Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-06

| that not only a larger crop and a SUI
per1or quality of product is secured,
out a gain of week or more in the
tlme required to mature the crop is
made possible. This last result is Of
especial Importance to the market
price for the articles first placed upon
the market.
Various forms of electric lights are
used for electro-culture. At the West
virginia experiment station it has
lately been demonstrated that the ordi-
nary incandescent lights used for light
ing house have a marked beneficial
effect upon dollhouse plants. Lettuce
so treated natures earlier, and the
heads are heavier and more erect
Flowering plants blossom sooner and
the flowers last longer. Strawberries
rIpen considerably earlier and the
fruit is sweeter in flavor and deeper
in color. The strawberry plants were
light each night from the time they
were in blossom until the fruit ripened.
The arc light in the greenhouse must
be used with great care, or its effect
may be injurious
Arc Lights rather than beneficial.
Re;rr 1re.a The mercury vapor
6 oSeu' light has been found
to be more generally satisfactory The
various colors of light rays may cause
different effects. Red rays have been
found to stimulate development and
blue rays to retard it. The retarding
effect Is often most useful to the florist.
A valuable plant about to blossom at
an Improbable time may have it's
flowers retarded some time by means
of the blue rays.
The value of electroculture in in
creasins the bread and vegetable sup
ply OF mankind has been more freely
realized in Europe than. in the United
States. probably because of the greater
need for foodstuffs there But it was
an American. Prof. Silas Wentworth of
Los Gatos. Cal, who demonstrated the
value of electricity in animal hus-
bandry. He divided a flock of 1000
sheep equally. One-half of the flock
was placed in a pasture under a net
work of electrically charged wires
such as are being used in the United
States experiment stations. The other
half was kept absolutely away from
His report at the end of a year
showed that the wool of the sheep
upon the electrically treated pasture
was finer and nearly twice as heavy
as that of the sheep in the other flock.
The average production of lambs upon
the electrified pasture was a fraction
over two for each eve in the flock,
while in the other pasture it fell be-
low one. and the weight Of wool upon
the ewes in the latter flock was also
less. Whether the increase in wool
and lamb production is due to the
fertilizing effect which made the food
of the field better or to the electrical
influence acting directly upon the ami
mails so as to increase their vitality
has not yet been decided. although
probably both elements entered into
the result. 1t was also noted that the
meat of the animals pastured upon
electrically treated ground was supe-
rior both in flavor and quality.
Exposing seeds to electric currents
for twenty-four hours has also been
found effective in
EXPOSING Seeds securing crops of
L. r1. exceptional size and
" food value. This
process is not by any means in gen
eral use, but elaborate experiments
with it have been carried on by Mr..
George Butterfield of New South Wales
His report indicates that it might be-
come of practical value, and electrify-
ing seeds would be a much simpler
process than that of electrifying the
soil in which they are planted.
Electricity is proving useful to the
dry farmer because of it's ability to
attract all the moisture in the soil
This is demonstrated in laboratory
experiment by small capillary glass
tube bent into horse shoe form. If 1t
is partially filled with water and kept
in a level position the water will
stand at the same level in both sides
If an electrically charged wire is
placed above one arm of the tube. the
water will Immediately creep up one
side of the glass under the charged
wire This indicates that Il current
of electricity going through the soil
Will materially assist the root fibers in
drawing moisture from lower level,
as has been proved on number of
experiment farms in Arizona and other
southwestern states.