The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-10-06
ASSIST CROP YIELD.
Sir Oliver Lodges Plan Of UtiIiz-
ing Electricity.
Says Small Dynamo Attached ~ Farm
VIII Work Wonders in lncreas-
Inc output--Practlcal Auxil-
larry Of Husbandry.

London.-In spite Of the obstinate
conversation of the average farmer
much has been done to carry out Sir
oliver Lodges plan Of utilizing cleo
tricity for reinforcing the fertility oil
plants.
Weighed as a business proposition,
1 Sir Oliver Lodges system has justified
itself. and what was tentative and ex-
( perimental Is now being taken up on
commercial lines as a practical auxil-
larry Of husbandry
Lionel Lodge, who has control Of
this department of Sir divers work.
has explained the Developments Of the
last year or two and the hope they af-
ford Of further progress.
Have you ever noticed what rel
markabe impulse IS given to the
growth Of crops by thunderstorm ri
asked Mr.. Lodge That is the effect
Of the strongly charged atmosphere,
and our object is to supply a similarl
Stimulus systematically.
THE growth and development of
plants in the arctic regions compares
iavorably with that in southern coun-I
tries. and yet their summer is very
short, and the suns rays have to travel
in such an oblique direction that much
Of their heating power IS lost. Why
is 1t. therefore. that the plants -four
ish? 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 Bore
ais.
The electric current can be gener-
ated either by a small dynamo or from
the nearest supply company's nains.
and by means OF transformer 1t IS
raised to the high pressure required
(about 100000 y1lts). The current
t.-.l,r the transformer is more or less
alternating; that is, II is not steady
current III one direction, but oscilla-
ting first in one direction and then in
the opposite For convenience we call
the current in one direction positive
and in tha other negative. 1t 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
electricity-it might be advisable 70
use the negative, but alternating cur
rent would be of no use.
ITO sort out the positive and mega
tive currents from the transformer
valves specially invented for the pur.
pose BY Sir Oliver are used. Work.
ing exactly ike the valves in an ordi-
nary pump, they allow the current to
flow in one direction only. and pre-
vent its getting back; they thus store
the electricity in the field network
from which it 'iizzes off to the plants
below.
"This field network consists Of fire
iron wire, the Wires being spread
about ten yards apart and eighteen
feet or so above the ground. The
wires are SO fine that it is difficult TO
see them even when standing immedi-
ately below them.
"The action that the electrical dis
charge has on the PLANTS, Sir Oliver
suggests, may be considered as arti.
fetal sunshine. ana as in no way ta-
king the place Of fertilizer. The richer
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 per cent
more than the non-electrified. If
higher increase than this is obtained
we consider the results good and Il
lower poor. on rich soil very much
larger percentages have been obtained.
The power required Is quite small,
and many Of the installations at pres
ent working are in unskilled hands