STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 283 



positive and negative forms, in every object upon the earth; and negative 

 electricity is just as active and efficacious for all practical purposes as the 

 positive. 'The earth is practically an infinite reservoir of both electricities; 

 though by comparison the earth may be supposed to contain, on the whole, 

 negative, while the atmosphere is charged with positive. When the nor- 

 mal relations between the earth and the air are undisturbed, there exists 

 an easy, natural, and imperceptible interchange of electricities, which pre- 

 serves the general equilibrium. The north wind, being the most perfect 

 insulator and besl non-conductor, necessarily insulates the earth. In this 

 condition, the earth no longer receives electricity from the air. for this dry 

 wind can neither give nor receive. The result is, that the surface of the 

 earth, and everything upon it. is excessively charged with an imprisoned 

 electricity. It is believed that this hypothesis is founded upon well estab- 

 lished and clearly defined principles. But common sense requires some- 

 thing more, and demands other proof of the presence of electricity at these 

 times. 



Dr. II. W. Harkness remarks in his essay upon this subject: " We feel 

 in a north wind, sometimes, as when we receive a moderate shock from an 

 electro-magnrtic battery." 



Dr. W. R. Cluness — I have frequently noticed, after riding in the north 

 wind, that my hair became dry and stood out. Running a comb through 

 produced the electric snaps. 



Matthew Cooke — I have, after driving in a prevailing north wind, put 

 my finger to the belt of my driving-wheel, which drew from my finger nails 

 a steady blaze two inches in length. 



Mr. Hoyt — During the north wind the tails of my horses sometimes 

 stand out fan-like. The use of the comb and brush produced the electric 

 snap. 



It is evident, therefore, both from these simple facts and the principles 

 of electricity, that during a north wind everything connected with the earth 

 is insulated and heavily charged with electricity. It has, however, been 

 claimed in support of the theory, that the north wind imparts electricity 

 from itself, and from the upper regions; that a stove insulated from the 

 earth by vitrified bricks was so heavily charged with electricity as to 

 impart a very heavy shock to one who attempted to handle the stove. 



But in opposition to this, it must be admitted that the original instance 

 referred to was never examined; that all similar experiments have failed 

 to produce this result, and that the proposition is highly improbable. We 

 may, however, imagine a stove placed in a very damp place, where there 

 is damp air sufficient to conduct electricity to the stove from the ground ; 

 but we can hardly imagine that the stove receives electricity from the 

 north wind, though the friction might generate it. If I have established 

 this member of my hypothesis, namely, that during a north wind every 

 object is insulated and heavily charged with electricity from the earth, we 

 are prepared with a reliable explanation of many of the results of the north 

 wind. 



We put the statement in several forms: Tyndall says: "When an elec- 

 tric current encounters resistance, heat is developed. This heat is some- 

 times so intense as to reduce metals to a state of vapor." This being true, 

 the excess of electricity in plants and animals which always seeks to rees- 

 tablish its equilibrium meets with resistance in the north wind at the sur- 

 face of the object and hence an extraordinary degree of heat. Again: It 

 is supposed that a non-excited body contains an equal amount of negative 

 and positive electricity. Ordinarily this is the condition of objects on the 

 surface of the earth, and the result is a neutral state. But friction decom- 



