Plant Culture by High Frequency Current* 



Part V. Installation of the Apparatus 



IN the four past instalments of this 

 series, the reader has been told how 

 to construct the apparatus necessary for 

 the cultivation of plants and vegetables 

 by means of the high-frequency current. 

 The various instruments described were 

 the transformer, which steps up the com- 

 mercial lighting current of no volts to a 

 pressure of several thousand volts, the 

 condenser, which stores this high voltage 

 current, the spark gap, which permits 

 the stored-up current to discharge, and, 

 finally, the oscillation transformer, which 

 converts the high-frequency current, 

 generated through the discharge of the 

 condenser, from a potential of a few 

 thousand volts to one approaching the 

 100,000 mark. It is this high potential, 

 high-frequency current that we shall em- 

 ploy in the electrification of our plot of 

 ground, and the object of the present ar- 

 ticle is to point out how the various in- 

 struments of the outfit are connected and 

 combined to produce the current. 



The entire outfit should be housed in 

 a perfectly weather-tight shed. The con- 

 struction of the building may be com- 

 paratively crude, if the precaution is 

 taken to carefully seal all cracks and 

 crevices, not only in the walls, but around 

 the door as well. In rainy weather, or 

 even when the humidity of the air is 

 high, the inside of the shed should be 



*This article is one of a series dealing with various 

 methods of electrical plant culture that has appeared 

 in this publication since September, 1914. The va- 

 rious instalments have dealt with the different meth- 

 ods of applying electricity to horticulture, as well 

 as described the construction of the apparatus re- 

 quired. Back numbers may be secured at 15 cents 

 each while the supply lasts. 



kept dry and warm by means of a small 

 oil stove. Dampness is positively fatal 

 to the successful operation of the appara- 

 tus if it is permitted to strike in for any 

 length of time. 



The shed should contain a substantial 

 wooden table along the rear wall facing 

 the door, and upon this table the ap- 

 paratus is arranged in the order shown 

 on the facing page. The floor of 

 the shed should be at least one foot 

 above ground and an open air space 

 should be left beneath in order to frus- 

 trate dampness so far as is possible. A 

 simple and good construction is to build 

 the shed around four substantial corner 

 posts, starting the walls a foot above 

 ground. The roof should have a gener- 

 ous slant to shed the rain. 



With reference to the first drawing, 

 the apparatus is arranged in the follow- 

 ing order, left to right: Transformer, 

 spark gap, condenser and oscillation 

 transformer. Upon the wall to the left 

 is secured the main switch, which should 

 incorporate a cut-out fitted with 15 am- 

 pere plug fuses. To this switch from 

 the outside of the shed lead the line 

 wires, which are to be supplied with a 

 no- volt, 6o-cycle alternating current, 

 preferably from the local central station. 

 It is recognized that in some outlying 

 districts the current cannot be obtained 

 and for the benefit of experimenters so 

 situated a later series of articles will de- 

 scribe the installation of a suitable iso- 

 lated generating plant. 



Beside the main switch, the switch for 

 the spark gap motor should be located. 



Ill 



