The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-18
TIC ELECTRICAL FARM.

T HE ESTEEMED Philadelphia Ledg-
er believes that the age Of cleo
tricity has not quite arrived for the
husbandman. It says that the automo-
bile pillow, the gigantic harvesters which
cut, bind, thresh and measure the wheat
in one continuous operation, the various
self-proDelling traction machines which
do the work of many horses. the hay
leaders. the mechanical mixers and
/ the endless variety of ingenious and
costly devicee which now beekon TO the
farmer and assault his pOcketbook mar
have led him to think that perhaps the
limit has been reached; for he has no
hope that the greatest genius VIII be
able to produce an electrical farm
hand, which is his greatest need Not
so; the farmer OF the future. if enthu-
siasts say true. may be independent
ersn of the sun; he may stand at his
switchboard in the farm offices and
throw out the electricity to the pota-
toes. send along a generous voltage to
the beans, electrify the cabbages and
wake them I'D TO their duty. and send
a vivifying thrill through the hOmely
but hygienic beet
A Belgian scientist, Professor Qua
rini says that electricity is the life of
plants. This electricity is supplied in
the atmosphere. but sometimes the
supply is not generous enough. It Is a
mistake to think he says, that light
alone VIII nourish plants. Scientists
l,.--o chou, .z-~-, ro-+-~ $3.50 sf,o* q -
tihciaI light is a great stimulus to plant
life. and that If electric light be ap-
piled at night in the right strength and
for the right length of time the results
in larger and more vigorous crops and
plants viii be very startling. Professor
Guarini shows in a simple experiment
that it IS not the light alone which
does the work: it is the electric radia-
ton combined with the light, whether
the electric radiation come from the
sun and its rays or from the arc lamp.
He surrounds a plant for instance.
with a metal cage through which the
sunlight streams freely. but the cage
acts as a conductor for the atmospheric
electricity. and behold. the plant with
eTs and becomes anaemic.
"On the other hand" continues the
Ledger. "a plant may be put in the
dark land then given intelligent cleo
trical treatment. The professor recon-
mends the use of the high tension con-
tinuous current which. our farmers
perhaps would like to know. may be
obtained the most economically and
efficiently from three dynamos each
capable Of giving a current Of $4,000
volts, the three to be coupled together.
so that the maximum current Of $4,000
volts may be sent out to the vegetables.
BY this method the carbonic acid in
the chlorophyl is decomposed. produc-
ing carbon and oxygen; the chemicals
in the soil are also decomposed, and
the nourishing elements rush to the
aid of the plant. By this method many
fine crops could be raised in a season,
and the expenditure on a large opera
tion would in time be justified In
greenhouse where the conditions are
just right for the control and expendi-
ture Of the electrical energy without
wastage. in the open air. there is. &C
cording to the professor. no doubt of
success.
We cite these scientific experiments
in order to keep abreast of scientific
endeavor, but we do it 'timorOusly. be
cause when the farmers hear Of Pro-
fessor Guarini and his volts they will
have something harsh to say about this
scientific farming"