. This
wire was soldered al one end to a piece Of
copper plate about an inch square and an
eighth OF all inch thick, and at the other
similarly -ized piece Of zinc. These formed
the positive and negative batteries. but
neither quite touched the soil Tie wealth
er bei ng quite cold, the box was placed in a
covered Eot-bed, and the batterie. were
constantly stimulated by IN electric ma
chine I'll" sand under the wire was IL a
highly electrified state, and within fort
night, the plants pushing from the seed
reached height Of fifteen tnch0s.
Another process was by placing sand in
pots o. one, two or three quarts, with cop.
per plate a, the top and zinc plate at the
bottom. \ hole Wa. made in the former 10
al ow the egress of the plsnt, and one in the
latter 10 permit the escape OF the water with
which the sand was occasionally moistenci.
A wire wa, carried OH, .idc of the pots from
the copper 10 hole in the side. an inch
from the bottom, where 1t communicated
with the zinc inside. The object Of not al
lowing the wire To extend TO the bottom of
the pot was TO prevent its coming into con-
tact with the water. No necessity existed
for wire within the pot. The sand com
plcted the electric circait begun 10y tie
a,ir "A ~,
chine the grain grew with rapidity equal to
that in the box.
Another experiment WAS without the aid
Of electric batteries. A number OF wheat
kernels were placed on a sheet of window
glass fourteen inches square. \ thin LAYER
Of straw was placed on them, and on this,
transverSely, other layers, 10 the heisht of
three inches. over these and the glass
cords were wound To keep them in place.
The apparatus was set On the soil of Gov
cred hot-bed, AMI the straw was kept con
stauily moist. Decomposition set in within
4 day or two, anu the seed began to GERM
mate. In i've days from the covering,
Young plants began to show themselves
above the straw. and Ia three weeks more a
height Of fourteen inches YVES reached.
The roots spro ad wide on the glass and rose
into the straw. and by turning the eiis.
over their complex windings and nterlac-
ings could he seen. The seeds found in the
straw the chemical properties which they
contained and required yOr de-
yelopment.
In the following June Mr. Pell placed in
the open air row OF young tomato plants.
At one end was 4 sheet Of copper an eighth
OF an inch thick, fourteen inches wide and
four feet long. 1t was embedded two feet
in the ground in an erect position, lcaVing |
two feet in the air. A zinc plate of the
same wire was similarly treated at the other |
end. \ wire was laid from the top of one,
forty feet, TO the top of the other, being |
raised sufficiently 10y poles to enable horses |
to plow under it. No wire was laid under !
the ground, rs the earth completed the cir |
cult. An abundance OF manure was ap. |
piled, and the plants matlTed, and bore |
small ripe tomatoes, an inch in diameter, in |
a week. These were followed by three |
other weekly crops Of the same sized fruit |
within month. 1t was not necessary to |
limit the width of tract TO 40 feet. The |
copper and zinc sheets could rs well have |
been placed mile apart The earth would |
equally as well have formed circuit.