The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-10-19
No NEED OF THE sun.


anrr>annlr Dops>s . Arsaasaal EaeAA q tAs
Dalley.s Alo LagAs aadp Prot.
1anaS lneannaoesnt IAmp.
Probably tho most interesting Of the
many miracles which scientific men arc
learning to perlorm By aid Of electricity
y The artificial growth Of plants. tech
uically known - electroculture. TIM
10 o yet . new science and little has
been told the pubic concerning It In
terestin9 experiments In these lines
are now being carried on st several OF
the experimental stations OF tho de-
portmsht Of a9ricultnre.
:. The agricultural experiment stations
are testing several different systems OF
electroculture. One Of these is the di-
rect application Of electricity. fur
uishsd by . dynamo. TO the plant It
self and TO the soil In which it grows.
Another II the distribution Of atmos-
pheric electricity among plants by
eimilar method. Still other tests are
being made with both arc and incan-
descent electric lights for supplying
sunlight, 20 to speak, 1t night The
first mentioned experiments are being
carried. on by Prot c. D. Warner. OF
the experiment station 1t Amherst,
Mass Prof. Werner 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
method one Of the experiment gardens
is furnished with electricity and the
other 10 without It The soil II Of
rich loan, and that Of the electric
garden 10 surrounded with timber
frame. on which are arranged nu-
merous porcelain insulators, few
inches apart. holding continuous, un-
covered copper wire. This copper wire
crosses the garden - many times -
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 are 20 arranged that the rows
In the electric gardens are continua-
tions Of those OF the non-electric, in
order that the contrast Of development
might b moro easily noted. The
wires are fed from small building
containing the necessary machinery.
After applying currents of various
strengths il was found that . certain
Aow Of electricity through the cleo
trio garden produced strange results.
Many varieties Of seeds sprouted much
more rapidly and many plants bios
somed much earlier than in the
other. Roots Of certain vegetables and
the tops of others were found to be
greatly enlarged under the process.
In fact. all plants were found to be
stimulated BY current of certain
strength. The Psychological effect Of
electricity upon plants. although not
yet definitely understood, = probably
similar to that experienced BY the
human anatomy or BY the animal It's
sues Electricity il applied to par
alytics because It stimulates the
nerves and muscles, just - exercise
does A strong current IL used to re-
move superhuous hair. while, accord
ing to later reports, = milder current
viii produce hair on bald hesdA In
the same way IN electric current too
strong will destroy plant life, while ,
milder one enhances it, growth. There
10 also tho theory that the electricity
produces . chemical effect upon the
coil or surrounding atmosphere, rather
than direct effect upon the plants.
At the Ithaca IN. ~ experiment sta
ton Prot Bailey, by aid Of electric
hghts burned all night in greenhouses,
makes plant Life work overtime
that ID, he forces plants to do both day
work and might work without mo-
ment Of ''sleep." Sunlight, - we'll o
atmosphere and water, Il necessary for
plants development. The electric
light resembles sunlight in its compo-
sition more than does any other artih-
cisl light Il = the common theory
that plants grow mostly at night,
making use Of the air, water, sunlight
and other materials which they have
received during the day, whsn the sun
Il shining. Il Il generally belieyed,
therefore, that they need rest, juSt -
'animals reed rost for the build
inR up Of the tissues WORN out during
tho day. Prot. Bailey, howevsr, does
not belisvs that plants need rest in the
same sense that animals do
After Learning Of thsse wendsrful re-
salts from experiments - ret in en-
bryo It would seem thst W may yet
80 the day when thers win b many
haxves1inRs On farm each summer.
The modern faruser Win eFset lines Of
high poles tAroaehoat hin 1slda. sap
porting not only mechanisns Tor gath
ering the atmospheric eleetx1eity, but
also irnxnense el0ctrie Ii9hts tor sup
plyiaf sunshine By night Who can
aay bat that forests WI some dry
h msde to&1ew up 1ro0 soods Il bat
lev nmths, or that tho ballders Of
new houses may not eEoW shade tFeeG
sbout thelr ho1nes Il that timer
4 uay = 4sn ~.
Whsn thA Wis of - lase II uartle
1tsro had g meet him q the railway
sen43on, - took viii A1r . oorvoal
who hnd noVnr l1om A3oE EmnGeee. ssYoa
mnst 9oaapd look ~ elr 1artln;s -
.cedeee s.BpA 1ne1oeod H. 11a-
ttnd eueeant .ehow ehn11 / nos
H5 % = soad Lar 1fsTo .Ioo,
~ : III 6rse 6sesa ill
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