The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-10-07

Is far more effective than a variabI.
one, even though the time the two
act is exactly the same. Under more
careful application 1t was found thai
the termination of wheat and rye
used in the tests was very much more
prompt.
At the end of the second test Il
was found that the barley had grown
% per cent faster because of the
stimulus of the electric current, car.
rots 81 per cent and potatoes SO
per cent. The peas, on the other
hand, showed decrease of per
cent. Here is a contradictory fact
which must be tested by future ex-
periments. One of the secrets of
electric farming is to have the plants
well watered. The increased humid
ity seems to assist the action of the
electricity. 1t has been found again
that the strong sunlight in the mid
die OF the day in some cases reverses
the effect of the current, and the
plants treated at this time are re-
tarded.
The electric farm of Sir Oliver
Lodge, just outside of London, where
very satisfactory results have been
obtained, has been increased from
10 to rs acres. The wires in this
case are strung at a height of IL
feet above the ground, which is rath-
er more than in most of these sta
lions. This height allows the con-
venient passage of the largest farm
wagons and machinery and does not
seem to interfere with the. action OIL
the electric current.
In a recent test crop on the Eng.
lish experimental. farm the the cur
rent was applied regularly on 80
days. In all it was allowed to act
s22 hours. The best results were
obtained by turning it on in the sum-
mer only in the early morning hours.
In the spring and ON very dull DAYS
the current was kept on all day long.
The best results were noticed in
the case of very young plants. The
seedlings reared under the stimulat-
ing effects of electricity were more
1eeply colored than in the case of
ordinary plants. The stalks were
'ound to be from 10 to 20 per cent {
higher. {
When the Towering began the cur
ent was turned off. The grains be- {
IAN to seed about the same time. t
The electrically treated crops were
eady for harvesting four days before '
ne regular crop. The gain in time S
'as not important, but the increase S
the yield well repaid the electric C
armer for his trouble. o
The electric crop of wheat was 0
per cent greater than that of the Il
heat grown nearby under normal p
'nditions. A strawberry bed which "
ad been Systematically treated by tt
electric current for lis days, or it
# 1914 hours, showed an increase q
80 per cent over the regular crops e!
earby. Excellent results were also II
'tained with tomatoes and raspber- lii
3s. ell
In Italy an entirely different sys- to
m OF applying the electric current
S been employed. with very inter-
ting results. Instead of stringing
electric wires above the ground. pa
ties of zinc, copper and iron are IL
nix at regular intervals in, the oil
ound and connected with wires WI
ding to the dynamo. The tests
We been obtained with very young III
nts before termination. de
The heat generated by the net up
TX of wires and the resistance Of sq
ed by the ground directly affects Jee
roots. BY applying the electricity nle
1000 horse power hours an in WI
ase of from 80 to 40 per cent in up
size of the crop has been obtain Wi
The cost Of installing such .e'
tenn OF electro, culture is high, but NY
cost of maintenance is very low 1t .el
more costly, therefore, to set up ~,
the overhead system, but cheap ''o'
10 operate am
I'LL another system of electrocul- "no
consists in suspending powerful