The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-16
FARM AND
GARDEN ~
INTERESTS
Potatoes and Electricity.

New York Sun.
]. c. Breckenridge, chief engineer for the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, has
vegetable garden at his home in Richmond
Hill, l.. l.. which he believes has grown
faster this spring than any other garden
of a similar character. He attributes this
rapidity of growth to five electrict lights
which he has rugged up above the garden.
These lights are kept burning all night long
and, in consequence, Mr.. Breckenridge says,
not only did his vegetables appear more
than two weeks earlier than those of any
one else in the neighborhood, but they
are by far more healthy and luxuriant. Mr.
Breckenridge is very much interested in
his present experiment, and says that he
may turn out something of value before
he is through. He said yesterday: The
whole thing is, of course, an experiment.
L have done some vegetable gardening
along the regular lines for some years past
and have been very successful. ThlS year
L thought l would try a new departure.
Light is the stimulus to plant life. 1t would
seem, then, that 1t would follow that the
more stimulus you give the more rapid
will be the growth and more healthy the
plant This spring l rugged up five large
arc lights over my garden, which is about
125 feet square.
There are a number of persons in Rich
mOnd Hill who are amateur gardeners,
and planted my seed at the same time as
did they. My five arc lights were kept
burning from the time the sun went down
to the time it rose. In consequence my
vegetables sprouted more than two weeks
sooner than did those in the other gardens.
Ever since then they have been proper
uonately larger. They are particularly
healthy, full and luXuriant.
81 am not enough of a botanist to know
exactly what effect the rays of an electric
light will have upon plants. But L know
from personal experience that vegetables
will grow much faster under such condi-
tons as exist in my garden than under ordl-
nary conditions.
My potato plants this spring have been
particularly fine. The potatoes which
planted came from the Vermont farm of
tician- The difference between my plants
and those of the other gardeners of Rich
mond Hill, amateur and other, can be dis
cerned fully fifty feet away.
Il go the principle that if a little Is
good more is better. Give your plant light
twenty-four hours in the day and ii will
be larger and more luxuriant than any one
else's."
Samuel Parsons chief botanist of the
park department, was asked to give some
expert testimony on the effect of artificial
light rays upon plant life He said:
Experimenting with light in this fashion
is by no means a new thing. Shortly after
the civil war General Pleasanton tried the
effect of the blue light upon plants. He re-
ported that his results had been phenome-
nal. He said that by passing the light
through a blue glass only the most bene-
He was followed by countless other eX-
perimenters They all declared that they
had done great things. But nothing prac-
teal ever came out of all their expert
menting.
Il confess that 1 have never heard before
of electric arc lights being used. Perhaps
there is something particularly beneficial
about them.
when you look at the matter from a
scientific point of view there are certain
things which must be considered. A plant
must have rest. If you keep it stimulated
for twenty-foUr hours Of the day IL will
have no rest. | believe that II plant Is
treated in the fashion Mr.. Breckenridge
treats his vegetables il will grow very fast
for a time and flourish for time. Then IL
will collapse. It's vital force Will be eX-
pended. The remarkable fact to me ts
that Mr.. breckenridge plants have sur
vived thus far The season is fairly well
advanced.
Artificial stimulation is. on the face of it.
unnatural. Ultimately the best results will
be obtained by the natural process. Here
is an example: If. when the game is nalf
over. you stimulate a football player with
whisky he may be able TO play snappily
for ten minutes more. At the end of that
time he will collapse completely. The man
who has not been stimulated Will be able TO
play through the entire game, with perhaps
p little less VigOr There has been good
deal OF experimenting in this line, and
nothing has ever come out OF II. l am
therefore Inclined 10 think that BreCken-
ridges experimenting will also come 10
naught
Mr. breckenridge says that to any one
passing MS house in the dead OF night the
garden with the five electric lights full
blast looks trifie odd. 1t has one advan-
taRe however He is never disturbed o.
burglars. The other houses in Richmond
Hill. with scarcely an exception, have been
visited by burglars at least once or twice
during the past three months. His never
has. The garden with its five arc lights
n he ir