The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-02

tural society the great effect which at
mospheric electricity has on the growth
of plants. Atmospheric electricity eX-
ertS q very powerful influence upon
vegetation. The experiments OF Gran
deau were designed to determine this
point. Plants were grown in the free
atmosphere, which is always in a great
er or less state of identification, and
also in wire cage from which the at
mospheric electricity is excluded. Maize
in the free air was in every way better
than the other, not only in bulk of all
its parts, but in the amount of ash, and
of both heterogeneous and nOn-nitrOgen-
Gus matters. Grandeur found that
plants deprived of the influence of at
moSpheric electricity have in the same
length of time given 30 to 20 per cent
less bulk, and 80 to so per cent less
fruit and seeds than plants subjected
to normal cOnditiOns-that is, those to
which atmospheric electricity had free
access. Cell, shortly afterward, reach
ed similar results. So did Leclerc. But
by far the best Investigations upon the
electrifcatiOn of the atmosphere in ref
erence to plant growing were those
made in Finland and in France by
Lemstrom, physicist in the University
of HelsingfOrS.
DUE TO THE AURORA BOREALIS.
"Lemstrom was first led to his in
quiries by observations upon vegetation
and meteorological phenomena in the
high north, particularly in Finnish lap
land and Spitzbergen, where he came to
the conclusion that much of the rapid
ity of vegetation in the short summers
is due to climatic electricity. His first
experiments were made in the labOra-
tory, and the results were so promising
that he at once turned his attention to
the field. He made an experiment on
a small field of barley in Finland. One
portion of the field was covered with
small parallel wires, a meter apart, and
secured to porcelain insulatOrs, which
were secured to small posts on the mar
gin of the field. AT Intervals of a half
meter each wire was furnished with a
metal point, from which the current
could discharge into the atmosphere.
These wires were connected 10 the pos
tive pole of a four-disc Holtz machine,
which supplied the current. The cur
rent was supplied from the middle Of
June to the 1st of September, from to
10 o'clock in the morning, and from to
9 in the evening. The barley was we'll
up when the experiment began. The
harvest showed that the electric plot
was over 80 per cent ahead of the re-
mainder of the field, and the yield and
the quality of the grain was improved.
Having determined the good effects
of atmospheric electricity in high lati-.
tudes, Lemstrom now carried his ex-
pertinent into France, Here he treated
cereals, garden vegetables and a va
riety of fruits. The result was equally
good in the warm country. But al
though these experiments of LemstrOm
have shown that the application of cleo
tricity to the atmosphere generally in
huences plants profoundly, and is US
ually beneficial, we are yet uncertain as
10 how this effect is brought about 1t
is highly probable, however, as Lem
strom thinks, that the modification is
not the direct result of the electrical
ton of the plant itself. nor the atmOs-
phere, but that they follow some chemi-
cal change in the atmosphere which is
engendered by the current. This is enc
of the problems we will attack while
working in unison. IF it is solved we
shall probably know better how far to
go with this artificial plant stimulat-
ing process. In some cases it is found
that stimulation is advisable up to a
certain point. but from that point on
ward it become injurious. If we can
reduce the system to a practical basis,
our forthcoming experiments and those
of the past, Will not be or have been
in VAIN THEODORE WATERS.