Evening star., 1924-08-09
CHEMICALS DEVELOP LIFE CELLS,
DIPLOMATS EXPERIMENTS SHOW
DR.. MetFodi Popof, Bulgarian ENJOY in Berlin,
Stimulates animal and Vegetable Organisms
by Contacts Wih Oxygen.

stimulated for three hours grew into
plants abnormally big and strong
that rapidly overlook unstimulated
plants sown earlier
They were also very hardy and less
liable to be attacked by crytogamic
diseases. The average increase in the
yield was from 80 to 40 per cent. In
the hilly districts of Bulgaria it will
now be possible to SOW tobacco ear
lier and to harvest early. thus avoid
ing the harm done by late summer
droughts and autumn storms.
Cotton Yield Increased.
DIR. Popoff's experiments with cot
ton have been continued by Draga-
noff at Charmanli, in South Bulgaria,
tations. Two decares "a decare is
about one-quarter acre. were plant
ed on March 5, 1923, the one with
stimulated seeds and the other with
control seeds. The former sprout-
ed on April 10 and blossomed on June
81, having reached an average height
of Is meters: the latter sprouted on
April IL and blossomed on July 2
with an average height of only 80
centimters.
The stimulated plants were also of
deeper green, showing a greater
richness in chlorophyil. The buds
averaged 125 grammes in weight, as
against so grammes in the con
normal blossoms that ripened the
more quickly. and there was little
difference between the sizes of the
individual seeds in each. But the
larger and heavier. The net result
was that the plot of stimulated plants
yielded 1913 kg. of raw cotton On-
Guiding the seeds) while the con
troll plot yielded only So kg. Thus
DR.. Popoff succeeded in increasing
he VII of
more than 100 per cent.
Peasant Practices Justified.
A few more results selected at ram
dom from the records of expert
ments carried out at Philopopolis and
summarized as follows. (The- vary
ing figures for the yield from st,m
ulated seed represents results obtain
ed by different solutions or by vary
ing periods of immersion. The yield
in every case is given kgs. per de-
care).
At Philopopolis-
Rice-Control seeds, 1862: stimu-
lated seeds, 215, 244. 265, 2s6. 306.
Turnips--Control seeds, 2.SSs; stim-
1900
At Stara Zagora-
oatsLcontrol seeds 1s7; 3; stimulat-
ed SEEDS I'll 1sS seeds iss i55 s,imu
lated seeds IT'S, 100, 204.
Here in Germany Gleisberg, apply
ing DR.. Popoff's methods. stimulated
potato seeds with the result that the
average yield an acre was 126 hum
dredweight 3S pounds. while the con-
troll yielded only 95 hundredweight
96 pounds The stimulated potatoes
were bigger and richer in starch,
and when examined last winter they
were found to have more eyes.
, Old Experiments.
DR.. Popoff tells me that for CEN
turtles Bulgarian peasants have steep
ed their seed corn in liquid manure
so as to increase the yield. They
imagined that they were manuring.
the seeds, but in reality they were,
without knowing It, anticipating the
work of Dr. Popoff himself, the liquid
manure containing some of the chem
icals which he uses. Chinese peas
ants have also treated rice seeds In
the same way for centuries. Charles
Darwin observed that peasants on the
south coast of England believed that
grain salvaged from the sea gave, a
higher yield when sown than ordi-
nary grain. In the light of Dr.:
Popoff's experiments this belief would
seem to be no more superstition.