176 LANDRETH— THE NEW AGRICULTURE. [May 4 



produces a drying up of the tissues rendering the buds quickly sus- 

 ceptible to subsequent heat and moisture. This discovery opens up 

 a broad field for the producing of blooms ahead of time as also a 

 guarantee for the gathering of early crop of fruit. Of course, these 

 processes can best be done in properly prepared chambers or glass 

 houses, but, no doubt, means will be devised for covering outdoor 

 plants with something similar to hugh bell glasses for treatment by 

 chloroform. 



One of the latest scientific discoveries in connection with agri- 

 culture is that of the influence of electric air currents. Travellers 

 in far northern regions have noticed a wonderful rapidity of growth 

 and brilliancy of coloring to the arctic flowers and a strength of 

 perfume. They have noticed that succeeding a snow surface there 

 will, forty or fifty days after its disappearance, be developed a 

 growth of natural grass, as tall as would be produced in four times 

 the period in temperate regions and this on poor soils. They have 

 noticed that these growths are even still more astounding through- 

 out spring months of unusual auroreal disturbances. Usual auroras 

 occur about once every ten years, and in those the growths of all 

 vegetation is far in excess of the ordinary years. This has been 

 especially noticed in northern Sweden and Norway. Cutting down 

 a tree there, it is observed that the annual rings about every ten years 

 are much broader than those before and after. All this has led 

 close observers to believe that these unusual growths are a con- 

 sequence of electrical air currents, and with that theory in view 

 most interesting experiments have been conducted proving that 

 the theory is correct. 



Professor Lemstrom, of the University of Helsingfors, was the 

 first in these experiments, which experiments have been pursued at 

 Avidaberg in Sweden and at Kryschanowitz in Germany and at 

 Durham College in England, all proving conclusively that electric 

 air currents greatly forward the growth of plants. In some cases 

 not only ten and twenty per cent, increase in productiveness, but in 

 other cases sixty and eighty per cent, increased development. Straw- 

 berry plants subjected to electric air currents are increased fifty to 

 sixty per cent, in productiveness and sugary qualities and just so 



