Show Shocking L LA Plants to Make Them Grow GrowA A CONNECTICUT flower grower revives almost almost al- al A most lifeless plants by the application of How Weak or voltage low-voltage direct current such as that supplied from a dry or other battery 0 S Stunted d One of the experiments was tried on a a. small smaIl cactus plant which had been sent from rom Mexico Plants Arc and which seemed to pine away rapidly The ReV Rev Ted iced cactus was about dead when the experiment of applying electric curren current was first tried with witha a 1 1 1 Small 1 t tr Electric I Current from Crom jr iY y n a Battery of a 3 Few Cells CeUs I II I 4 rz This Thia plan as described in The Electrical Experimenter Experimenter Experimenter Ex Ex- consisted of or connecting two cells o oa of ofa a dry ry battery with some tine fine copper wire the positive positive tive live pole being connected to a nail placed in the soil toil of oC the flower pot while the negative pole was secured delicately around the Ute upper branch The cactus brightened up Y very ry sprightly after one week of this treatment and in two weeks it was plump green and growing nicely Further experiments were fried tried on a rose bush and a fuchsia with good results care are being taken to see that the positive e wire from the battery is applied to the root of the plant and the negative pole to the foliage so as to promote the flow of sap upward It may be thought at first that the battery would soon soon be exhausted but the resistance of the plant is of considerable value so that the flow of 6 current is but a small fraction of the ampere and the cells will thus give quite a lengthy treatment before being entirely rel exhausted Those having access to a storage battery will find it very useful for the purpose The current in this case should be regulated by means of ot a at t small rheostat such as the rotary porcelain base ohm 10 rheostats available on the market Several other interesting expel experiments ment were tried by the Connecticut florist notably on a small plum tree which was electrically treated with six cells with the result that it blossomed out fully sever several l days ahead of the other adjacent trees Another experiment was that conducted on an ever-bearing ever strawberry plant which was treated with two dry cells This plant was left leftin in the same samo row with other berry plants and its in increased increased in- in creased size and fruit ruit production was very ing |