Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-09

Applying the Galvanic Current by wires Up-
derground to Vegetables.

CLECTROCULTURE FOR PLANTS rs A
IL science Of the future. Already it has ad-
vanced far enough to suggest that the crops Of
the twentieth century may be grown with the
aid Of electricity. 1t has been proved that veg
etabies Of various kinds. such As lettuce and
many sorts Of flowers. including fuchsias and
petunias, thrive wonderfully under the electric
light developing far more rapidly and luxu-
riantly than in sunlight alone. Results OBJ
tained by experiments with the galvanic cur
rent appear to show that equally favorable ef-
fects can be secured by the direct application
OF electricity to the plants through wires.
one method adopted in the trials that have
been made WAS to employ a battery, the two
wires connected with which we're buried in the
soil and extended in lines parallel 10 each
other Between the wires we're planted peas.
grass and barley, and in every case the crop
produced was from Is to q per cent better
than that raised by ordinary processes Of Guilt
vation on the same land
ANOTHER rEsr
was made by planting iron uprighss 10 the
number OF about sixty round one hectare-two
and a half scres--of land. On top OF each Of
these uprigbts was placed an electric accumu-
iator IN the form OF crown surmounted with
teeth, and the accumulators were all united
together by wires. The result Of this was an
increase of the crop by one-half Yet another
plan adopted was to bury plates Of ZINC and
copper alternately in the ground at distances
OF about thirty yards from each other, con-
Meeting them two-and-two by wires In this
manner the production Of certain garden plants
was doubled and In some cases quadrupled-
TIE THEORY ENTERTAINED
lie that electricity aids in the breaking up Of the
soil constituents, thus rendering the food OF
the plants more readily assimilated. Vegetable
growths treated with 1t mature more quickly
and are not affected by destructive fungi Per-
oaps more remarkable still, IL has been ascer-
tanned that the galvanic current can be applied
to seeds with the effect of rendering their
subsequent development more rapid aud COM
plete. One experimental has mado trials In
this way with the seeds of harricot beans sun
flowers and spring and winter rye. While wet
the seeds were put into glass tubes omen at
both ends. Copper disks were pressed against
them from both ends of the tube. the disks be-
ing connected with the poles OF an induction
coil The current was kept ON for q couple OF
minutes, and Immediately afterward the seeds
were sown.
RLEcTRIc sPRoUra
The electrified peas sprouted in two days and
half, while others Of the same original batch
not treated with electricity did not sprout
until four days had passed. Electrified beans
sPtoasSa Al tHftS hoh-tAtStfiHt2 III sRA
days. Electrified sunfowers sprouted in eight
days and a half: non-electrifed in fifteen days.
The most marked result was accomplished with
barley, the non-electrified seeds Of which took
hye days to sprout, while those which were
electrified required only two DAYS. 1t was sub
| sequently observed that the plants grown from
| the electrified seeds were in every case much
better developed; their leaves were larger and
their color brighter than in the plants obtained
from non-electrifed seeds.
EXPERIMENTS AT KEW.
At the Botanical Gardens of Kew expert
ments were tried by burying large plates o.
zinc and copper in the soil and connecting
| them with wires 80 arranged that the curren,
should pass through the ground. In the earth
thus prepared pot herbs towering plants and
garden vegetables were planted. They all
hourished remarkably, the vegetables in par
ticular growing to an enormous size. Potatoes
propagated under the influence Of the electric
current are seldom diseased. Possibly cleo
tricity might be found to have some effect upon
the unterriied potato bug If it could be made
to traverse the branches of the plant on which
| it feeds. 1t can be easily understood how the
constitution of the hardest Colorado beetle
would sooner or later be undermined by the
enervating effects Of current passing through
his body. Make il an alternating current and
he would be done for entirely.