SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
deep along the sides of the field, and a high-tension current is sent 
through the soil. The seed is coated before sowing with a finely-divided, 
non-deleteriorating metal. It is claimed that the cost is less than 
50 cents per acre, and the net cost of the apparatus installed only £250, 
Other investigators have examined the result of electric treatment on 
the bacterial changes. I. do not propose to discuss any of the theories 
on this section, and will refer those interested to two articles :— 
(1) Electro-culiure of the Soil, by Dr. Lél, Se. Am. Supt. 
Omen ile 
(2) The Theory of Electro-culture, by Rob. D. McCreery, Se, 
Am. 120 : 5380. 
Errects or Errorric Liaur on Pranr Growrn. 
Experiments with lights of various kinds have been mostly confined 
to greenhouses where the exposure is under control, and the plants can 
all be subjected to the same conditions of temperature and moisture. 
The electric arc light, and the mereury vapour lamp (rich in ultra- 
violet light) have been used, and, as a rule, the results may be sum- 
_ marized as follows :— 
Total yield is increased, quality improved, and maturity is 
hastened. 
Some plants, if too near the light, have a tendency to run to 
seed (e.g., cress, lettuce, spinach). Lettuce Within 
3 feet were killed outright. There is a greater depth 
in colour, and in some peas examined the stems of the treated 
plants were more sturdy, and showed a larger percentage of 
fibre. 
This method must necessarily be limited in its application, though there 
are great possibilities with all kinds of greenhouse or hothouse work. 
Evecrro-cuemican Trearment or Sreep.—Earty Work In 
AUSTRALIA. 
The difficulties and the expense of subjecting growing crops to the 
application of electricity, either continuously or at intervals during 
their growth, induced H. E.-Fry, an electrician, to experiment with 
the electrification of seeds. Though this is considered a virgin field by 
most writers who have published his methods, experiments were carried 
out over several seasons in South Australia by Butterfield and by 
Barclay, and some work was also carried out at Hawkesbury Agricul- 
tural College, New South Wales. In South Australia, an ordinary 
medical coil was used to electrify the seed for three or five minutes 
steeped in a solution of copper sulphate. Barclay is said to have 
increased his yield by 40 per cent.* Fry probably did not know of this 
work, and he was anxious to prove the practical value of his process by 
persuading farmers to give electrified seed a fair trial, and reserve the 
scientific aspect for future investigation by scientists. The methods 
are extremely simple, and his results have been so positive during the 
last few years, that there were 2,000 acres recorded as sown with 
electrified seed in England before 1919. His methods were spread 
only by farmer to farmer, mostly as a result of their own successes. 
* See dg. Gaz. N.S.W., vol. xix (1908), p. 874. 
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