1846.] Electricity. 85 



rods, like angle rods, or elevated on buildings, might frequently 

 precipitate showers from the higher parts of the atmosphere. 

 And lastly, that such points erected in gardens might promote a 

 quicker vegetation of the plants in their vicinity by supplying 

 them more abundantly with the electric ether; ?/ the events of 

 the experiments of the philosophers abovementioned are to be 

 depended upon, which may at least be worth a further trial." 



If there had been any thing in this project worthy of serious 

 consideration, in such a country as England, where nothing that 

 wealth can purchase to add to the productiveness of the soil is 

 neglected, and where there are men of abundant leisure time to 

 devote to the investigation of such subjects, this would not have 

 been suffered to drop. But it was soon forgotten. From time to 

 time, however, attempts have been made to revive it, but general- 

 ly these attempts have amounted only to a repetition of the old 

 experiments, and a recommendation of the same project, as that 

 of Darwin mentioned above. And this, without any credit to the 

 true author, but alw^ays introduced as entirely new. 



A few years ago it was reported that cress seed which was 

 sown in the morning had, by the aid of electricity, been grown 

 large enough for dinner the same day. This seems, however, to 

 have been the only successful experiment, and nothing more is 

 heard of it till within two or three years past, when we are startled 

 by the announcement of an entirely new agent in agriculture, viz., 

 electricity. It is announced that by the aid of this new power, 

 peas, potatoes, &c., have been made to grow with a rapidity al- 

 most equal to Jack's bean, in the nursery tale. The agricultural 

 papers, and even the newspapers, teem with notices of this won- 

 derful discovery, and the wonderful results.* It is not the trying 

 these experiments I would find fault with, but with the publica- 

 tion of the false results of experiments not more than half tried. 



* Note by the Editor. — It is only proper to state that this 

 Journal has never given the least credit to these reported results 

 of electricity, as will be seen by referring to page 129, Vol. 2, in 

 the reply to Wm. Case, Esq., in relation to this very subject. 



