Year: 1876

Some Novel Experiments In Forcing the

 Growth of Vegetables.

 A New Jersey agriculturist is SC cretly experimenting upon the growth of vegetables by means of steam pipes under ground, and has produced potato plants fifteen inches high in fortnight. The potatoes are, however, small in comparison to the plant, and he pro- poses renewed attempts, with view of establishing proper equilibrium. The use of steam pipes in forcing plants has been in practice many years. The novelty lies in the gentleman's peculiar application of the system. He intends, also, soon to try the effect of electricity.

 The first known trials in this country upon the growth of vegetation by electricity were made in March, 1841, by Mir. R. l.. Pell, wealthy land pro- prietor on the Hudson river, near Hyde Park, whose Newtown pippins have long been noted in the New York market. His orchards now comprehend 10000 trees, all of the above description. He was also the first in this country to raise fish from the egg. Prof. Morse gave him instructions regarding the application of electricity to his purposes, and he de- parted for Hyde Park. MT. Pell first gave attention to growth in sand, which he placed, to the depth of a foot, in a box three feet square. He planted in a row potato, some wheat, rye, oats, and barley kernels, and Madeira vine, and suspended over them, to the height of an inch, a copper wire an inch thick. This wire was soldered at one end to piece of copper plate about an inch square and an eighth of an inch thick, and at the other to a similarly sized piece of zinc. These formed the posi- tive and negative batteries, but neither quite touched the soil. The weather being cold, the box was placed in 8 covered hot-bed, and the batteries were constantly stimulated by an electric ma chine. The sand under the wire was in highly electrified state, and within 8 fortnight the plants pushing from the seed reached height of fifteen inches.

 Another process was by placing sand in pots, of one, two, or three quarts, with copper plate at the bottom. A hole was made in the former to allow the egress of the plant, and one in the latter to permit the escape of the water with which the sand was occasionally m oistened. A wire was carried outside of the pots from the copper to hole in the side, an inch from the bottom, where it communicated with zinc in side. The object of not allowing the wire to extend to the bottom of the pot was to prevent it's coming in contact with the water. No necessity existed for a wire within the pot. The sand completed the electric circuit, begun by the wire outside, and, without the use of a machine, the grain grew with rapidity equal to that in the box.

 Another experiment was without the use of electric batteries. A number of wheat kernels were placed on @ sheet of window glass, fourteen inches square, A thin layer of straw was placed on them, and on this transversely other layers, to the height of three inches. Over these and the glass cords were wound to keep them in place. The apparatus was set on the soil of @ covered hot-bed, and the straw was kept constantly moist. De- composition set in within day or two, and the seeds begun to germinate. In five days from the covering, young plants begun to show themselves above the straw, and in three weeks more, a height of fourteen inches was reached. The roots spread wide on the glass, and rose into the straw, and by turning the glass over, their complete windings and iuterlacings could be seen. The seeds found in the straw the chemical proper ties which they themselves contained and required for development.

 In the following June MT. Pen placed in the open air row of young tomato plants. At one end was sheet of cop per an eighth of an inch thick, fourteen inches wide, and four feet long. It was embedded two feet in the ground in an erect position, leaving two feet in the air. A zinc plate of the same size was similarly treated at the other end. A wire was laid from the top of one, forty feet, to the top of the other, being raised sufficiently by poles to enable horses. to blow under it. No wire was laid under the ground, as tho earth completed the circuit. An abundance of manure was applied, and the plants matured and bore small ripe tomatoes, an inch 1T diameter, in aweek. These were followed by three other weekly crops of the same sized fruit within month. It wal not necessary to limit the width of the tract to forty feet. The copper and zin' sheets could as we'll have been placed mile apart. The earth would equally

 we'll have formed a circuit. Yorl