497 



The experiments were made with Chevalier barley ; a direct current of 

 electricity was used which was conducted through the soil. The grains 

 were very carefully sown, so that in half the experimental pots the seeds lay 

 with their long axes parallel to the direction of the current, thus being 

 traversed longitudinally by the current, while in the other pots, the grains 

 were laid at right angles to the direction of the current. It was thus found 

 that the different position of the grain in relation to the direction of the 

 current resulted in a very unexpectedly great difference in the effect of the 

 electricity. 



With the strength of current used (0.015 ^o 0.030 amperes) an injury 

 in the process of germination was universally noticeable, but it could always 

 be recognized that the grains, which were traversed longitudinally, germin- 

 ated less well than those through which the stream passed crosswise ; yet in 

 the first named series, a difference was perceptible in the grains lying 

 parallel with the direction of the current, inasmuch as those developed the 

 most poorly in which the positive stream entered at the tip of the grain and 

 left at the end where the embryo lies. If the direction of the current was 

 reversed two or three times within the 24 hours, no difference in the results 

 could be produced, but, if the current was changed two times per minute, 

 such a difference became clearly evident. The grains laid perpendicular to 

 the direction of the current sprouted just as well as seed not electrically 

 treated. In those traversed longitudinally by electricity, the disadvantage 

 manifested itself noticeably only in the fact that the grains germinated 

 12 to 24 hours later. This experiment, w-hich deserves consideration, shows 

 clearly that varied conditions must be taken into consideration in cultivation 

 with electricity 



Supplementarily, the endeavor to treat electrically the roots and older 

 wood of grapevines by currents of high voltage should be considered here^. 

 At the request of the Imperial Agricultural Association at Moscow, experi- 

 ments were introduced, incited by reports of combatting Phylloxera by elec- 

 tric currents, in which experimental cases, containing roots and cuttings, 

 were exposed for 10 minutes to an electrical discharge. Some roots were 

 then treated with a spark discharge. It was found that currents of high 

 voltage caused an earlier and more favorable development of the vines. 

 Roots, however, which had been treated directly by being connected with 

 the machine exhibited injuries, for the upper parts did not sprout. Sprouts 

 appeared only on the subsoil nodes. 



1 From a review of the "Weinlaube" 1904, No. 34; cit. Centralbl, fiir Agri- 

 kulturchemie 1005, p. 394, 



