Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-01-09
VEGETABLES eY ELEoTRIcITN.

The interesting Discovery Made ~ bos-
ton Truck Gardener.
Intense interest has been aroused
among Massachusetts farmers and agri-
culturists by tho recent publication
of bulletin from the agricultural sta
ton of Cornell university in which the
declaration is made that experiments
show that the electric light can DO
profitab bly, used in the growing OF plants
In the light of this announcement the
publication of Prof Warmers expert
ments will be looked forward TO with
considerable interest Prof Warner has
conducted his Investigations with great
care and thoroughness, and few per
sons outside the college stan have been
aware that experiments were going on.
II IL understood that important expert
ments have also been made ut the col
lepe with electric currents, with the
end in view of verifying the experiments
of foreign scientists which go to show
that the action of electric currents upon
plants and vegetablen seems to consis'
In the active dissolution OF the organic
principles existing in the soil, which
are thereby brought within the reach
of the roots, thus causing q more rapid
growth in shorter period.
Independent of the experiments at the
agricultural college only one private in
dividual in the state is known to have
experimented with the electric light,
and that is w. w. Rawson, an extensive
market gardener in Arlington. Mr.
Rawson had his attention drawn to the
effect of the electric light on plant
growth in singular manner and by &C
cident. As far rs he is concerned,
therefore, his experiments were original
with himself and were made long be-
fore he heard any attention was being
paid to the subject by foreign or Amer
lean scientists. In the fall of 1889 it so
happened that an electric light was
erected by the town Of Arlington Tor
street lighting purposes at a point IN
close proximity to one side OF MS resi-
dence. On that side Of his house were
n number of flower beds which never
thrived until the rays Of the electric
light began to fall upon them. The
plants soon began to show an unusual
change. Finally they exhibited such a
lively and increased growth that they
could not fail to attract attention,
and no reason could be assigned
for the phenomena but the effect OF
the electric light. Determined to push
the experiment further, Mr.. Rawson
introduced lights into his extensive hot.
houses, devoted to the winter raising
mainly of cucumbers and lettuce. The
marked effect on his crop became ut
once very manifest, and the experiment
was seemingly SO successful during the
winter of 1889 and 1890 that he fully
demonstrated to his own satisfaction
that he could raise larger crop OF let
tuce or cucumbers Of better quality in
a shorter time than he could before; in
fact, he convinced himself that the
electric light enabled himyto increase
his profits twenty-five par cent over
what they had been before. Last win
ter he was disappointed in obtaining
electric power and could not make
further Investigations Meanwhile, he
correspondent with ycientists at home
and abroad and impaired to them the
results he had obtained. He hopes this
winter to resume his experiments on
large scale and is making preparations
to that end. He has experimental both
with arc lights and incandescents and
has found that the former are more et-
GIANT Iloeton Journal