60 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



replete with the choicest of God's pre- 

 cious gifts. Sometimes one is a little 

 puzzled to arrive at a conclusion as to 

 " what to grow" &c. The evidence as 

 to what is the best is often very con- 

 tradictory. Still there are a great 

 many considerations which have to be 

 weighed, such as soil, climate, drainage, 

 <fec A certain kind of apple which 

 would be quite successful at Toronto 

 might be a failure at Barrie, or a Burnet 

 Grape Vine fruitful at Niagara might 

 be barren at Ottawa. In view of the 

 extended operations of the Association, 

 it might be in order for the Legislature 

 of Ontario to increase the grant from 

 Government. A sum of money voted 

 for such purposes and objects as are 

 propagated by the Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 ciation of Ontario for the benefit of the 

 people is money well spent. I am of 

 opinion that the time will come when 

 such a grant will be unnecessary. 

 When the aims and objects of the 

 Association are better understood by 

 the people of this Province, then the 

 Association can easily become self-sus- 



James Stephen. 



Toronto. 



ELECTRO-HORTICULTURE. 



" As regards the chemical products, 

 carbonic acid and nitrogenous com- 

 pounds, it was thought these would 

 prove rather beneficial than otherwise 

 in furnishing the very ingredients upon 

 which plant-life depends, and, further, 

 that the constant supply of pure car- 

 bonic acid resulting from the gradual 

 combustion of the carbon electrodes 

 might render a diminution in the sup- 

 ply of fresh air possible, and thus lead 

 to economy of fuel. The plants did 

 not, however, take kindly to those in- 

 novations in their mode of life, and it 

 was found necessary to put a lantern 

 of clear glass round the light for the 

 double purpose of discharging the chemi- 

 cal products of the arc and of inter- 



posing an efiectual screen between the 

 arc and the plants under its influence. 

 The effect of interposing a mere thin 

 sheet of clear glass between the plants 

 and the source of the electric light was 

 most striking. On placing such a sheet 

 of clear glass so as to intercept the 

 rays from the electric light from a por- 

 tion only of a plant, for instance a to- 

 mato plant, it was observed that in the 

 course of a single night the line of de- 

 marcation was most distinctly shown 

 upon the leaves. The portion of the 

 plant under the direct influence of the 

 naked electric light, though at a distance 

 from it of nine to ten feet, was distinctly 

 shrivelled, whereas that portion under 

 cover of the clear glass continued to 

 show a healthy appearance; and this 

 line of demarcation was distinctly visi- 

 ble in individual leaves. Not only the 

 leaves, but the young stems of the 

 plants soon showed signs of destruction 

 when exposed to the naked electric light, 

 and these destructive influences were 

 perceptible, though in a less marked de- 

 gree, at a distance of twenty feet fi'om 

 the source of light. A question here 

 presents itself that can hardly fail to 

 excite the interest of the physiological 

 botanist. The clear glass does not ap- 

 parently intercept any of the luminous 

 rays, which cannot therefore be the 

 cause of the destructive action. Prof. 

 Stokes has shown, however, in 1853, that 

 the electric arc is particularly rich in 

 highly refrangible invisible rays, and 

 that these are largely absorbed in their 

 passage through clear glass. It there- 

 fore appears reasonable to suppose that 

 it is those highly refrangible rays be- 

 yond the visible spectrum that work 

 destruction on vegetable cells, thus con- 

 trasting with the luminous rays of less 

 refrangibility, which, on the contrary, 

 stimulate their organic action." — Dr. C. 

 W. Siemens, in The Journal of the 

 American Agricultural Association for 

 October. 



