The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-08
ELECTRICITY IS AID.
Sir Oliver Lodges System Sup
plies Artificial Sunshine.
Weighed 40 Business Proposition
Method Has Justified Itself and 10
Now Being Taken Up on Com
msrcial Lines az Practical.

London.-ln spite Of the obstinate
sonssrvatism Of the average farmer
much has been done to carry out Sir
Oliver Lodges plan of utilizing elec-
ricity for reinforcing the fertility of
plants.
Weighed a. business proposition.
sir Oliver Lodges system has justified
itself. and what was tentative and ex-
psrimsntal is now being taken up on
commercial lines as practical auxil-
larry Of husbandry. 4,
Lionel Lodge, who has control of
mis- department Of Sir divers work,
has explained the development of the
past year or two and the hope they
Afford Of further progress.
''Have you ever noticed what a re-
markable impulse is given to the
growth Of crops by thunderstorm?
asked Mr.. Lodge. "That is the effect
ef the strongly charged atmosphere,
and our object Is to supply similar
stimulus systematically.
The growth and development Of
plants in the Arctic regions compares
iavorably with that in southern coun.
tries, and yet their summer Is very
short, and the SUMS rays have to
travel In such an oblique direction
that much Of their heating power is
lost. Why Is it, therefore. that the
plants flourish? The explanation lies
In the strong electrical currents which
are passing from the air to the earth,
the effect of which can be seen in the
Aurora Borealis.
The electric current can be gen.
Grated either by a small dynamo or
from the nearest supply company's
mains. and by means of transformer
It 10 raised to the high pressure re-
quired (about 100000 volts). The cur.
rent from the transformer is more or
less alternating; that is, it is not a
steady current in one direction, but
oscillating first in one direction and
then in the opposite. For convenience
We call the current in one direction
positive, In the other negative. It is
the positive current that we discharge
from the network of wires above the
plants. Under special conditions-as
where there is an excess of natural
slsctricity-it might be advisable to
use the negative, but alternating cur.
rent would be of no use.
ITO sort out the positive and mega.
i've currents from the transformer,
valves specially invented for the pur.
pose by Sir Oliver are used. Working
exactly like the valves In an ordinary
pump, they allow the current to flow
In one direction only, and prevent its
getting back; they thus store the cleo.
tricity in the field network from which
It 'nzzes' of to the plants below.
"This field network consists of fine
iron wire, the wires being spread about
ten yards apart and 1S feet or SO
above the ground. The wires are 50
dns that 1t IL difficult to see them
even whom standing Immediately be.
low them.
''Ths action that the electrical dis.
charge has on the plants, Sir Oliver
suggests, may be considered as arti.
dcial sunshine, and as in no way ia,
king the place of fertilizer. The rich.
e the soil the larger the increase
that may be expected. With more
plants. on average soil, the electrified
area may be expected to yield 80 pei
cent more than the non-electrifled. II
. higher increase than this Is obtained
we consider the results good and II
lower poor. On rich soil very much
larger percentages have been OBJ
tained. The power required is quite
small, and many of the installations al
present working are in unskilled
hands"