29 



EFFECTS OF HOURLY TREATMENT 



On Horse bean (Vicia faba, L.) and White Lupine (Lupinus 

 albus, L.) 



TABLES XVIII.— XIX. 



Having satisfactorily determined that by stimulating the seeds before 

 they were planted, an increase in the length of radicles could be obtained, 

 the next question which presented itself was whether the growth of 

 young plants could not be hastened, by subjecting them, at intervals, 

 to the influence of the electric current. 



For this work, the apparatus shown in Figure 3 was selected as it 

 gave a good chance for examination of the radicles from time to time 

 and in it the plants could easily be subjected to the electric cur- 

 rent. One hundred seeds of the horse bean (Vicia faba) were 

 sown in moist sawdust and allowed to remain there until the radicles 

 had been pushed forth to a distance of about two centimeters when 

 they were removed. From the hundred seeds, twenty-four were selected 

 which seemed to nearest resemble each other. Upon the i-adicle of 

 each of these was placed a dot of indelible ink one centimeter from 

 the tip. 



The glass funnels were filled with moist sand to within about an 

 inch of the top as stated in the description of Figure 3. Twelve 

 small holes were made in the sand along the inner surface of each 

 funnel and in each of these holes a bean radicle was placed, the bean 

 itself resting upon the surface of the sand. This having been done 

 the funnel was filled with sand, covering the beans to adepthof about 

 one-half inch. The copper discs were placed upon the sand and the 

 plants treated. Figure 3 shows an apparatus set up in this way, the 

 seeds in which, received hourly stimulation lasting about 30 

 seconds for a period of forty-eight hours. 



The discs of one funnel were attached to the poles of the induction 

 machine, the secondary coil being removed five centimeters, and a 

 current was passed through hourly from a four Leclanche cell battery 

 during the experiment. Measurements were taken of the radicles 

 twice daily, the dot of ink being a constant point from which the 

 increase could be determined. In the following table is given the 

 average increase of the twelve radicles in each funnel, the measure- 

 ments being taken twice daily for two days. A column of percent- 

 ages is also given showing the gain by use of electiical stimulation. 



