Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-11-06

electric current, carrots 81 per cent ana
potatoes so per cent. The peas, on the
other hand. showed a decrease OF Z per
cent Here is-a contradictory fact which
must be tested by future experiments.
one of the secrets OF electric farming is
to have the plants well watered. The in
creased humidity seems to assist the &C
ton Of the electricity 1t has been found
again that the strong sunlight in the
middle Of the day in some cases reverses
the effect of the current, and the plants
treated at this time are retarded.
Methods of Operation.
The electric farm Of Sir oliver Lodge.
just outside Of London. where very salts
factory results have been obtained, has
been increased from ten to twenty-five
acres. The wires in this case are strung
at a height of seventeen feet above the
ground. which is rather more than in most
OF these stations. This height allows the
convenient passage of the largest farm
wagons and machinery and does not seem
to interfere with the action Of the cleo
trio current.
In a recent test crop on the English
experimental farm, the current was applied
regularly on ninety days. In all it was al
| lowed to act for S22 hours The best re.
! suits were obtained by turning it on in
] tlib ouAlilAlSI OuAS III the carly LnOInlHb
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 stimulating effects OF
electricity were more deeply colored than in
the case OF ordinary plants. The stalks
we're found to be from 10 to 20 per cen
higher.
When the Towering began the current
was turned off. The grains began to seeC
about the same time. The electrically
| treated crops were ready for harvest
ing four days before the regular crop
The gain in time was not important
but the increase in the yield we'll repaIC
the electric farmer for his trouble.
The electric crop Of wheat was SO Pc
cent greater than that Of the whea
grown nearby under normal conditions.
strawberry bed which had been systematic
ally treated by electric current 70
lis days, or for 1,Ol4 hours, showed an In.
crease OF IS per cent over the regular
crops nearby. Excellent results we're ais,
obtained with tomatoes and raspberrles
Underground Experiments.
In Italy an entirely different system o
plying the electric current has been EN-
ployed, with very interesting results. In
stead Of stringing the electric wires allow
the ground, plates of zinc, copper and irol
are sunk at regular intervals in the gfount
and connected with wires leading TO tn
dynamo. The tests have been made witt
a variety Of plants, but the best results
have been obtained with very young plants
before termination.
The heat generated by the network o
wires and the resistance offered by tn
ground directly affects the roots. By ap
plying the electricity for 1900 horse-pow
hours an increase of from 80 to 40 per cen
In the size Of the crop has been obtained
The cost of installing such system o
electro-culture is high, but the cost o
maintenance is very low. 1t is more costly
therefore, to set up than the overhea
system. but cheaper to operate.
Still another system o. electro-cultur
consists in suspending powerful electro
lamps above the beds and allowing tn
rays from the lamps TO play upon tn
crop. This test has been carried out il
glass houses with gratifying results. Som
200 plants, comprising various kinds o
palms, grasses, tomatoes, etc, were thu
foEced with the light.