ELECTROCULTURE 



25 



These results indicate a 49 per cent increase in grain and an 88 per 

 cent increase in straw for the electrical treatment. 



The Liverpool City and Electrical Engineers reported on experi- 

 ments conducted near Liverpool, England, in 1917. Two plats in 

 newly plowed pasture land separated by about 375 feet were used, 

 an analysis indicating that the surface and subsoil were of the same 

 character. Various plant crops were grown, and in general the elec- 

 trified area gave substantial increases in yield over the control area. 

 A copy of this report is on file in the Office of Biophysical Investi- 

 gations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



Honcamp (25) has summarized the results of several previous in- 

 vestigations and pointed out serious objections to the methods used. 



Table 26. — Results of electrochemical treatments of oat crops at Mocheln, Germany, 

 • according to Gerlach and Erlwein 





Relative yields 



Composition (per cent) 



Electrical and soil treatment 



Grain 



Straw 



Grain 



Straw 





Dry mat- 

 ter; 



Nitrogen 



Dry mat- 

 ter 



Nitrogen 



No electricity: 



Fertilizer, irrigation. 



26.60 

 28.80 



34.40 

 32.20 

 24.40 

 22.10 

 19.40 

 17.40 



36.20 

 37.20 

 24.40 

 22.50 

 23.00 

 18.20 



31.80 

 32.00 

 21.50 

 21. 10 

 18.00 

 18.00 



91.4 

 92.4 

 87.9 

 89.9 

 90.4 

 90.1 



90.4 

 91.7 

 90.5 

 91.2 

 84.4 

 90.4 



91.7 

 90.6 

 91.3 

 89.8 

 91.1 

 91.4 



1.94 

 1.70 

 2.13 

 2.04 

 1.85 

 1.67 



1.94 

 1.74 



2.16 

 2.07 

 1.88 

 1.72 



1.81 

 1.78 

 2.16 

 2.11 

 1.84 

 1.83 



77.4 

 76.2 

 73.5 

 74.3 

 78.8 

 79.8 



71.6 

 72.9 

 74.5 

 73.7 

 76.6 

 78.4 



78.4 

 77.9 

 73.2 

 75.9 

 82.2 

 85.0 



0.32 



Do 



.27 



Fertilizer, no irrigation. .. 



20.60 

 20.90 

 19.60 

 19.60 



27.80 

 27.80 

 21.60 

 20.50 

 21.00 

 17.80 



26.20 



26.00 

 19.50 

 19.90 

 18.00 

 18.00 



.46 



Do 



.38 



No fertilizer, no irrigation 



Do 



Direct current: 



Positive, fertilizer, irrigation 



Negative, fertilizer, irrigation . .. 



.32 

 .32 



.27 

 .24 



Positive, fertilizer, no irrigation 



Negative, fertilizer, no irrigation 



Positive, no fertilizer, no irrigation 



Negative, no fertilizer, no irrigation.. _ 

 Alternating current: 



Fertilizer, irrigation 



Do 



Fertilizer, no irrigation 



Do 



No fertilizer, no irrigation 



Do... 



.36 

 .30 

 .28 

 .28 



.28 

 .23 

 .33 

 .30 

 .28 

 .26 



Summary of Relative Yields of Grain and Straw 





No elec- 

 tricity 



High-tension current 



Soil treatment 



Direct 



Alter- 





Positive 



Negative 



nating 



Grain: 



No fertilizer, no irrigation.. . . 



19.60 

 20.75 



.•7.70 



18.40 

 23.25 

 33.30 



21.00 

 21.60 

 27.80 



23.00 

 24.40 

 36.20 



17.80 

 20. 50 

 27.80 



18.20 

 22.50 

 37.20 



18.00 



Fertilizer, no irrigation 



19.70 



Fertilizer, irrigation ... ... 



26.10 



Straw: 



No fertilizer, no irrigation . 



18.00 



Fertilizer, no irrigation... . 



21. 30 



Fertilizer, irrigation.. . 



31.90 







On the Continent during this period in any elect rocultural experiments 

 were carried out, using net works charged to high potentials. Reports by 

 Hostermann (22), Gerlach and Erlwein (19,W)j Clausen (13) , Breslauer 

 (.9), and others indicate that no benefit may be expected from the use 

 of the network. The German experiments made use of an extensive 



