12 



BULLETIN 1379, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



SUMMARY OF EXPERIMENTS IN SECTION B 



The 1916 results show about 15 per cent difference in the yield of 

 the plats when no electrical treatment was used, the control plat 

 giving the higher yield. During the preceding three years the yields 

 of the two plats were approximately equal. If the 1916 results are 

 accepted as indicating the relative productivitj T of the two plats 

 under normal conditions, the conclusion follows that during the pre- 

 ceding three years the electrocultural treatment increased the yield 

 15 per cent or more and that an alternating charge on the network 

 was equally as effective as a high positive charge. During the time 

 the network was connected to the alternating-current power line the 

 charge was changing sign 50 times per second, the maximum gradient 

 was about 1,500 volts per meter, and there was no appreciable ioniza- 

 tion at the network. The conditions were so different from those 

 prevailing when the network was charged to a steady high positive 

 potential that it seems highly improbable that the effect on the grow- 

 ing crop would be the same unless the effect is nil under both condi- 

 tions, the 1916 results not being representative. The latter conclu- 

 sion seems the more probable, and tins is supported by the experi- 

 ments in section A which follow. 



EXPERIMENTS IN SECTION A 



A plat in section A of the same dimensions as the one in B was also 

 used for electrocultural tests. The north half of this plat was 

 equipped with a 16-foot network similar to the B network except that 

 it had twice as many cross wires (5 yards apart). The two networks 

 were connected electrically, so that both received the same charge. 



Experiments in 1914- — Soybeans were planted in section A in June, 

 1914, and subjected to a 6,600-volt 25-cycle treatment (alternating 

 charge) continuously from July 15 to October 19, when the crop was 

 harvested. The total weight of the crop from each plat was deter- 

 mined just after cutting, again after drying in the field, and finally 

 after threshing. The weights recorded are shown in Table 14. 



Table 14. — Yields of soybeans on plats following electrocultural treatments {alter' 

 nating charge), section A, Arlington Experiment Farm, in 1914 





Yields (pounds) 



Ratio of treated to control 



Plat 



After 

 cutting 



After 

 drying 



Beans 

 only 



After 

 cutting 



After 

 drying 



Beans 

 only 



Treated 



4,093 

 4,242 



2,776 

 2,446 



811.3 



782.5 



} 0.97 



1.13 



1.04, 









Experiments in 1915. — After the plat had been plowed and put in 

 good shape, rye was seeded on October 22, 1914, and the 6,600-volt 

 treatment (alternating charge) was started November 5 and main- 

 tained continuously until harvest. The field was divided into four 

 equal parts when the rye was cut, to get some idea of the soil variation 

 in the eastern and western halves of the plats. At harvest time the 

 crop under the network showed a much better growth than the con- 

 trol plat, but this was probably owing to soil conditions rather than 

 to the electriqal treatment, as indicated by the comparative test the 

 following year. The yields obtained are shown in Table 15. 



