Electricity to Be Used in Farming 



By Albert Marple 



A PROCESS has just been an- 

 nounced by W. J. Anson, an in- 

 ventor of Southern California, whereby 

 it is claimed that electricity may now 

 be used in connection with farming in 

 a manner which has up to this time 

 probably never been even suggested. In 

 a word, by this new system electric cur- 

 rent is used in the sub-irrigation of the 

 soil, it stimulates and accelerates plant 

 growth, while at the same time it pro- 

 tects the trees against extreme heat and 

 winter frosts. This inventor has been 

 working on the system for years and has 

 had such wonderful results that prom- 

 inent horticulturists and agriculturists 

 are taking notice and are making a thor- 

 ough investigation. 



During the past year Mr. Anson has 

 been operating in the San Fernando Val- 

 ley. He said recently : "During my ex- 

 periments in the San Fernando Valley I 

 proved to my entire satisfaction the mer- 

 its of my system as a protection from 

 frost. In a small tract in which I had 

 ascertained the character of the soil to be 

 identical throughout, I had one acre in 

 which my process was used, one acre 

 under dry farming and part of an acre 

 under surface irrigation. Seeds of the 

 same kind were planted in each piece. The 

 test came unexpectedly during a heavy 

 frost in my section. The plants in the 

 ground that was treated by my process 

 revealed the hardiest growth of all, and 

 were the only ones that were alive and 

 thriving after the frost. Of the four 

 palms in our front yard, the one treated 

 by my new method was the only one that 

 was not frozen down to the ground." 



For this system the claim is made that 



it aerates the soil, the currents of air 

 and electricity passing through the con- 

 duits causing a capillary attraction 

 which reaches moisture from depths of 

 from five to seven feet. It causes the 

 soil to retain its moisture so that it re- 

 mains in a pulverized state and does not 

 bake, as is the case in ditch irrigation. 

 It is claimed that with this system one 

 gallon of water will do the work of forty 

 gallons used under ordinary conditions. 

 The water is carried to the place where 

 it is needed. As this system is almost 

 entirely under-ground it saves the space 

 ordinarily taken up by ditches. 



This system is simple both in instal- 

 lation and operation. Tile conduits are 

 laid in the soil at depths ranging from 

 fourteen to sixteen inches, these being 

 about ten feet apart. Galvanized wiring 

 is run through each cojiduit, the current 

 that works these various benefits being 

 derived from a feed line extending across 

 the end of the orchard or garden plot. 

 Where the process is used in groves the 

 plan followed is that of having a positive 

 and negative current on either side of a 

 row of trees, with an upright tile outlet 

 at each tree; there being, at the top of 

 each of these outlets, a resistance coil. 

 In winter the coils are heated by elec- 

 tricity, the current being governed by 

 a thermometer which automatically opens 

 a switch the moment the mercury goes 

 below a given point. This automatic 

 regulation of current will create in the 

 coil sufficient heat to keep the atmosphere 

 around the trees at a safe temperature. 



The discovery promises to revolution- 

 ize farming, especially in those sections 

 where irrigation is necessary. 



373 



