154 CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



under the old and tall sticks — that is the more rapid pro- 

 gress made by the latter. The large sticks covered as they 

 were with leaves, and standing prominently forward,, served 

 as conductors by which a supply of electric food was con- 

 stantly conveyed to the root, giving the plant a vigor and 

 luxuriance out of reach of the roots whose sticks were cut 

 close to the ground. 



In order to ascertain how far this theory was grounded in 

 fact I made a miniature experiment on a few bushes during 

 the month of March last, which consisted in placing iron 

 rods in connection with their roots and carried upwards to 

 a height of fifteen feet : in some cases iron rings were sunk 

 below the surface to about 8 inches, and from these the metal 

 rods were carried up perpendicularly. On several other 

 young bushes the experiment was reversed, the metal rings 

 being placed at some height over the young shoots, and the 

 rods were so placed in connection with them, as to conduct 

 away to the adjacent soil any electrial fluid which might 

 come within their influence. During the monsoon rains 

 which followed in April and part of May, there was cer- 

 tainly a very marked difference in the progress of the plants 

 thus variously treated, as well as between those and others 

 in the neighbouring soil. The roots which had the rings 

 sunk round them and the upright rods in immediate contact 

 with them, throve much more vigorously than any of the 

 others, outstripping them in height, during about six weeks, 

 by five inches. Between those placed in a reverse position 

 and bushes not experimented on there was however, no per- 

 ceptible difference. This part of the trial therefore, was 

 unsatisfactory. 



Not long after commencing this last experiment I caused 

 to be enslosecl an entire acre of Cinnamon bushes in the 

 Kaderani garden, of an oblong square and running due 

 north and south. Round this about six inches below the 

 surface, was placed iron wire l-8th of an inch in thickness, 

 and at a height of sixteen feet another wire . of similar ma- 

 terial and size was carried from one centre extremity of the 

 square to the other, placed in intimate contact with the 

 sunken wire and supported by poles. The bushes within 

 this acre was of a very inferior description and the soil was 

 pure white sand. The short stunted trees growing around 

 were removed for some distance so as to prevent any thing 

 like counter attraction. 



This acre was constantly watched during several weeks 



