Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-09-11
THE FARM and ORCHARD
ELECTRICITY APPLIED TO SOIL IN
WHICH SEEDS ARE PLANTED.
7Experim ents Carried ON ut Amherst
College and Cornell Uni
versity-Hops.

For some time it has been demon
strated that electricity applied to soil
in which seeds are planted stimulates
their growth. At Amherst college and
Cornell university experiments have
been made in limited way testing the
influence of electricity on the growth
of fruits, flowers and vegetables, says
the Chicago Chronicle.
The first real electric farm and gar
den in practical operation on large
scale is on the Jersey coast, about so
miles from New York city, and the first
consignment of vegetables raised by
electricity is about to be placed on sale
in the New York market. The owner
of the farm is Thomas Flemming, who
is a thorough gardener and electrician
having served an apprenticeship in
both lines.
A large stream of water flows
through the farm, and this is used in
generating the electricity Plows, rakes,
harrows, moving machines, are all
worked by electric motors, and the
dropping of the seed is performed by
planters that can be regulated to meet
the required distance.
The cultivation of the plants after
plows. Weeds are electrocuted A
small electric wagon goes across the
field or between the rows of plants ard
drags heavy wire netting upon the
ground. A powerful electric current is
applied to this, and every weed or veg
| etable growth that it touches is IN
stantly killed. A lighter current APP
piled to the plants stimulates a rapid
growth and increases the size.
The effect on flowers in the green
house raised under the influence of the
electric light is very curious. At first
the light was injurious to many blos-
SONS. The color of tulips was deeper
and richer for 4 few days, but they lost
their brilliancy when exposed to sun
light. The color OF scarlet flowers turn
ed to grayish white, and while all
| bloomed earlier and produced larger
blossoms, they soon faded. By reduc-
ing the intensity of light and covering
them with opal glass globes, the injury
to their quality was lessened.
These flowers seem abnormal mon
| strosities. They are double the ordi-
nary size, and exceedingly brilliant
when kept in dark rooms during the
daytime and used only for evening dec
other winter to ship specimens of these
| flowers to New York, exposing them for
sale only at night in stores lighted by
electricity. They are to be used for
! bouquets or corsage bouquets at night
The explanation of the increased
| growth of plants under the influence CT
electricity was thought to be the ex-
tension of the working season for them
the continuous light preventing Them
| from resting at night, but it is now
generally conceded by scientists that
electricity helps the plants to assimi-
late the nitrogen of the atmosphere
and favors them in taking up certain
mineral salts of the earth.
A point of great Importance which
| Mr.. Flemming expects to prove is that
the cost of producing fruits, flowers
and vegetables stimulated by electrici.
ty will be less than when cultivated
in the ordinary way. He is a practical
man as well as theorist, and utilities
power in every available way in order
| to produce the greatest results with
| the least possible expense.
The public will watch with interest
the progress of Mr.. Trimmings work
| 1t may be found that we are just al
the beginning of new era in agricul-
| ture, and that the farmer is no longer
to eat his bread in the sweat of his
brow as he has done since the prima
curse. Under the influence of cleo
| tricity, the lost Eden may be restored
and thorns and thistles no longer cum
| Der the ground