The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-31
FARMING BY ELECTRICITY
What Niagara Power Can Dc
For Western New York.
APPLIED IN GERMANY.

ture suggest Great fossipllltles-
All Sorts OF Machinery Now
Avaiiable--Utilized In the Prep
aratlon OF Fertilizers and Puri.
fieation Of Water.
The scientific farmer OF the future
will direct his farming operations from
central station, where he will con-
troll electricity for the germanization
of his crops, the tillage and fertiliz-
ing of the soil and its irrigation or
drainage.
Germany furnishes examples Of the
uses to which electricity may be put
in farming. Some Of the large Ger
man sugar beet farms now have their
own electric plants, supplying light
and power for a great variety Of OPP
erations. The farmers Of Western
New York will have an immense ad-
vantage over German farmers in that
current will be delivered on their
farms at no cost to them but for cur
rent used.
In contrast to this convenience the
German farmers using electricity have
had to establish costly steam gener-
ating system or harness some stream.
The Quednau farm Of 447 acres near
Konigsberg is a large producer OF
milk and butter. The daily product
of milk is 1900 gallons.
A 50-horse power engine generating
500 volts furnishes curren for three
motors used about the farm for scores
of purposes that manual labor for
merly accomplished One 21a horse
power motor runs a carrot cutter. Two
small motors are portable and are
drawn to various parts of the farm
and connected with power cables.
Crushing fiaxseed, driving pumps,
saws, grain machinery, lathes, drills,
seed cleaners, cream separators, but
ter workers and churns are few or
the uses to which the portable motors
arc put.
The Smmern farm on the Simmern
| River. Germany, secures electric pow
| or from a falls in that stream and
turbine driven dynamos. This method
/ is, OF course, much cheaper than that
| employed on the Quednau farm.
Prof Guerini. a Belgian scientist,
has given a number of lectures unuer
Government auspices at the Agricul-
tural Institute at Gembloux and his
views are startling to Americans:
electricity passing through plant
| from air to earth or vice versa de-
oomposes carbonic acid gas in the
chlorophyl,, which is essential to plant
/ growth. Soil chemicals are likewise
decomposed by passing currents and
nourishing elements are readily as
simulated. Circulation of the sap is
increased by electro capillary erect
by which water and other nourishing
materials are drawn up into the plant,
tree or vine"
If these things are to be realized
in this country, western New York
with it's cheap electric power has a
wonderful future as a farming eoun-
try.
In some OF the experiments conf
Quoted abroad galvanized iron rods
were set about growing field Of grain,
vegetables or berries as distributors
OF current.
The galvanized iron conductors were
connected by wires with the source
of current and the supply regulated
by conditions of the atmosphere, the
soil and amount of water in the
ground. Field experiments In cleo
trifying grain have shown as high as
SO per cent. increase in growth ovei
grain not so treated.
other experiments frequently show
ed As to 55 per cent, increase for grair
and 95 per cent for raspberries. Peas
freely watered increased rs per cent
with electric aid, while peas not water
ed did better without electric current
This is explained by saying that thu
accelerated digestive powers Of The
plants require more food and drink.
The "aging" of wine is now accom-
plished by the use of electricity Elec
trolysis, decomposition by electrica
force, is the method applied. In thu
same way water is now purified IL
Amiens, Boulogne, Lebourne ant
> Philadelphia by electricity.
One way that the tremendous pow
er of Niagara can be utilized for thu
enrichment of the land is in the pro
auction of nitric acid for fertilizinl
purposes. Nitric acid salts produc,
almost marvellous results in the plan
world.
The secret OF the wonderful growing
quality of nitric acid fertilizers lies il
I' the availability of their elements 10
: immediate plant use. II is usually de
lIvered to the farm in the form OF nj
trate Of potassa and soda or nitrat
Of lime. Prof. Guarini states that nj
trio acid can be produced with Niagar
/ power at 95 cents for 220.46 pounds.