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CHAPTER IV 



ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY 



WE are familiar with Nature's grand electrical displays in the 

 form of lightning, and most of us have seen occasional displays of 

 Aurora Borealis, or "Northern Lights," which are every day 

 occurrences in polar regions. Lightning is simply a sudden elec- 

 trical discharge between two clouds or between a cloud and the 

 earth, while an Aurora is a gradual discharge of electricity through 

 rarified air. It is generally believed that atmospheric electricity 

 plays an important part in the formation of rain, hail and snow. 



So early as 1783 it was suggested that atmospheric electricity 

 was an important factor in the environment of a plant. Benjamin 

 Franklin had drawn electricity from the clouds before that date, 

 and lightning conductors had been introduced. And so it was 

 suggested that atmospheric electricity might be collected and 

 conveyed to growing plants. The Abbe Berthelon, in France, 

 made such experiments at that time and reported that this-" im- 

 proved the appearance of the plants and increased their fertility." 

 Similar experiments are still being carried on in France, some of 

 the most interesting and recent being those conducted by a mili- 

 tary officer Lieutenant Basty. His system is to utilize the 

 atmospheric electricity by means of a number of small portable 

 lightning conductors placed in the middle of his crops. The 

 metal points on these conductors become charged with the at- 

 mospheric electricity which by means of wires plunged into the 

 ground is conducted to the roots of the plants. In a recent ex- 

 periment Monsieur Basty planted out two plots with potatoes, 

 sainfoin and hemp ; the crops in one area were grown under 

 normal conditions, the other area having the arrangement of 

 lighting conductors. Taking 220 Ibs. as his standard the results 

 were as follows : 



