The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-13

all space and conveying luminous and
other vibrations And some say (and
who knows that it may not be true?)
that electricity is the vital principle OF
life
We all know how rapidly, of late
years, it has, through electri6cation,
become a form of energy. Witness
telegraphy, metallurgy, chemical, medi-
cal and physiological uses, illumina-
ton, trolly systems, machinery Of all
kinds for both manufacturing and
scientific purposes. From Faraday
quarter of century ago, down to
Edison of today, students of this mys-
terious power have studied and delved
deep into it's mysteries The electric
bath, battery, bell, boat, and drill, are
some Of the results. Others there are
almost too numerous to MENTION Yet
man is but on the threshold of dis
covery, and who dare predict what the
future will bring forth?
And now, word comes from London,
of interesting experiments being made
in plant culture by electricity. And
why not? We all know the effect of
light upon vegetation and the necessity
Of an assured supply to bring vine,
bushes and trees to fruit fruition A
theory has been propounded that
light is an electromagnetic phenome-
non, and many think that the Roentgen
rays go far to establish its correctness
Certain phosphorescent light has the
power to penetrate opaque (human)
bodies which seems, says a writer on
the subje to furnish connecting link
between ordinary light and the Roent-
gen rays and the Marconi discovery
that electric vibrations can be project
ed through space (note the writer's
messages recently sent across the
ocean, and be made to conform to
all the manifestations characteristic of
I light-seems to leave little doubt that
light and electricity have a common
origin
But I am straying from the main
purpose of this article.
The Scientific American of October
70, has an account Of the experiments
made and being made at the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Regents Park, Lon
don, under the name of ''Thwaites
Electric Culture" and, if all proves
true what the inventor claims, there
will be an advance in agriculture as
marked as there has been in ocean
voyages.
1t has been long known that the arc
light stimulated the growth of plants
coming, says the writer of the article
referred to, to the present experiment
we have an ordinary g1asshouse in
which have been placed some two hun
dred plants, consisting of geraniums
fuschias, various kinds of palms, grass
es, tomato plants, etc. The plants are
being forced by light from an arc lamp
and the house heated in a new and in
gen1Ous manner. This apparatus
which is causing much discussion
among electricians, consists of a mod
ern producer-gas suction engine coup1-
ed to dynamo. The electric energy
developed by this plant is allocated tc
the feeding of the arc lights in the
kglasshouse. An electrostatic machine
IS driven from the gas-engine crank
shaft, and the electricity is discharged
by points along the plants to electrify
not only the air, but the plants anc
their roots as we'll
The arc lights are equipped with
special reflector hoods, by which the
beam OF light is confined within mar
row limits Of concentration. The oper
end Of the hood is closed by a water
screen, made up by a glass trough
filled with water This water screen
through which the light rays have tc
penetrate, is intended to secure as near
an imitation of natural solar effect as
possible, and to limit the effect Of the