June 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W, 393 



The Electrolytic Treatment of Seeds 

 (Wolfryn Process) before Sowing* 



G. P. DARNELL-SMITH, D.Sc, F.I.C., F.C.S., Biologist. 



There has been a good deal of interest in reports of the advantages of 

 treating seeds electrically before sowing. In some cases greatly-increased 

 yields have been claimed. The matter has recently been investigated and 

 the experiments review^ed by the Director of the Rothamsted (Eng.) 

 Experiment Station, Dr. Russell, who has issued his report in the Journal of 

 the Ministry for Agriculture, Vol. XXVI, No. 10. Appended are extracts 

 from this report. We would" particularly call attention to Dr. Russell's 

 classification or various treatments into three divisions, and to the position in 

 which he places seed electrification as a result of a survey of the work 

 hitherto recorded. 



The late Dr. Mercier, a well-known believer in the process of seed treat- 

 ment by electricity, gives the following details in his book " Manual of the 

 Electro-chemical Treatment of Seeds": — 



The grain is placed in a solution of 2^ -.5 per cent, (that is 4-8 oz. to the gallon) of 

 household salt, in a rectangular water-tight tank made of wood or cemented biick. Both 

 ends of the tank a:e completely covered inside with a plate of sheet-iron about ^-inch 

 thick. To each iron plate a terminal is attached for affixing the wires which conduct 

 the electric current, A tank of the following dimensions is a convenient size in which to 

 treat up to 12 bushels at one time, viz : — 6 feet 6 inches long by 3 feet broad by 1 foot 

 6 inches deep (inside measurements). The solution is first prepared in the tank in the 

 proportion of about 5 gallons to 1 bushel of grain, sufficiently well to cover the grain, 

 which should be occasionally turned over during treatment. Oats need 5| gallons. 

 After the solution has been made ready in the tank, the grain is placed therein and sub- 

 mitted to an electric current of 8 watts per gallon of solution (400 watts for 50 gallons ; 

 i.e., 2 amperes at 200 volts, or 4 amperes at 100 volts and so on). When larger quantities 

 of grain are required to be treated at one time several tanks are connected in series, and 

 with increased voltage the same electric current can be used through the whole series. 



After the treatment is completed the solution is run off and the grain removed from 

 the tanks, and dried at a temperature of from 90 degrees to 100 degrees Fah. After 

 the moisture has been driven out of the grain it still remains in a swollen condition, for 

 which due allowance must be made in drilling, otherwise a smaller quantity will be sown 

 per acre than of the corresponding untreated grain. 



In soil deficient in lime, a solution of 5 per cent, calcium chloride (8 oz. to the gallon) 

 may be used instead of a solution of household salt. 



"Up to the present," says Dr. Russell, "agricultural experts have not 



been particularly enthusiastic about the treatment, because samples of seed 



tested at colleges and experimental stations have in the main proved no better 



than untreated seed ; .similar results have been obtained by certain farmers 



who have taken the trouble to weigh up their produce. On the other hand, 



other farmers claim to have obtained satisfactory results, and in certain cases 



where the weighings were carried out by one of the assistants from the Uni- 



Yersity College, Reading, there were considerable differences between crop^ 



grown from treated and from untreated seed respectively." 



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