MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 99 
wire attached to the electrifier; finally the soil was moved 
back over the wires, the plot being ready for planting. 
On May 18, 1916, the apparatus was set up, using a 
15-foot pole and a plot 30x xO feet which was divided into 
four parts. Tomatoes, string beans, sweet corn, and Salvia 
lendens were planted in the individual sections. Another 
lot 30 x 30 feet was selected and similar plants were used 
in the individual sections, serving as a check. The soil was 
worked in a similar manner but no wires were used. 
At the end of the season of 1916 tomatoes ripened two 
weeks, and corn ten days, earlier upon the electrified plot. 
Tomatoes averaged 10 to the plant on the electrified and 5 
to the plant on the non-electrified plot. Corn and beans 
showed no difference in yield, while salvia began flowering 
earlier and attained double the size upon the electrified plot. 
The experiment was repeated during the season of 1917, 
showing ripening of tomatoes and corn to correspond exactly 
to that of the previous season. Beans and salvia also ma- 
tured and flowered one week earlier upon the electrified plot. 
In yield the tomatoes averaged 11 per plant upon the 
electrified and 8 per plant upon the non-electrified plot, 
while beans yielded 14 pounds upon electrified and 914 
pounds upon non-electrified. Salvia showed a composite 
growth of a single plant of 20.6 feet against 14.1 feet upon 
the non-electrified plot. 
In 1918 a repetition of the same experiment, shifting the 
apparatus to the plot previously used as check, showed sim- 
ilar results, The earliness of maturity, as well as the yields, 
remained constant for all crops. Salvia did not show quite 
the decided difference as in previous experiments, the elec- 
trified plants averaging 17.3 feet, while the others averaged 
12.5 feet. 
The results of the experiments conducted indicate that 
there would appear to be some merit in the apparatus and 
the methods employed. All crops which he opie were 
influenced by an electric current conveyed by the apparatus 
showed considerable increase in vegetative, as well as re- 
productive, growth, and the date of maturity was hastened. 
The phenomena underlyin electrical stimulation are still 
imperfectly understood and the precise Bu, eng of any 
favorable results obtained is not known. here are many 
- theories, however, in regard to its action. Nollet, Jallabert, 
and Lemstrém held that the accelerated growth was induced 
by increase in the movements of the sap. Tschinkel main- 
tained that electricity rendered soluble the salts and. other 
constituents, while Jadro believed in the mechanical action, 
