Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-02-15

MAJ. Gen. fleaSOntOu mas JUST pup
lished in book-form a number of address
es, memoirs, ETC., written and delivered
by him at various times, on the influence
of the blue rays of the sunlight and the
blue color of the sky in developing AMI
NAL and vegetable life, arresting disease,
and restoring life in acute and chronic
disorders to human and domestic animals.
During the summer of 1871, says Gen.
Pleasonton, professional gardener in
Massachusetts (near Boston,, who had
been trying for some time to protect his
young plants from minute insects which
fed upon them, after numerous experi-
ments, all of which failed, succeeded
with the blue ray. He made small tn
angular frame, covered it with blue
gauze, prepared the ground and sowed
the seed, covering portion of the ground
with the frame and gauze, leaving the
other part exposed to the attacks of the
insects. The plants outside the frame
were all eaten as soon as they germinat-
ed those under it escaped entirely.
Gen. Pleasonton's explanation of the
phenomenon is that the sunlight, mega
lively electrified in passing through the
meshes of the blue gauze, which is posi-
lively electrified, excites an electro-mag-
netic current sufficiently strong to destroy
the feeble vitality of the eggs or of the
insects themselves, which are in the soil
with the seed, leaving the seed to germ
mate rapidly under its influence.
A lady residing in Philadelphia also
informed the General that, having some
choice plants in pots in her sitting room
which were dropping, she threw over
them common blue gauze veil, such as
ladies wear, and exposed them to the
sunlight, and in short time they were
fully restored to health and vigor.
The General also says ON the insect
question that, having introduced blue
glass into the windows of one of the serv-
ants sleeping-rooms, it was noticed that
large numbers of flies which had pre-
viously infested them were soon found
dead ON the inside sills of the windows
A gentleman in West Philadelphia had
a large lemon-tree, which he priced
highly. He placed it in his hall nea,
the vestibule door, the side-hghts
which were Of glass of different colors
blue and violet predominating. The
sunlight passing through these side
lights fell upon portion Of the branches
of the lemon-tree, and great vigor was
impaired to the vitality of these branches,
which were filed with fine fruit, while
other branches which did not receive the
light from the blue and violet panes
were small and without fruit.
The early vegetables used in the Gen.
erals family are for the most part started
in pots under blue and plain glass, then
into proper soil, and are
ready for use several weeks in advance
of the market. Thus he has used corn
as early as July II, which does not or
dinarily mature until Aug. 10.
During the latter part of 1871, Com
modore Goldsborough learned of Gen.
experiments and proceeded
to initiate them Mt Mound City, Ill,
where he was then stationed.
The first trial was made by the sur
geon, who had every alternate pane of
mcolored glass removed from each OF
two windows in his parlor, and substi-
tuted for them corresponding panes of
blue glass. A number of plants and
vines of many varieties, potted, were
placed in the room, and in a
short time began to manifest the effects
of the remarkable influence to which
they had been subjected. Their growth
was rapid, and they increased in the
length of their branches from one inch
and half to three inches, according to
their species, every twenty-four hours.
The second experiment was made on
the development of the newly-hatched
chickens OF two broods of the same
variety Matched ON the same day. One
of the coops was partly covered with
blue and plain glass the other coop was
a common one. The chickens were fed
at the same time, with equal quantities
of the same feed. Those under the blue
glass soon began to display the effects of
the stimulating influence of the blue and
sun light by their daily almost visible
growth and increase of activity, far ex-
ceeding the development of the chickens
of the other brood.
Early in 1872 the wife of one of the
gentlemen ON the station gave birth pre-
maturely to child weighing only three
and half pounds. 1t was very feeble,
possessing but little vitality. The VIM
dows of the room in which it was born
and reared were draped with blue cur
tains, through which and the plain glass
windows the sunlight entered the room.
The tactical system of the mother waf
greatly excited and secreted an excessive
quantity of milk, while at the same time
the child's appetite was increased to such
an extent that the mother sometimes
found il difficult to satisfy it's hunger.
The child grew rapidly, and four months
after it's birth weighed twenty-five
pounds, being at the rate of four and
five-eighths pounds per month.
Gen. Pleasonton proceeds to relate the
following extraordinary circumstances
At the close of the late civil war he
bought a couple of mules which had
been in the military service. One oi
them was completely deaf, his hearing
having been destroyed by the noise OF
heavy firing. Two or three years after
the General got him the animal war
seized with SO violent acute rheumatism
that he could not walk. He got great
deal better of it, but his deafness con-
tinued until the spring af 1874, when Inc
recovered entirely from both deafness
and rheumatism. Over each of the doors
of the stable to which he had been moved
was transom with panes of blue and
colorless glass. The stall of this mule
was before a door with such transon
over il, and the rising SUN cast his hghl
through the transom on to the neck and
back of the head of this mule. In the
afternoon he threw his light again upol
the head and neck of this mule through
the transom of a side door. The effec
of the light upon the animal was th'
cure of his rheumatism and the remova
of his deafness and he is now as health,
and hearty a mule as can be seen any
where. The removal of the deafness wa
produced by an electromagnetic curren
evolved by the two lights upon. his audi
tory nerves and exciting them to health
action.
A WOman'S Freak.