The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-11

UlEO w f1A DH WI
 OF ELECTRICITY
 Experiments on a large scale with the use of, electricity to stimulate the growing of crops are among the Eng fish governments latest efsorts to ln- crease the country's home food pro- duction. The department of agricul- tufe has taken over large area near Hereford, where installations have all ready been set up for the use or iotised agricultural experts under Prof. W. H. Blnoknan of the 1m- peria1 College of Science and Tech noiogy who win supervise the e1peri- msntE
 In the Hereford experiment high tension alternating current is to be used. Spring wheat. barley, oats and clover win bA dealt with, and fetil- iners of various, types will also be used ir these experiments.
 The method adopted is to stretch over the nld to be treated number of thin wires on poles, something like low telegraph wires, but high enough for loaded wagons to pass under meath, The wires are supported by high tension insulators on posts in long parallel spans 30 feet apart.
 ''Tlie charge nzzes off from the wires" says one account. with . sound which b sometimes audible, and with glow which is visible in the dark. Anyone walking about be- low the wires can sometimes feel the effect on the hair of the head, as a cobweb on the face, The electricity does not act as a fertilizer but as 8 Substitute for sunlight. The current is only used in the early morning and in cloudy weather.'ss The initial cost of the appaAratus for "A acres is about $1.500,- and the animal cost, including depreciation and labor, is about 30O,, which Is not so very high.
 The present method of overhead discharge from wires stretched over the crops was introduced into Eng land 90 years ago, by Professor Lem- strom2 of Helsingfbrs, whose book. sElectricity in Agriculture and Hor- ticultNre," any one interested in the subject should consult The method was modified by J. B. Newman, in contunction with Sir Oliver Lodge These and others formed themselves into the Agricultural Electric Dis charge Co, which disposed of a large number of installations both in Eng z land and abroad
 Very contradictory results were ob- tained by the various users of the Lodge-Newman. apparatus, and the subject lost much prestige. The re- suit of the company's own experi- mentsf with wheat in over a series o1 years, were reported as an, increase varying from O per cent to S9 per cent The next phase In the develop ment of electroculture opened ir 1911. The British Board of, Agricul. ture gave a grant to Professor Priest ley of Leeds for a scientific investiga- ton of these new methods and theil value, Professor Priestley collab. orated with MT. T., Jorgensen. ar electrical expert and plant physio1o. gist, and with Miss E. c. Dudgeon oi Dumfries. In the result it appeared that many technical difficulties exist. ed. At first no favorable results were obtained, but in the last two years with improved methods, increases O. 50 per cent. over the ordinary croI have been recorded with oats on Mis-. Dudgeon's land.
 A very complete installation has re gently been connected up in the ex tensive vegetable gardens owned b, Sir Thomas E. Roberts, near Carnar von in Wales.
 The engineers of the Carnarvo1 plant are convinced of several i'm portant features which have not beer previously noted. They are emphat ically of opinion that the ionizatio1 of atmosphere is but of secondar importance, though attention is be ing particularly paid to. the inf1uenc, of prevailing winds to widen tn area of Influence. They maintain tn main effect of the discharge is notice able on the soil, and that soils heavil manured are more effectively bene 6ted by reason of the latent humidity The active result upon the soil is ap parently due to the release and nttri hcati0n essential to the we!l-being o plant life. The dark green foliag
 
 and the building-up of new tissue i evident proof of the greater vigor an, increased growth of the plant. Fur thermore, confirmation is provided o the fact that sunlight is detrimenta 1or the discharge to be in operation Nk the same time (more successful Working is obtained at sunrise an, ounsetl. a time-switch can be auto matical1y arranged to witch the cur rent on and off at these times.
 This fact also emphasizes the ap proximate degree of humidity neces sary for the success Of the discharge as the amount of dew or latent hu nlidity prevalent at these periods ar more or less helpful. Whereas, i heavy rain the discharge is incline to run to waste, owing to insulatio troubles It must be borne in min that the intensified and rectified volt age of 75.0Oo volts to 100000 volt