Nebraska advertiser., 1877-03-01


Maj. Gen. Pleasonton has just pub
lished in book form a number of ad
dresses. memoirs, etc., written and de
livered by him at various times. oi
the Influence of the blue rays of tn,
sunlight and the blue color of the SKI
In developing animal and vegetable
life, arresting disease, and restoring
life in acute and chronic disorders tC
human and domestic animals. Dur
ing the summer of 1871. says Gen
Pleasonton, a professional gardener il
Massachusetts (near Boston,, WHIT
had been trying for some time to pro
tect his young plants from minute in
seets which fed upon them. after num-
erous experiments. all of which failed
succeeded with the blue ray. He
made small triangular frame, cover
ed it with blue gauZe. prepared the
ground and sowed the seed, covering
portion of the ground with the frame
aud gauze. leaving the other part ex-
posed to the attacks of the insects.
The plants outside the frame were
all eaten as soon as they germinated ;
those under it escaped entirely.
Gen. Pleasonton's explanation Cf
the phenomenon is that the sunlight,
negatively electrified in passing
through the meshes of the blue gauze,
which is positively electrified, excites
an electromagnetic current sufficient
ly strong to destroy the feeble vitality
OF the eggs of the insects themselves,
which are In the soil with the seed,
leaving the seed TO germinate rapidly
under its influence.
A lady residing in Philadelphia also
informed the General that, having
some choice plants in pots in her sit
ting room whi, h were dropping. she
threw over them a common blue gauze
veil, such as ladies wear, and exposed
them to the sunlight and in a 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 window of one of the
servants sleeping-rooms, it was MOTTO
ed that large numbers of flies which
had previously infested them were
soon found dead on the inside stills of
the windows.
A gentleman in West Philadelphia
had a large lemon-tree, which he
priced highly. He placed it in his hall
near the vestihale door, the side-lights
OF which were of glass of different
colors blue and violet predominating.
The sunlight passing through these
side lights fell upon a portion of the
branches of the lemon-tree, and great
vigor was impaired to the vital
ity Of these branches, which were
filled 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
Generals family are for the most part
started In pots under blue and plain
glass, then transported into proper
soil, and are ready for use several
weeks in advance of the market.
Thus he has used corn as early as July
IL, which does not ordinarily mature
until Aug. 10.
During the latter part of 1871. Com
modore Goldsborough learned OF Gen. !
Pleasonton's experiments and pro-
ceeded to initiate them at Mound City
H., where he was then stationed.
The first trial was made by the sur
geon. who had every alternate pane of
uncolored glass removed from each of
two windows in hisparlor, and substi- |
tuted for them corresponding panes of
blue glass. A number of plants and |
vines of many varieties, potted, were |
properly placed in the room, and in a
short time began to manifest the eff |
fects of the remarkable influence to
which they had been subjected.
Their growth was rapid, and they in
creased in the length of their branches
from one inch and half to three inch
es, according to their species, every
twenty-four hours.
The isoeond experiment was made
on the development of the newly
hatched chickens of two broods of the
same variety hatched 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 the same, I
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 1
growth and increase of activity, far
exceeding the development Of the
of the other brood. {
Early in 1872 the wife of one of the (
gentlemen of the station gave birth '
prematurely to child weighing only r
three and half pounds. It was very a
feeble, possessing but little vitality. t
The windows of the room in which 1t L
was born and reared were draped b
with blue curtains, through which f
and the plain glass windows the sun Il
light entered the room. The tactical
system of the mother was greatly ex- 6
cited and secreted an excessive guam f
tity of milk, while at the same time Il
the child's appetite was increased to f
such an extent that the mother some o
times found it difficult to satisfy its r
hunger. The child grew rapidly, and s
'our months after its birth weighed s
twenty-five pounds. being at the rate a