98 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
he further arrived at the conclusion that electricity acts in 
an indirect way, and that a zone is produced by electrical 
discharges which have an influence on plants. More recent 
work by Monahan, Kinney, and Stone showed considerable 
acceleration in seed germination and growth through the 
aid of weak currents. 
In 1917 Prof. Hendrick reported upon four years’ tests 
carried on in England with overhead installation and ar- 
rived at the general conclusion that no consistent improve- 
ment in crops grown was noticeable. In February, 1918, 
however, an electrical engineer, R. C. McCreery, of Chicago, 
issued a report upon effects of electrification of corn and 
beets. The results showed an increase in germination of 
seed of 31-39 per cent, an increase in pride of growth 
of 30-50 per cent, increased production of forage and grain 
of 30-40 per cent. The device employed distributes the cur- 
rent through special electrodes embedded in the soil at a 
depth of 6 inches in parallel lines along two opposite sides 
of the field. From these a high-frequency alternating cur- 
rent is driven through the surface of the soil where it is 
held by lines of less resistance created by metallically coat- 
ing the seeds with a non-deteriorating metal before planting. 
Since the general belief has been that rational electrifica- 
tion of plants favors their development, increases growth, 
and hastens maturity, it seemed desirable to attempt to 
prove or disprove the efficacy of this method of plant 
growth stimulation. With this end in view the Garden 
secured an apparatus from France called “Electrifier,” pat- 
ented by Henry de Graffigny. The apparatus consists of 
a so-called “electrifier” constructed of bronze with 5 prongs 
of pure nickel, non-rustible and infusible, a copper wire at- 
tached to the bottom of the bronze part, a pole 15-35 feet 
long, a switch, a galvanized iron pane with an eye for 
fastening to the pole, a tarred rope for sliding the electrifier 
down to the base, and two porcelains for attaching the rope 
to the pole. 
The apparatus was set up in the following manner: The 
soil was removed to a depth of 114 feet, the radius of the 
plot being equal to the length of the pole; the pulley was 
affixed to the top of the pole, while the switch and the por- 
celains were placed near the base; the tarred rope was 
passed through the pulley in order to permit of lowering 
the electrifier to examine the points occasionally; the pole 
was then placed in the ground deep enough to be absolutely 
stable; ¥g-inch galvanized iron wire was stretched every 
3 feet at the base of the pole and connected with the copper 
