Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-10-10
ELECTRICITY.
REPORTS On ITS EMPLOYMENT
IN AGRICULTURE.
its Use in the Propulsion of Faru
Machinery and in Plant Pro-
pagatiOn Very Little
Progress So Far.
BOUT a year ago the Consuli


~ countries were directed by
the Department of State 81
Washington to collect and send home
all obtainable information in regard tc
the employment of electricity in agri
culture. This direction was given il
accordance with resolution of the
United States Senate. Alarge numbeI
of reports on the subject Of the inquiry
have been received, and have just beer
published by the Bureau of Statistici
of the State Department.
Most of the reports show that cleo
tricity is not employed in agricultur.
at all in the consular districts to which
they relate. There are few excep.
tions, however.
The inquiry of the State Department
was twofold; first, as to use of elec.
tricity as power in the propulsion OF
farm machinery and implements; and,
seco1dly, as to its use in the propaga-
ton of plants. Electricity does not
seem to be employed as motive power
III agricultural operations in any for
eign countries except Belgium and
England. In Belgium Mr.. A. Dumoni
HRS IL itISt plhCt ut SudSSdIt, NutGt le
carries on scientific farming upon
very extensive scale. Here he runs
thrashing machine by means of an cleo
trio current, which eXerts force equal
to twelve horse power, and is carried
over distance of 2600 feet. In Eng.
land, all the machinery at the Blyth.
wood Electric Dairy, belonging to Mr..
James Blyth, of Stanstead in Essex, is
worked by electricity. The Consul
General at London writes that this
is the only example of the uGe of elec.
tricity in connection with agriculture
that has come under his notice. IL
this dairy there are said to he nearly
two hundred of the finest butter-pro.
ducing Jersey cows in the world, and
the separators and churns are worked
wholly by electricity, which also fur.
nishes light for the establishment.
In reference To the influence of elec.
trlcity In the propagation of plants,
very full reports have been received
States Commercial Agent at Mlagde-
burg in Germany, and from Mr.. y
NJ Burton, United States ViceConsul
at Birmingham, England. Mr.. Wash.
burn reviews the various experiments
which have been made by scientific
men in Germany since 1859, on the in.
huence of the electric current and the
electric light on plant life. As to the
question whether artificially induced
electric currents passing through the
ground are beneficial or injurious to
vegetation, he declares that it has not
practically been solved up to the pres
ent time in Germany, adding that,
'while it is true that some few isolated
experiments have been highly favora-
bic to electricity, those conducted on
the most extensive scale have resulted
in very indifferent success" As to the
influence of electric light Mr.. Wash.
burn mentions the experiments of Mr..
c. W. Siemens in 1880, indicating that
the effects of the naked electric light
seemed to be injurious to plants, and
the experiments of Mr.. Il. p.
Deherain in 1881, who also found that
the direct rays of the electric light
were harmful. Mr.. Burton writes that
with the exception of II few expert
ments by Mr.. Chamberlain, there has
been nothing done at Birmingham in
the application of electricity to the
growth OF plants, but he sends to the
state Department copy of n paper
read before the Society of Telegraph
Engineers in 1880 by Sir William Sic.
mems, where the author describes ex.
periments which he says go to prove
that electric light is efficacious in
promoting the formation of fruit rich
in bloom and aroma, and, if these re-
suits should be confirmed, the horti-
culturist VIII be able to make himself
Practically Independent of solar light
for producing high quality of fruit
at all seasons of the year"
1t is 10 be noted, however, that al
though thirteen years have elapsed
since this opinion was expressed, very
title progress has been made in utiliz.
ing the electric light for horticultural
purposes.
The results of the inquiry instituted
by the State Department, by the di-
rection of the Senate, show that up tc
the present time electricity i'll agricul.
ture is for the most part IT plaything
rather than Il practical agent. New