4 



The experiments of Abbe Nollet are worthy of special notice, he 

 being the first to apply electricity as a stimulus to germination with 

 favorable results. Later N. Specuew submitted different seeds to 

 the action of an electric current and found that germination was much 

 accelerated. He took two lots of twelve groups containing one 

 hundred and twelve seeds each, soaked them in water until thoroughly 

 moistened, and while wet, placed them in glass cylinders open at 

 either end. Copper discs which were connected with the poles of an 

 induction coil, were pressed against the seeds and a current passed 

 through them for one or two minutes. After this, the seeds were 

 sown, the temperature being kept at 45° to 50'^ Falirenheit. The 

 following are Specnew's results : 



Seeds submitted to the action of 



electricity developed in 

 Normal seeds developed in 



An experiment, similar in certain respects, was conducted by 

 Paulin, who discovered that the electric current would awaken life 

 in seeds which had apparently lost all vitality. Seed which Avould 

 not germinate in the usual way, sprouted readily after being treated 

 with an electric current. In fact, all seeds which he treated were 

 found to germinate mucli more rapidly and give better plants than 

 those which had not been subjected to electric influence. Paulin's 

 apparatus was quite simple, consisting of a friclional machine and 

 a wide neck glass bottle. Within the bottle were placed moistened 

 seeds and around it was pasted tinfoil forming a Leyden Jar, the 

 seed acting as the inner coating. 'J'he bottle was then closed with a 

 perforated stopper and a wire inserted among the seed. B}' means 

 of this wire, the jar was connected with the conductors of the fric- 

 lional machine and the seeds charged. With the seeds of garden 

 vegetables this process of charging was continued hourly for twelve 

 hours ; with gram hourly for twenty-four hours, while with fruit and 

 forest trees the treatment was continued twelve hours daily for a 

 period of eight days. Pauliu also noticed that the seeds must be 

 planted while still moist, or the electrical etl'ect would be destroyed. 



Tschinkel showed that certain seeds germinated from six to eight 

 days earlier in soil through which an electric current had been circu- 

 lated, while similar experiments, carried on by Profesi^or Wollny of 

 Munich, with summer rye, radishes, rape-seed and potatoes gave 

 negative results. 



