THE 



GARDENER. 



JULY i88i. 



THE ELECTRIC LIGHT AS APPLIED TO HORTICULTURE 

 at Sherwood, Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells. 



UCH of your readers as may have seen the observations 

 made by me in your number for July 1880, and felt any 

 further interest in the question, will probably be ex- 

 pecting to hear whether any progress has since been 

 made in the application at Sherwood of electric light 

 to horticulture ; and I regret to have to say that, in my judgment, 

 no progress has been made towards a successful application of it. 



There has been in use since December last, until about ten days ago, 

 a larger electric lamp than the one used last year, with an illuminating 

 power equal to 4000 candles, enclosed in a glass globe, to prevent wind 

 blowing it out, hoisted on to the top of a high mast placed outside of, 

 but almost touching the low-pitched Melon and Cucumber house, which 

 I call No. 1 ; and in a square glass house, which I call No. 2, at one 

 end of, and close to the roof, there is a small electric light enclosed in 

 a glass casing, with a zinc chimney-like opening into the external air, 

 to allow of the noxious products of combustion passing off. The 

 steam-engine which sets in motion the dynamo -electric machine is 

 much larger than the one previously in use, and, in fact, during the 

 day is employed in transmitting power through an electric continuator 

 to the farm, where chaff-cutting, turnip or wood cutting may be car- 

 ried on. 



The electric light has been, during the period alluded to, applied to 

 both of these houses, from the hours of six o'clock p.m. to six o'clock 

 A.M. I incline to think that there is no appreciable increase of tem- 

 perature of atmosphere beyond the distance of about a foot from the 



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