Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-05-30
4 NEW ALLY FOR FARMERS.
Electric Currents Used to Stimulate vege-
table Growth.

From the Post Dispatch.
II has long been known that the cleo
tricity in the atmosphere plays an import
ant part, in the stimulation of vegetable
growth, but hitherto no practical use has
been made of this knowledge.
The results recently obtained by some
French scientists who have been expert
menting with the effect Of electricity on
plants indicate that a most valuable aid
TO agriculture has been discovered. \
plant deprived of atmospheric electricity
by covering IL with network of fine steel
wires wires soon Withers away and dies; when
artlleially stimulated by an electric cur
rent IL blooms with far more vigor than in
a normal condition.
With these data to work upon the ex-
perimenters moistened seeds with water
and then subjected them to the influences
Of an electric current, The seeds thus
came TO maturity sooner than those not SO
treated. Ihey even succeeded in making
date stones sermlnate, which is a very
unusual thing to happen in France.
Peas beans and maize grew with aston
ishing Swiftness when treated with the
powerful current of a Ruhmkorif coil and
the yield was greater than ordinary. EX-
periments with batteries We're not so sue
cessful when the current was passed
through the earth, because of the difference
Of the resistance of the soil In various
places to the passage of the current The
resulting crop was uneven in character,
according as one particular section re-
ceiyed more or less of the electric current
Win The powerful electrcal machines
much, more satisfactory results were OBJ
rpened IN a remarkably short time
Electrical machines are far too expensive,
however, for a farmer to use, and though
all right in theory, they are too costly in
practice,
The new invention is called the geomag-
netltere, and consists of an ordinary pole
forty or fifty feet high, surmounted with n
cheNal de trise of copper spikes. designed
to act as a collector OF atmospheric elec-
trcity, This collector Is insulated from the
pole by porcelain knob, and connects
with copper wire (also insulated from
the poleJ, which transmits the current TO a
of wires which are laid under the
soil al depth of about six feet. These
wires are made of galvanized iron, and
their cost is not large
by the use OF this apparatus the produce
ton on given area has been Increased 50
per cent The grapes from vineyards In
which the geomagnetifere is used are rich
er in sugar and alcohol than ordinary
grapes. Flowers have a stronger perfume
also when stimulated i'm this manner.
The exact chemical action which the
current has upon fruits and vegetables
cannot be determined 1t is only certain
that such action takes place. Some hold
that II acts by aiding the plants to assim-
nate the azote OF the atmosphere while
others think that il favors the assimilation
of certain mineral salts in the soil
or flower bed SO long as the pole Is away
from the house. If too close II acts as =
lightning conduetor,but without giving any
protection
1t Is estimated that a geomagnetifera
sixty feet high VIII enrich the soil 10 The
same degree as ten times its cost In ma
nure. Al the present time successful
farmer has to be something of a eheni1t
and 1t now seems as though he will 49,,
10 De an electrician, too.