518 



surmounted with teeth; these collectors were united by metallic connection. Tlie 

 result of this culture applied to cereals Avas to increase the crop by half. 



Tlie following experiment was also tried: Metallic plates 65 by 40 cm. were placed 

 in the soil. These plates were alternately of zinc and copper and placed about 30 

 m. apart, connected two and two, by a wire. The result was to increase from two-fold 

 to fourfold the production of certain garden plants. Fischer says it is evidently 

 proved that electricity aids in the more comi)lete breaking up of the soil constituents. 

 Finally he says that plants thus treated mature more quickly, are almost always 

 perfectly healthy, and are not att'ected with fungoid growth. 



Later, N. Specuew, inspired by the results arrived at by his predecessors, was led 

 to investigate the influence of electricity on plants in every stage of their develop- 

 ment ; the results of his experiments were most satisfactory and of practical interest. 

 He began by submitting different seeds to the action of an electric current and found 

 that their development was rendered more rapid and complete. He experimented 

 with the seeds of haricot beans, sunflowers, and winter and spring rye. Two lots of 

 12 groups of 120 seeds each were plunged into water until they swelled, and while 

 wet the seeds were introduced into long glass cylinders, open at both ends. Copi>er 

 disks were pressed against the seeds, the disks were connected with the poles of an 

 induction coil, the current was kept on for 1 or 2 minutes and immediately after- 

 wards the seeds were sown. The temperature was kept frpm 15- to 50- F., iind the 

 experiments repeated four times. The ftdlowing table shows the results: 



Elpctrified Rords dcvelopod in 



Nouclcctriticd seeds dt-vcloiied in. 



Day*. Days. 

 2.5 3 



4 C 



Day*. 

 % 

 5 



Dayx. 



S. 5 

 15 



It was also observed that the plants coming from electrified seeds were belter 

 developed, their leaves were much larger, ami their color brigliter than in those 

 l)lants growing from nouelectrilied seeds. The current did not alVect the yield. 



At the Botanical Gardens at Kew. tbe following experiment was tried: Large 

 plates of zinc and copper (0.445 m. and 0.712 m.) were ])laced in the soil and connecteil 

 by wires so arranged that the current passed through the ground; the arrangement 

 was really a battery of (zinc | earth | copper). This method was applied to pot 

 herbs and flowering plants and also to the growing of garden produce; in the latter 

 case the result was a large crop and the vegetables giown were of enormous size. 



Extensive experiments in electroculture were also made at Pskov, Russia. Plats 

 of earth were sown to rye, com, oats, barley, peas, clover, and flax; around these 

 respective ]>lats were placed insulating rods, on the top of which were crown-shaped 

 collectors — the latter connected by means of wires. Atmospheric electricity was 

 thus collected above the seeds and the latter matured in a highly electrified atmos- 

 phere; the plats were submitted to identical conditions and the experinu'nts were 

 carried on for 5 years. The results showed a consj<lerable increase in the yield of 

 seed and straw, the ripening was more rapid, and the barley rijieued nearly 2 weeks 

 earlier with electroculture. Potatoes grown by the latter nu'thod were seldom dis- 

 eased — only to 5 per cent .igainst 10 to 40 ]»er cent by ordinary culture. 



Grandeau, at the School of Forestry at Nancy, found by experiment that the elec- 

 trical tension always existing between the upper air and soil stimulated growth. 

 He found ])lants protected from this influence were less vigorous that those subject 

 to it. 



Macagno, also believing that the passage of electricity from air through the grape- 

 vine to the earth would stinuilate growth, selected a certain number of vines, all of 

 the same variety and all in the same ((Uidition of health and develoi>ment. Sixteen 

 vines were submitted to experiment and sixteen were left to natural influences. In 



