The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-10-08
ELECTROCULTURE.
STARTLING EFFECTS OF ARTI-
TICiAL LIGHT ON PLANTS.
There May BE Many Iarvests In One
Summer, and Forests May Bc
Made to Sprin. Up In
Few Months.
the most interest.


learning to perform by aid
OF electricity is the artificial growth
of plants, technically known rs cleo
troculture or Observation-Disclosures
This is as yet new science. and lit
tie has been told the public concern.
ing 1t. Interesting experiments in
these lines are now being carried on
at several of the experimental stations
OF the Department of Agriculture.
The agricultural experiment sta.
tions are testing several different sys-
tens OF electroculturc. One of these
is the direct application of cleo
trlclty, furnished by n dynamo, to the
plant itself AMI to the soil in which it
grows. Another is the distribution
OF atmospheric electricity among
plants by similar method. Still
other tests arc being made with both
arc aud lncandescent electric lights for
supplying sunlight, so to speak, Mt
night. The first mentioned expert
ments nre being carried on by Profess
sor &. ID. Warner, OF the experiment
station ut Amherst, Mass. Professor
Warner has prepared two plots of
ground, side by side, each six by
twenty feet long. To compare plants
grown by electric aid with those
raised according to the natural meth
cd one of the experimental gardens
Is furnished with electricity and the
other is without it, The soil is of IA
rich loan, and that of the electric
garden Is surrounded with timber
frame, on which are arranged numer-
GUS porcelain insulatorS, "A few inches
apart, holding continuous uncov-
cred copper wire. This copper wire
crosses the garden rs many times ms
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 time to time. These
plants were so arranged that the rows
III the electric garden were continue.
tlons OF those OF the non-electric, in
order that the contrast CT development
might be more easily noted. The
wires are all fed from IL small building
containing the necessary machinery
After applying currents of various
strengths it was found that certain
flow of electricity through the electric
garden produced strange results.
Many varieties of seeds sprouted much
more rapidly and many plants bios
somcd 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 n current of certain strength.
AT the Ithaca On. W Experiment
Station Professor Bailey, by aid Of cleo
trio lights burned all night i'll green
houses, makes plant life work cover
time"-that is, he forces plants to do
both day work and night work with.
out n moment of "sleep." Sunlight,
rs well rs atmosphere and water, is
necessary for plants development.
The electric light resembles sunlight
in its composition more than does any
other Artificial light. 1t is the com.
mon theory that plants grow mostly
Mt night, making use of the air, water,
sunlight and other materials which
they have received during the day,
when tho sun is shining 1t is gen
orally believed, therefore, that they
need rest, just rs animals need rest
Tor the building up of the tissues worn
out during the day. Professor Bailey,
however, does not believe that plants
need rest in the same sense that ami
mails do. Plants have simply acquired
| the habit of gathering nourishment
AMI using 1T at dif9rent times, because
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 arctic regions, where the year is
divided into one long day and one
long night, plants grow continuously,
as conditions require. Now, if cleo
trio light enables plants to acquire
stimulation during the night and does
not interfere with growth, it will cause
them to grow to greater size.
Artificial lights are fond to pro.
duce much the same effect upon plants
as does sunlight, only in n smaller de-
I gree. If ray from an electric arc
light be thrown through n prism it
I VIII H-pilhlc iuib various CDIOrS, rs
will ray OF sunlight The arc light
contains more violet rays than snu.
light, but has loss grunge rays, which
latter arc very valuable TO plants. By
using an amber globe over the arc
light therefore, its rays become more
! ike sunlight. Professor Bailey has
experimental both with n naked arc
light and with one covered by globe.
lie hung the uncovered arc light, of
/ 1000 candle power, inside his green O..
house, burning it all night. He found
that tho plants maturod earlier than
others in u greenhouse lighted only
by the sun. The nearer the plants
were 60 the light the faster was their
growth.
While Professor Bailey is continuing
his experiments with the arc light,
similar Investigations aro being made
with the incandescent lamp mt the
West Virginia Experiment Station.
under Professor f. w. Rane. Pro.
fesso- Rono prefers the iucandescent
lamp, because it is chonper. consumes
less time aud is not so bulky. Pro.
lessor Rane IS meeting with much the