The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-20
ELECTRICITY IN AGRICULTURE.
Sugar in Beets More Than Doubled by
the Electric Current.

SHO GAcCtEIC CuEFeuts
remarkable Results of Experiments at the
Massachuse ts Station-Tests OF a Sim
pie French Invention Effects of Eiec-
tricity on Fruit and Flowers,
Correspondence of the St. Louis Globe
Democrat
Amherst, Mass, Nov. 10-Scarcely has
the sugar beet been introduced in this
country before electricity is applied to Its
culture, and behold the beets that Ger
man growers could only get IL per cent OF
sugar from are made to yield rs and 30
per cent. That is the latest discovery in
the sugar beet industry that is now enter
ing upon q successful career IN this coun-
try, and the Importance of 1t can scarcely
be overestimated, coming as it does just
when the Department of Agriculture and
all the state experiment. stations are issu-
ing bulletins advising farmers to plant
sugar beets instead of SO much corn and
wheat. 1t has just been determined by
the national government that the manu-
facture of beet sugar is possible in the
United States, and that an industry
which means an increase of tens of mil.
Ioins of dollars to the country's wealth
can be built up thereby. Now, with the
discovery of the value of electricity in in
creasing the sugar percentage of the beets
we IL ay sooD be able to make all our own
sugar, and at less cost than in Germany
or the tropical countries.
The use of electricity in increasing the
percentage of sugar in the beets is still
small and largely experimental; but the
results are SO highly satisfactory that
there is no question that means will be
found to apply 1t on large scale to beets
In a field. In fact, scheme is already
planned for applying electricity to fields
of beets that the ordinary farmer cult
Yates. This is by a modification of a
French invention called the geomagneti-
fere, which practically makes use of at
mospheric electricity at no apparent cost
to the farmer after the initial expense
of installing the farm has been invested
At the government experimental sta
ton at Amherst this new invention has
been tested with great success.
Long before this it was known by scien-
fists here and abroad that atmospheric
electricity greatly stimulated plant, fruit
and flower growth; but there was no
practical way of collecting and utilizin g
this electricity. For a number OF years
now the scientists at the stations have
been experimenting with various systems
of electroculture but without apparent
success until recently. The geomagneti
fere makes use only of the electricity that
is always present in the atmosphere, and
distributes it among the plants to hasten
their growth. In the center of the cleo
trio garden a pole 40 to SO feet high
stands, surmounted by bristling ARA Y
of copper spikes. These spikes form the
electric collector, and they are insulated
from the pole by porcelain knob. The
chevaux de frise of copper spikes, as the
French call it, collects the atmospheric
electricity day and night, and conducts
it by copper wire to a net work of wires
laid under the soil at depth of five or
six feet.
This is the simple method by which the
atmospheric electricity is to be applied to
the sugar beet fields. One pole such as
described furnishes sufficient electricity
to stimulate several acres of vegetables,
and by multiplying them field of any
dimension could be installed at very lit
tie expense According to this method
| 1 is,y, -
tr1city by machinery, and it performs
even better work in electroculture than
the current generated by the ordinary
expensive method.
A plot OF ground at the experiment. sta
ton has been experimental with for
several seasons now, and by the use of
the geomagnetifere the production has
been just doubled. Besides the
geomagnetifere an ordinary dynamo sup
plies electricity TO another plot of ground.
BY means of this stronger current of
electricity can be kept flowing through
the ground at stated times, and for ex-
psrimental purposes this is highly desira-
BILE. Tie electric light is also utilized
for stimulating the growth of plants here,
and the general effect has been to hasten
the maturity of lettuce, spinach and
similar products. Radishes have been
produced Is inches long by means of cleo
tricity, and five and six inches in diane
ter. Entire crops in the forcing plots of
ground have been increased so and 70
per cent.
Experiments upon flowers have been
equally satisfactory. These have been
forced in their growth SO that pansies
could be made to blossom within a week
and roses in ten days. After demonstra-
ting the value of electricity in fastening
the maturity of crops, experiments We're
directed toward the improvement of the
quality of fruits and vegetables. 1t was
found that the current and arc light had
decided effect upon the oolors of the
flowers. In most cases the colors were
greatly intensified, and dull grayish
colors were painted a more brilliant hue.
Blue, dark red, scarlet and pink flowers
were made most brilliant in their inten-
sity; but they soon faded and turned to
g1ayish white. By regulating the
power of the current and the distance
from the arc light the colors could he
made almost perfect, while their lasting
qualities would be affected.
Similarity of the fragrance of the flow
ers was affected by electricity. At first
it seemed to produce no change: but bv
distributing the wires in the soil at n
,,ro,,ar distance from the Dlanta ,,,..I-oI