Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27

fMNHVN%N been told the public
| III NHA concerning t. In =
| teresting experiments in these lines are
now being carried on at several Of the ex-
pertinent stations of the Department OF
| Agriculture.
| East Indian jugglers have excited the
curiosity of the world by their miraculous
| creations of certain plants, which they
cause to spring up from seeds In few sec
onds. Whether these adopts are CONVEX
SAINT with the stimulating effects of cleo
tricity upon vegetable life, and whethaE
| they use the electric fluid in these tricks. is
yet to be solved 1t is, however, fact
| that agricultural experts in this country
are growing plants much more rapidly
than nature herself. although no lightning
! flash juggleries have yet been accom-
! plished.
The agricultural experiment stations are
| testing several different systems of electro
culture. One of these is the direct appli-
| cation of electricity, furnished by dy-
| namo, to the plant itself and to the soil IN
" mich 1t grows. Another is the distribution
CT atmospheric electricity among plants by
a similar method. Still other tests are be-
ing made with both arc and incandescent
| electric lights, for supplying sunlight. SO to
| speak, at night.
| The Direct Application.
| The first mentioned experiments are be-
| ing carried on by Prof. c. d. Warner of
| che experiment station at Amherst, Mass.
Prof Warner has prepared two plots of
| ground, side by side, each 6 by 20 feet long.
| To compare plants grown by electric aid
| with those raised according to the natural
| method, one of the experimental gardens
| is furnished with and the other without
| electricity. The soil is of a rich loan, and
| that of the electric garden is surrounded
with a timber frame, on which are ar
| ranged numerous porcelain inSulators,
| few inches apart, holding continuous I'M
| covered copper wire. This copper wire
| crosses the garden as many times as there
are insulators on either side. The whole
| framework thus fitted looks like the string
| frame of large piano.
| The wires are covered with earth to the
| depth of two inches, and in both gardens
| various vegetables have been planted from
| ranged that the rows in the electric garden
| were combinations Of those of the nom
| electric, in order that the contrast of de-
| velopment might be more easily noted.
| The wires are all fed from small build
| ing, containing the necessary machinery.
After applying currents of various strengths
| 1t was found that u certain flow of cleo
tricity through the electric garden pro-
| duced strange results.
| Many varieties of seeds sprouted much
more rapidly and many plants hlossomed
| much earlier than in the other. Roots of
| certain vegetables and the tops of others
| were found to be greatly enlarged under
| this process. In fact, all plants were
| found to be stimulated by a current of
certain strength. The physiological effect
| of the electricity upon plants, although not
| yet definitely understood, is probably SIM
| liar to that experienced by the human
| anatomy or by ,he animal tissues Elec-
| tricity is applied to paralytics because it
| Stimulates the nerves and muscles, just as
| does exercise. strong current is used to
| remove superflIous hair, while, according
to latest reports, milder current will pro-
duce hair on bald heads For instance, in
the same way an electric current too strong
| will destroy plant life, while a mlder one
| theory that the electricity produces
| chemical effect upon the soil or the sur
rounding atmosphere, rather than direct
J effect upon the plants.
| Electricity From the Atmosphere.
The chief criticism against the practi-
| cability of these experiments is that the
extra expense Of running dynamo will
more thon cover the money saved by rapid
development of crops. unless the farmer
works very large reservation. In the
| Utah experiment station, however, expert
| ments are being made with view to pro-
| vide against this objection To a pole
| twenty or more feet high has been attach
| ed a long wire, terminating in a copper
| brush. The wire IS connected With a graf
ing beneath the ground, similar to that
| used in the former experiments. The cleo
| tricity, which always peryades the atmos-
phere even on clear days of summer, was
found sufficient to stimulate the growth of
| certain vegetables.
Prof. Bailey, by aid of electric lights burn
| ed all night in greenhouses, makes plant
| life work "over time'-that is, he forces
them to do both day work and night work
| without moment of sleep" Sunlight as
| well as atm osphere and water is necessary
| for plants development. The electric
| light resembles sunlight in its composition
more than does any other artificial light
| 1t Isl the common theory that plants grow
mostly at Night making use of the air,
| water, sunlight and other materials which
| the sun is shining. 1t is generally believed,
| therefore, that they iced Test, just as
animals need rest for the building up of the
| tissues worn out during the day.
| Professor Bailey, however, does not be-
| lieve that plants need rest in the same
sense that animals do Plants have simply
acquired the habit of gathering nourish-
| ment and using it at different times be-
cause nature has divided the day into light
and darkness, and because it is better to
| make hay while the sun Shines" and to
use it at night when there is nothing else
| to do. There appears to Professor Bailey
| to be no reason why plants cannot grow
in full light. In the actic regions, where
| the yelr is divided into one long day and
| as conditions require. Now, If electric
light enables plants to acquire stimulation
| during the right, and does not interfere
with growth. it will cause them to grow to
| a greater size.
Plant Life Stimulated.
Artificial lights are found to produce
much the same effect upon plants as Goes
sunlight, only in a smaller degree. If a
ray from an electric arc light be thrown
through a prism 1t will separate into var
ious colors, as will a ray of sunlight. The
arc light contains more violet rays than
sunlight, but has less orange rays, which
| latter are very valuable to plants. By
using an amber globe over the arc light,
therefore, its rays become more like sun
light Professor Bailey has experimental
both with a naked arc light and with one
covered by globe. He hung the uncover
ed arc light, of 1000 candle power, inside
his green house, burning it all night. He
found that the plants natured earlier
than others in a green house lighted only
by the sun.
The nearer the plants were to the light,
the faster was their growth. Most Of
them, however, ran to seed before edible
leaves were formed. and were smaller end
| curled.
The arc light was found to have Pc
culiarly attractive influence. Some plarts
were found each morning to lean toward
1t at an angle of As degrees. During the
day they would straighten up, but they
| hent toward the light again at night. Let