water out of the barrel by means of a large sprink- 

 ling-can it became charged with electricity from 

 the machine. By sprinkling it upon the plants 

 while the cart was being driven among them, the 

 current was delivered to them by the water, and 

 passed through them to the soil. 



These currents of high electromotive force (pres- 

 sure), generated by the frictional-electric machines 

 used by Bertholon, could readily pass through the 

 water l to the plants, and through them to the 

 ground. 



While Bertholon was observing the effects of de- 

 vices which gave a much larger supply of electricity 

 to plants than they could get from the atmosphere, 

 Gardini, of Turin, was pursuing an opposite course 

 by watching the results of experiments which en- 

 tirely removed plants from the influence of atmo- 



1 That water will conduct electricity many persons have 

 learned to their surprise when they have attempted to remove 

 a coin from a bowl of this fluid which has been connected 

 with one of the poles of an induction coil, their bodies having 

 been connected with the other pole. Firemen have also 

 learned that it is not safe to throw a stream of water over live 

 electric wires, because the insulation may have been burned 

 off, or removed in other ways, and a dangerous and perhaps 

 fatal current may escape down the stream of water to their 

 bodies. That fertile genius, Mr. FMison, not long ago start- 

 led us by suggesting that we utilize the conducting power of 

 water in modern warfare. He spoke of rendering a fort im- 

 pregnable by means of such simple machinery as a powerful 

 force-pump to propel streams of water, and a dynamo to fur- 

 nish deadly currents of electricity to them. But a handful of 

 men would be required to run this machinery and direct the 

 electrified streams of water- upon the advancing columns of 



