16 



BULLETIN 1379, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



will increase the yield of crops growing under it. The electrical 

 treatment was usually given during the early-morning and late- 

 afternoon hours. The general experimental procedure was similar 

 to tli#t employed in experiments in England in which the electrical 

 treatment is reported to have given increased yields. 



These experiments do not show any well-defined increase in yield 

 due to electrical treatment. There is an indication of a slight 

 increase in the yield of wheat when grown under a positively charged 

 network, but the observed increase is well within the experimental 

 error of field trials. 



The results of these field experiments are summarized in Table 19. 

 The relative productivity of the plats when not subjected to the 

 electrical field was determined in order to provide additional informa- 

 tion in interpreting the results, a precaution which has not been 

 generally observed by other investigators. A discussion of the 

 yields from each section will be found in the text embodying the 

 description of the experiments. 



Table 19. — Summary of the results of the electrocultural experiments in sections A, 

 B, and E, Arlington Experiment Farm, in stated years 



[The treated and control plats in sections A and B were each three-fourths of an acre in area; those in section 

 E half an acre each, separated by an interval of 350 feet. Abbreviations and symbols. — Column 2: C = Cow- 

 peas (crop cut for hay); K = Winter rye; S = Soybeans; W = Winter wheat. Column 3: Numbers refer 

 to preceding tables. Column 4: A = 25-cycle alternating current; N = No treatment; — = Negative 

 direct current; -f- = Positive direct current. Column 12: * = Yield of plats treated in previous years] 





Crop 



8 



c 



® 



2 

 ce 



Network treatment 



Yields (pounds) 



Ratio of 

 treated 



to 

 control 



Section and date 



Character 

 of current 



Descrip- 

 tion of 



net- 

 work 



Time of 



treatment 



(hours) 



Dry shock 



Grain 



M 



Q 









bo 

 3 



> 



| 



M 



w 



m 



S 

 >> 



M 



a 



'1 

 o. 



00 



a 



'-3 



a 

 



1 



•a 



"3" 

 



6 



a 

 

 O 



T3 

 O 



as 



Eh 



a 











a 

 1 



• 



2 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



10 



11 



12 



13 



14 



15 



Section A: 

 1914 



B 



R _. 



\Y 



W 



C... 



14 

 15 

 16 



9 



10 



A 

 A 



N 



+ 



+ 



+ 

 A 

 A 



N 



N 

 + 



+ 



N 

 + 



6, 800 

 6,600 



45,000 

 (40,000 

 \ to 

 (50,000 

 45,000 



16 



16 



16 



7 



16 

 16 

 16 



5 

 5 

 5 



1 



10 







2,776 

 2,662 



2,446 

 1,758 

 2,558 



3,300 



3,139 



1,847 

 6,212 

 2,758 

 3,412 



2,499 



2,281 



1,362 



2 444 

 3,' 064. 5 

 2,639 



811.3 

 981 

 * 1,147.5 



1,154 



808 



782.5 



700 



803 



1,114 



782 



1.13 



1.51 

 1.44 



1.05 



1.04 



.98 

 1.12 



1.03 

 .88 



.98 



1.02 



1.14 



1.03 

 1.04 

 1.07 



1.04 



1915 







1.40 



1916 







2,700 

 3,465 



1.43 



Section B: 

 1912 



» 16 

 U6 





1.04 



1913. 



128 



3,254 



1,807 

 6,952 

 2,836 

 3,016 



2,438 



2,332 



1,548 



2,528 

 3, 190. 5 



2,820 



1.03 



1913 



10 3 4 





1914 



Corn 



R 



W 



R 



W 



W 



w._ 



w 



\v* 



11 

 12 

 13 



7 



2 



3 



1 

 5 

 6 



10 

 10 





2,892 

 1,046 

 *861 



2, 260 

 1,040 

 1,009 



1.28 



1915 







1.01 



1916 









.85 



Section E: 

 1913 















1914 



[30,000 

 \ to 

 160,000 



30,000 

 \ to 

 (60,000 



45,000 



16 



5 



2 



2 



24 



3 6V 2 

 1 16 



336 



345 

 800 



644.8 



624.5 



672 



1, 137. 5 

 * 1,050 



656.5 



604.5 



754 

 1, 198. 5 

 1,025 



.97 



1915 



1916 



1.03 

 .89 



1917 



.95 



1918 



30,000 



16 



1 



1 16 



736 



1.02 



1 From 4 p. m. to 8 a. m. 



2 From 3 to 7 p. m. 



3 From 4 to 7 a. m. and from 5 to 8.30 p. m. 

 * Plats separated by grounded wire screen. 



