54 GERMINATION 



control and was taller and more umbrageous than the 

 control. 



One lesson to be learned not only from my experiments 

 but from those of which account is given by Dr. Russell 

 is that no matter what stimuli are used, whether the stimulus 

 of electricity, of heat, of light, or of radium, they can only 

 be said to benefit the plant when they are attenuated. The 

 average electromotive force of anything growing in the 

 earth, from the smallest plant to the largest tree, from the 

 smallest apple to the largest vegetable marrow, is under 

 0.1 volt, and it seems as unreasonable and unscientific to 

 make too wide a departure from that voltage, as it would 

 be to largely exceed the maximum normal temperature. 



As regards light we are told upon the authority of Clerk- 

 Maxwell and Sir Oliver Lodge that light is an electro- 

 magnetic disturbance of the ether. Optics is a branch of 

 electricity, and it is quite conceivable, and indeed probable, 

 that the potential of light increases as progress is made 

 from the red to the violet end of the spectrum and that 

 there is a discharge of electricity of ever increasing intensity. 



Another matter of very great importance is sign of current. 

 I may be labouring the point but I have found, during the 

 course of hundreds of experiments that reversal of the 

 natural sign, i.e., the downward driving force — invariably 

 leads to enforced upward growth and diminished root 

 production. In this way I have grown plants from mustard 

 seed four feet high but there was very little root, and very 

 few seeds. It is necessary to adhere to Nature's method 

 and the ideal thing, in my opinion, would be to pay far more 

 attention to light-frequencies and to restrict electrification 

 of the air and soil to a voltage only shghtly in excess of 

 that which now obtains. 



Hitherto I have only emploj^ed the prepared arc carbon 

 to give out positive charge to soil in pots, with a view to 

 augmenting the air-charge, and this answers better than 

 electrification of the soil with one volt. To assist germina- 

 tion, however, and to help the plant to vigorous life it is 

 desirable to oxygenate the soil, so that when the rupture 

 of the seed coat takes place and the radicle pushes its way 



