The Application of Electricity in Agriculture. 1-i 1 



science, because there were many things remaining to be under- 

 stood about plants; and it was of interest to the practical man, 

 because there might be money in it some day. One of these 

 days, with cheaper distribution, electricity was going to be used 

 for far more purposes than at present, and he was sure it would 

 then be of more use on the farm. With the aid of the pictures 

 thrown on the screen, the lecturer sketched the history of the 

 subject. The earliest known apparatus took the form of a large 

 tray, insulated by means of pedestals, on Avhich it rested. The 

 tray contained a number of plants in pots to which electricity was 

 being applied ; and from the dresses of figures in the picture the 

 date of the experiment could be fixed at about 1750. It Avas not 

 known who made the experiment. Pictures of other early 

 machines were shown, in which not only plants, but in one case 

 a cat and a bird were in course of being electrified. Most of the 

 early work on the subject was done in France, though the best 

 experiments were those of the Scandinavian scientist, Lemstrom, 

 whose machine was a better one than any that had gone before. 

 It was mounted on ball bearings, and was driven by a motor, 

 and was really the parent machine of many that had since been in 

 use. There could be no doubt that electricity applied to certain 

 plants stimulated their growth. Under the old system the wires 

 were near the ground, among the plants, but now they are high 

 up, and the electricity is discharged down through the air to the 

 plants. They might think that a high tension current of, 

 perhaps, 100,000 volts was very dangerous, but it need not be 

 dangerous at all. The great trouble was to know whether the 

 discharge was happening, as they could not always hear the 

 " sizzling " sound made by it, and a number of failures had 

 occurred because a sufficient discharge was not coming down. 

 The only way to test it was to put an insulated wire beloAV the 

 top wire and collect some of the electricity, and test the dis- 

 charge by touching this wire with the fingers or with the tongue, 

 when a slight shock would be felt, or at night a vacuum tube 

 might be attached, and in it they would see a little glow. Up 

 till now it was positive electricity that had been used. With 

 regard to the method of applying the electricity, it was shown, 

 with the help of lantern pictures, including several of Miss 

 Dudgeon's experimental station at Lincluden Mains, that at 



