The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-01-16
ELECTRICITY FOR THE SOIL.
EnapoI ant Experiments Going For
~. rb i'm American Farming.

1napoI ant Experiments Going For
~. raj i'm American arming
Ihc agricultural experiment stations
in this country are now testing sew
erai different systems of electrOcul-
tUre- Tests are also being made with
are III hts to light up fields ut mid
night. At the government experiment
station AT Amherst TIVE plots Of the
grounds are used by which to com
pare the plants grown naturally with
chose treated by electricity. One of
the gardens is in a natural state and
the Other is surrounded with a timber
frame. upon which are mounted pOrCe-
balm iESuiators. From each inSulatur is
Stret, he'd "a copper wire, which runs
over he earth at a depth of about >
inches. The wire is continuous all
roun the garden, and leads into an
adjacent building. containing the dy-
namo. When the dynamo is working
n current of electricity is kept flood
ing through the soil by means Of the
wines ramifying in all directions UNI
der the surface.
The electric garden has been found
TO bear more heavily than the natural
one, while all the seeds SprOuted and
va Il Y A''lilt Dlt'tAS
came to maturity earlier han others,
but all were stimulated more or less
by the electric current. Electrical ma
chimes are too expensive, however. for
a farmer. Moreover. the attendance
of an Xpert electrician Is required to
Keep the dynamo in running order.
The new invention recently made in
France is much cheaper md apparent
fy very effective. 1t is called the geo
magnctifere. and makes use of the
electricity always present in the at
nOSphere. 1t consists of an ordinary
pole, some forty or fifty feet in height,
|surinounted by a ChevauX de friSe Of
copper spikes. which act as a collector
Of the electricity in the air. The col
iector is insulated from the pole by a
porcelain knob. and connects with Il
copper wire also insulated from the
pOlei. which transmits the current
tG "a network of wires laid under the
soil at IL depth of abOut q feet. These
wires are made of galvanized iron.
and their cost is insignificant. BY the
use OF his apparatus the production
of a plot of ground has been increased
% per cent.
The grapes from vineyards in which
n geomagnetifere is used are richer
I'm sugar and alcohol than ordinary
grapes When stimulated in this way
flowers have a stronger perfume. be-
sides coming TO maturity in IA shorter
time. The action of apparatus using
atmospheric electricity is not SO pow
erful as that from u dynamo. but the
effect on the vegetation appears to he
NOR, even. Experiments with bat
tericS were not So successful. owing
to the difference in the resistance of
the soil in various places.
When seeds are treated with the
powerful current Of n RuhmkOrtf coil
the yield is far greater than Ordinari-
lN. fnaS. beans and corn grow with
astonishing swiftnesS. and even date
stones have been made to terminate,
q most unuSua thing 10 happen in Il
rows az plants in an electric garden is
cold climate The development Of the
very even in character. except when
Batteries are used. In this case The
crop varies in character. according as
one particular section receives more or
less OF the electric current.
At the Ithaca (N. W experimental
station plants have been subjected TO
the action of the electric light at
night. BY this means the growth of
the plant proceeds both by day and
night. Artificial light produces the
same effect on plants as does sunlight,
only in lesser degree. An amber
COiOred globe is placed over the light.
because the orange rays are more val
liable TO vegetation than the others.
Plants in a greenhouse illuminated by
sunlight during the day and by an arc
light at night, were found to mature
much earlier han in a greenhouse
lighted only by the sun. The nearer
the plants are TO the light the faster
their growth.
IL was noticed that the arc light had
q curious attraction for some plants.
These would be found each morning
to lean toward ii at an angle Of forty
five degrees. During the day they
would straighten up. but at night they
would again bend toward the light.
The continued light Of day and
night causes the color of flowers to
become deeper and richer. In n few
days. however, they lost their inteusi-
ty OF color. at the same time blossom.
Ing more p~rofusely. In the case of
yiOlets 1t was found that the cOntinu-
Gus light mad them bloom in three
weeks. while those only receiving sun
fight did not Dear a bud for five
weeks.
At the present day n successful
farmer has TO be something Of n chem
fist, and II looks as if he would have to
turn decentralization Times.
a Home Made Root Cutter.