Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-12-13
WHOLE NUMBER 1874.
NO NEED OF THE sun.
EXPERIMENTS OF EFFECT OF
ELECTRIC LIGHT.
Startling Effects of Artificial Lig h {
at the Experiment StatiOn-Re.
suits of Prof. Baiiey's Arc Light
aud Prof. Rane's Incandeseent
u.Rmu.

Probably the most interesting OF the
many miracles which scientific men
are learning to perform by aid of cleo
tricity Is the artificial growth Of plants,
technically known as electro.culture.
This is as yet new science and little
has been told the public concerning it.
Interesting experiments in these lines
are now being carried on at several OF
the experimental stations OF the De-
partment OF Agriculture.
The agricultural experiment sta
tions are testing several different sys-
TENS OF electroculture. One OF these
is the direct application OF electricity,
furnished by a dynamo, to the plant
itself and to the soil in which it grows.
Another is the distribution of atmos-
pheric electricity among plants by
similar method. Still other tests are
being made with both arc and incan.
descent electric lights for supplying
sunlight, SO to speak, at night. The
first mentioned experiments are being
carried on by Prof. G. ID. Warner, of
the experiment station at Amherst,
Mass. Prof. 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
method one of the experiment gardens
is furnished with electricity and the
other is without it. The soil is of a
rich loan, and that Of the electric gar
den is surrounded with timber
frame, on which are arranged numer-
GUS porcelain insulators, few inches
apart, holding continuous, uncovered
copper wire. This crosses the garden
as many times as there are insulators
on either side. The whole frame
work 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 SO arranged that the rows
in the electric gardens are continual
tions OF those of the non-electric, in
order that the contrast of development
might be more easily noted. The
wires are fed from a small building
containing the necessary machinery.
After applying currents OF various
strengths it was found that certain
flow OF electric garden produced strange
results. Many varieties of seeds
sprouted much more rapidly and
many plants blossomed 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 physiological effect of
electricity upon plants, although not
yet definitely understood, is probably
similar to that experienced by the
human anatomy or by the animal
tissues. Electricity is applied to par
alytics because it stimulates the
nerves and muscles, just as exercise
does. A strong current is used to re-
move superfluous hair, while, accord.
ing to later reports, milder current
will produce hair on bald heads. In
the same way an electric current too
strong will destroy plant life, while a
milder one enhances its growth. There
is also the theory that the electricity
produces chemical effect upon the
soil or surrounding atmosphere. rather
than direct effect upon the plants.
At the Ithica, N. ", experiment
station, Prof. Bailey, by aid of electric
lights burned all night in greenhouses,
makes plant life work "overtime"-
that is, he forces plants to do both day
work and night work without a mo.
meut OF sleep" Sunlight, as we'll as
atmosphere and water, is necessary for
a plants development. The electric
light resembles sunlight in its compo-
sitiOn more than does any other artifi-
cial light. 1t is 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, when the
sun is shining. 1t is generally be-
lieved, therefore, that they need rest,
just as animals need rest for the build.
ing up OF the tissues worn out during
the day. Prof. Bailey, however, does
not believe that plants need rest in
the same sense that animals do.
After learning of these wonderful
results from experiments as yet in
embryo it would seem that we may
yet see the day when there will be
many harvestings on a farm each
summer. The modern farmer will
erect lines of high poles throughout
his fields, supporting not only me-
chanisms for gathering the atmos-
pheric electricity, but also immense
electric lights for supplying sunshine
by night. Who can say but that for
ests will some day be made to grow
up from seeds in but few months, or
that the builders of new houses may
not grow shade trees about their
homes in that time?